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A Thanksgiving Story

A little while ago, at the behest and planning of artist Robb Havassy, I found myself at the home of film maker Bruce Brown. Though I tend to want to keep some aspects of my life private, this is something to share, as it is a story about the power of gratitude. November twenty fourth being the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., it is especially appropriate, as thankfulness is in the heart of a Nation today. This little tale explains how it works, in the lives of my friends. I met Bruce many years ago. He had rang me

Winning

I often wonder what goes through the mind of some people who, intent on winning, never consider that, in the pursuit and application of the process of the win, they are working to insure a contract be executed on their existence. I cannot recall how many times I have endeavored to explain symbiosis versus parasitism to some low talent underling, who is convinced that I should spend everything that I have to support their vision. It seems that they all came out from under their respective rocks this week. “Pay, oh we don’t pay anything for other people’s work”. (Think

Pursuing Happy

One of the things that always strikes me about Bali and the Balinese is the degree of happiness which exists. Some may say that being happy is a choice. Well it is, sort of. But not the type of selection one may suspect. Happiness is in the choices open to you as an individual and member of a Community, and in the case of a Citizen of the US, the pursuit of it, is a National Guarantee. Here is a fantastic read on Happiness, by Dr William B Stewart. Take close note of what he says about the US Bill

Love Does

I find myself back in the office, in Ventura, California, and once again, am up before the chickens. Maybe it is jetlag. But I doubt it. My waking dream was about love. Not the manner or type of which one might think, coming from somebody who just proposed marriage to his long time girlfriend. It is the type that changes everything. As I work through the processing of 2800 images from Bali, I went straight to the above image this morning. (It was in my head as I awoke). A bracelet Betty B produces, post birth, in a Bali

Living Bali

Contained within the concept of life, if one examines the word itself, the thing (noun) is not really what one may assume. A look at the origins of the word, takes you back to a Germanic root, which actually means leave, or more to the point: to remain. Taken yet to a more finite point of purpose in definition, to live, is to OCCUPY, a space, time and place. In living, we fill a space with our heart, mind and spirit. Here is the story of the Bali Nine. A group of individuals cut off by country, and set adrift

Waking Dream

Ever have one of those mornings where you awaken to an exceptionally pleasant reality? The scenario could be anything. But everything in your emergent diorama, is as a sensory massage. A persistent tap-tap-tapping drew me as a man on a rope, to emerge from a rich and multi-hued pool of color, which slid warmly across my skin, as head to toe, my body emerged into the dimness of a small room. I have dreamed in color for a long time now. It is no coincidence that in my craft as an image maker, the principle endeavor is

Catalysts

catalyst |ˈkatl-ist| noun a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. • figurative a person or thing that precipitates an event : the governor’s speech acted as a catalyst for debate. ORIGIN early 20th cent.: from catalysis , on the pattern of analyst. As I stood next to a wheelchair with reclining back, which was now the principal means of conveyance for Mamie Cohen, I sort of found myself laughing a bit inside. Today, (Monday) is her Birthday. She is 89 years old and lives at Samarkand in Santa

Art Show: Ventura

Last night was intriguing. It followed on the heels of a busy day. Robb Havassy rang me on my cel phone as I drove down Ventura Avenue, car loaded with stuff to be part of our joint installation at Michele Chapin’s, Stoneworks Gallery space. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Oh just driving down the Avenue. You?” “Just getting to your gal’s place. The boys from Surf Aid (Randall and Dr Dave) are meeting me there to pick up our stuff for the Benefit tonight. Go there.” “Okay see ya in five.” And on a beautiful Friday afternoon I meandered

Airborne

I had planned a nice little piece on Water for this week. A large SW swell had been making it’s way towards Ventura, and the subject seemed rather appropriate. Teahupoo in Tahiti had gotten it earlier in the week. Mass carnage, as surfers turned media whores, went for the liquid hammer that was a pretty much unrideable swell, were it not for jet assist. Cool, and somehow not… I left the office late in the day for a drive down coast, and as I pulled into my normal checkout spot for one of those remote waves that rarely breaks, a

Beauty

One of the linchpins in the success of my imaging career, has been the ability to recognize and communicate beauty. Sounds simple. The reality is far from that. The reason being, is that beauty is a complex subject, and really has little to do with obvious and apparent physical attributes. Take the image above. Pretty girl. I made her prettier with my skills as a photographer. But what makes this beautiful, is understanding. Me taking the time to understand who and what she is, made me want to pursue working with her. Jentry is the daughter of two remarkable

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