tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40087216695005738232024-03-12T20:17:53.657-07:00ZenDotStudioBits of zen flotsam & jetsam from the daily practice of a zen fool with shards of modern Buddhist art from my studio. Sometimes cranky, sometimes inspiring, mostly entertaining.ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-85609176987486077202017-02-17T23:18:00.001-08:002017-02-17T23:20:04.017-08:00The Floors Have Been Swept, the boxes packed
Continent of the Heart 24"x 30"
The boxes have been packed, the movers have come. I have swept the floor and officially moved out of this Zendotstudio page. It's funny I have never been one to be sad about a move. It always seems optimistic looking forward. It's been fun but it is time for a new neighbourhood.
I invite you to come over to the house warming at http://ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-37746195215310586382017-01-03T16:33:00.002-08:002017-01-03T16:41:41.304-08:00Embers and Ash
Nature of Mind 24"x24"
As I write this I am sitting in front of a brilliant fire. A garland of lights and pine branches still add sparkle to the hearth. It seems the perfect place on a dark night and it reminds me of the words "embers and ash" that crossed my path last week in two different places. That always makes me sit up and pay attention. This evening embers and ash whisper to me ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-51589504902991702512016-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:002016-12-11T10:12:14.277-08:00On Not Wanting To Be Somewhere Else
Mending Snow Fences 24"x20"
I have just returned from a snowy trek through the woods to visit neighbours, share a glass of wine (not literally, they gave me my own glass), sit in front of their fire, hear about how mindfulness practice has been life changing for someone, which always warms my heart. I spoke of something that has troubled me recently. (Sitting in front of a fire can have that ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-57850172328826697502016-09-20T21:40:00.002-07:002016-09-20T21:40:48.517-07:00Summer Houseguests, Inspiration & Cake
Some new work, some older work
The last scent of summer has been washed away by some much needed sky water followed by a gentle helping of fog. This meteorological menu has sent me rummaging through saved magazine bits looking for squash and kale recipes. It's fall, there must be sweaters and soup. On Saturday I gathered the last of the zucchini, some sugar pumpkins and a generous&ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-80900703897843416692016-07-03T12:11:00.000-07:002016-07-03T12:47:04.134-07:00We Are The Stories
studio shot
As I got ready for a visit with a friend I haven't seen in a while the thought crossed my mind that I was looking forward to hearing the story of how her life was right now. And I thought about how I would share the stories of my life, what was blooming and wilting, what I'd neglected or nourished. I looked forward to the walking and talking we were going to do.
And then I ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-32552607686824497872016-02-06T22:05:00.004-08:002016-02-07T08:52:07.491-08:00Migrations, Dreams & Habits
new work 16"x20"
I am part of a migration, not one guided by the moon or involving birds or butterflies. No one has fixed a metal band round my leg or tagged my ear as part of a study, but still it's happening out there. I suspect you are aware of it too. It's a technological migration of sorts, one where I sense small currents quietly causing people to drift from the blog world over to ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-46488727144046956292016-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:002016-01-01T11:02:29.454-08:00Incidents, Intention and New Years
On the easel
Time with it's minutes and years is a completely human construct. Like countries, where no line marks the passing from one to another, so it is with years. Did you see a curtain being drawn on the old year last night, a door closing, a trap door opening? Me neither and yet I love the idea of a new year. It gives us humans the opportunity to contemplate what has passed and inZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-84227248766068352732015-11-10T16:59:00.002-08:002015-11-10T16:59:34.234-08:00Notes From The Elves On Finding A New Space
It's official. My studio space is finished, except for the wood stove and a bit of furniture. Even the neighbours' sheep wandered over for a look-see today. I have no excuses (if I ever did). If you asked me why my work sucked I'd now have to fess up and admit to being a lazy, mindless lout full of doubt and misgivings.
But wait, the confession booth is closed for now so I will have to ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-51601467614808101402015-09-19T11:47:00.000-07:002015-09-19T11:47:41.943-07:00Building A Story Or Building A Studio
Beware of Low Hanging Prayer Flags
These days it's not so much what's going on in the studio but what's happening "to" the studio. There is an old outbuilding on our property, the size of a small garage. Since we moved here it's been on my radar that it could be "my studio". One winter I dusted and swept and tried painting there. But the wood stove leaked as did the roof and the mixture ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-44504659330481227122015-07-27T10:10:00.001-07:002015-07-27T10:10:07.550-07:00Working With Hope, Fear And Blocks
Field Notes 16"x16"
Life is full of painting right now. My work table is covered in open tubes of paint, bits of oily rag, and multiple canvases and panels. I am doing an online course called "The Sacred Arts" with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, though nothing about my workspace looks sacred. The focus of the course is creativity and part of that is working with what blocks us.
It is a given ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-62121557169635831422015-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:002015-06-08T14:23:25.443-07:00Nature, The Ultimate Artist And Teacher?
Kanaskin Lake, BC
I think the artistry of nature has always astounded humans. To view its sheer vastness, its startling beauty can leave us with only an oooo or an awww coming out of our cake holes. A lot of art is either inspired by the natural world or seeks to imitate it. As an abstract artist I'm not so interested in art that seeks to imitate the natural world though I ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-35215202640664664532015-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:002015-04-20T18:24:44.702-07:00The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Planning The Trip 12"x12" mixed media
"Let go of your attachment to the object you desire and make your desire the experience of staying focused on working toward your goal.” -Thomas Sterner from "The Practicing Mind"
It's good advice for our art practice but really it applies to pretty much anything we might want to do.
Or more simply we might just work, just doing what ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-51315680177623071452015-03-09T21:35:00.003-07:002015-03-09T21:46:23.537-07:00What's Your Relationship With Your Work?
Tracking 8"x 8" cold wax on panel
On my last post someone made the comment that they were interested in their relationship with their work. Hmmm, I had never really thought about it. My relationship with my work? Did we need therapy or counseling, my work and I? Hmmm, I frequently think about my relationships with the people around me. I try to listen, I attempt compassion and ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-61784508468225618532015-02-01T15:59:00.002-08:002015-02-01T15:59:16.193-08:00Painting, Chopping Vegetables & A Bow To The Spiritual Badger
Why I Love The Wind 16"x20"
I was chopping vege for dinner one night with my daughter, who does some meditation coaching. "How's the painting going?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know", I said. It seems like I move paint around on the canvas and never really like anything that turns up. It feels like I paint the same thing over and over and feel frustrated that I'm not getting anywhereZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-76626874975352984412014-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:002014-12-23T21:00:10.565-08:00After Yesterday Before Tomorrow
Saturday's Flight 9"x12"
What you already are
Before the picnic
The ground of awakening
In the presence of a tree
Collect no jewels
A time of bewilderment
An inside job
Already free
No lock on the gate
Where hope is born
The idea of a journey
In the present tense
As you really are
Taking Refuge
In your present condition
Below the mind's radar
The truth about yourselfZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-1622096779997708992014-12-02T15:35:00.000-08:002014-12-02T18:15:27.497-08:00Seasonal Koan: What's The Opposite of Namaste?
10"x10" Deep In The Forest
It's that time of year when the opportunity to see if you're enlightened offers itself up to you. It's kind of like a little gift disguised as family dressed up in holiday duds. It's our collective opportunity to put our practice where our mouth is, if you care to see it that way. You know that quip, "if you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-73582549984710757962014-10-23T17:31:00.000-07:002014-10-23T20:10:40.034-07:00Thrown By The Wild Horse of Painting
11"x14" oil & cold wax "As The Light Falls"
The instructions are "never judge your meditation session". It's just a sit and good for you that you put your bum on the cushion. Hmm, couldn't the same be said for doing your creative work, whatever that is. No, sitting on your journal or canvas does not count. But how do we know what's good or bad anyway? You knowZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-10136703953087022612014-09-06T15:16:00.002-07:002014-09-06T15:16:09.593-07:00The Blood And Bones Of Art
The Archeology of Clouds
If part of an athlete's success resides in the realm of the mind, then an aspect of our art practice must rest on how we use our minds when we do our art, no? This makes a lot of sense to me and my mind and yet the pull of habit is strong, that unconscious part made up of synapses and neural pathways, transmitters and receptors. Somewhere inside I know better but ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-29272077243233025312014-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:002014-07-10T12:21:20.741-07:00Throwing Out The Emotional Barometer
36"x36" Mixed media " Across The See"
It's always interesting to me what comes up on my radar for examination. Last week after a couple of social interactions I became aware of the subtle (or not so subtle) measuring that was going on inside me. What was this strange barometer thing constantly scanning the internal air pressure? This interaction left me feeling good, ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-49147867038670138642014-06-23T22:34:00.000-07:002014-06-23T22:34:44.324-07:00The Value of the Open Road
reworked piece from last post 24"x24"
There is something about road trips. You are in this compartment like thing, hurtling down a concrete path, the world continually coming at you. It's kind of like a mini version of life in a strange way. Here we are, travelers just passing through, why not enjoy the ride? For some reason as the big prairie sky flattened our strip of ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-78485034489516285072014-06-19T17:22:00.001-07:002014-06-19T17:22:15.148-07:00Full Contact Sudoku & Other Family Games
36"x36" mixed media with cold wax
I'm not going to mention any names or anything but I really think someone should send me a tee shirt that says, "I survived sudoku". I mean full contact sudoku, where I am pinned in a corner by a nonagenarian with a sharp pencil and hard pink eraser, annoyance cranking up to about 7 on my richter scale. Now this is what I call good practice. ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-24530226264896471782014-04-18T21:37:00.000-07:002014-04-18T21:59:09.612-07:00Art Is Not For Control Freaks
Kimono Threads 11"x 14" Cold Wax on Panel
For a long time my painting life operated on the Ira Glass principle which you can read about here. I can't say it any better than he did so I won't bother to try. Okay, I lied I'll sum it up in case you don't feel like following the link. Basically Glass says that early in our artistic life our standards are higher than our artistic ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-31312086919503786032014-04-03T16:20:00.000-07:002014-04-03T16:32:41.675-07:00The Waxing & Waning Of The Inner Landscape
10"x10" cold wax on panel
Almost a week has passed since I loaded the last wet painting into my car at the end of the week long workshop I attended with Rebecca Crowell. I was drawn to the quiet strength of Rebecca's work when I saw it in Santa Fe four years ago. So to find her not far from home ( Vancouver Island Art Workshops) seemed an opportunity. The days were long but ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-40753633984229191262014-03-07T17:17:00.001-08:002014-03-07T17:26:11.248-08:00Two Things
36"x36" From This Shore
I am thinking about 2 things. Not at the same time because that would cause my pea brain to explode and pea green would be a hideous colour on the walls... But I digress into my ideas about colour theory and home decor.
I've been mulling over the idea of "familiarity" after hearing a comment by a favourite teacher of mine, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008721669500573823.post-38400980506119177512014-02-02T15:19:00.001-08:002014-02-02T21:49:07.799-08:00The Sweet Heart of Winter
Winter Monks 20"x24" acrylic and collage
It could be the winter of our discontent -- or not. Brutal temperatures and storms are blasting their way across the landscape. The weather has gone mad in many places. Here on the west coast of Canada, I am really ineligible to comment on the weather lest you bombard me with snow balls and sharp icicles.
But winter still exists here in ZenDotStudiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06051368546505731081noreply@blogger.com16