The Buddha Wall...

Hello friends out there in the world of craziness and mind numbing politics. As of late I have come to notice a large amount of people who are very angry at the state of our current politics. Angry like I have not seen in years. Now I tend to stay fairly politically active but some of the words and things I have heard come out in the world seem to be a very consuming anger. YIKES. My point being: it has reminded me of what I want the work of Velvet Pelican to do. To work out in the general public, in whatever place will take them, and create a sense of solitude for those of us that want or need it. By placing these out in the world and letting people have them as gifts I hope to create a bit of good will and the reminder of taking in that which we often look past.

So with this installment I have just finished the Buddha Wall. This was originally intended to be more in the shape of a well. After some playing around, like a kid does with Legos, the above photograph took shape. This was most definitely not premeditated. It just started to fall into place. Very much like meditating I suppose. The act of the construction as well as that of the printing became of the same intent. Pulling from the act of constructing garden elements and the printing process fell in the same line. I guess this is a step closer to bring my garden obsession with my fondness of printmaking.

I estimate there are about 60 paving stones in this piece. As my new favorite art supply store, Home Depot, has run dry on this particular stone, this project is finished. The are four distinct Buddhas in this set printed in variations with two different trees. These are taken from photos during my trips to Japan. So I have thought of my obsession with the Buddha image. Why so many and not something else. Simply put: I can not think of a more serene image to work with at this time. The Buddha image, in many cultures, brings about the sense of serenity that studying zen koans and philosophy has brought to my life.

I don't see these as some spiritual quest. And no offence to anyone on that road. By and large I am an atheist. These are very Representative of the ordering of the mind and looking for that clarity of mind that zen philosophy bring to my mind. Wow... perhaps this is one of my more honest entries with the blog world. Anyhow, I am going to move on to other parts of my day. I have one more project I am adding to my inventory and then will start looking at places to get these out to. Hopefully around the first of the year.

Bye...