Simplicity

Winter Around and About in My Head. Swirling Memories Visit from Prior Decades.

02.02.2022 by Peter J. Crowley // 3 Comments

The world slows down for me in Winter still shut in by the plague just a key board to communicate. Now in the 73rd winter my thoughts only response is emojis?

Is that all there is?

The Little Girl and the Rabbit wait for spring. Jan 2022

Shadow drawings Jan 31st a cold day just out my door.

Late 2000 in Colchester Ct. bare birches.

Autumn in Eastern Ct. October along the Eight Mile River in East. Haddam Ct

The American Dream

August 2015 music in Sylvester park we danced to freedom and comfort like it would never end.

Nick Lacy visiting in December made this portrait of me in 2018. He is an excellent Photographer, really look how great he made me look

Percival Landing on Jan. 28th one of the few sunny days in January

Peace my friends

A little before 7 am I roll out of bed and start the routine. Inhaler, rinse the powder from mouth. Coffee to desk. It it is quiet, not Vermont quiet but suburban indoor quiet. Palm on forehead looking down at the keyboard. My wheel spins waiting for a response. Repeated sips of Joe and the same look at the keyboard. Today this pause was lasting longer then most days. Does the music set the mood or does the mood set the music. A recurring theme today no music except for Tom Rush “Urge for Going” in my head. The mood is dark gray like the autumn sky. The first cup of coffee cooled I play Tom’s version of the Joni Mitchel song. Then Thirsty Boots, Eric Anderson melancholy is the mood that is set. Where am I urged to go? A series of Icy winter landscapes. One posted to FB with the song. Another now posted here.

The road most traveled to Carl and Maarit’s 2008,-2014 Sunday football, frivolity and food. My favorite world I still visit on the phone with Maarit and inside my head with Carl. Truffles with my coffee to get inside my mind to obscure reality of todays world back to my world. Just like that and it is noon time for breakfast. Hors d’oeuvre as the cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, onions and Linguica simmer awaiting the egg. I swallow the morning pills. The truffle kicks in along as I wander through old life photos. Liz will be here soon with videos of Lilith now almost two the light of her life. Children are so wonderful lifting my spirits. There are highlights I find in the shadows. A short walk today vision is off. I’m taking steroids to help my lungs to recover from 12 days of hazardous air, ah the fire season. But I can see clearly enough to find an image and Auto Focus handles the details 1/2 block 3-5 images and back home.

Ground cover and flowers since March. May and June the garden, cooking and a few Vision Quests. So many flowers so few humans momentary interactions no real depth. Simon who I saw in Safeway in the parking lot I introduced my self we shook hands followed by a short conversation a portrait. This women and her dog Jasper on a walk in my neighborhood. I also shot a portrait of just her face. After I took the shot she comes over to me “just a minute” she walked to me to close but we old folks have so little interaction. I could not deny her she held out her arm to show me a tattoo. I feared it would be a holocaust number. It wasn’t it was a Philips screw followed by the letter U we laughed loudly. She wandered off up the street repeating screw you with a loud joyful laugh. Stale hot indoor air cleared late on the 19th. Out early on the 20th my lettuce has bolted, Beefsteak Tomatoes dead, other tomatoes not well late summer replaced by late autumn. Like early spring, summer, autumn is also missed. What is called the new normal that the optimists think and politicians pretend that there is going back to the old life. Fight climate change in your new Pickup, Massive SUV or any 7 0f the top 10 selling new cars, and protest against oil companies. Blame absolves you of your sins.

I don’t live in the new normal sure I wear my mask and rarely eat or go out anymore. My life is in my world of images, light, laughter, complete sentences and listening. Those who listen to me know how anti AI I have always been. Now AI scrubs away at human interaction Inara back in Zoom school there is a group of 5 who will gather three days a week in a back yard to learn and develop their social education. She will visit me once a week after pods. Sunday we went to Traditions for Kirsten to shop local and sorbet for us kids. A fruit fly on the window she though it was her new favorite bug. We alliterated Fruit Flies expanding from a tongue twister to Fabulous, French, Fried Fruit, Flies even the sorbet server joined into the loud guffaws. Out to the table we continued this silly word game. Silly has been absent from us as well. First follow the rules so we don’t get grandpa sick. May and she was able to return to visit. Lately there has been, fear and sadness in her eyes. We stop at the clothes part of Traditions to tell mom we are walking to the water but 1/2 block on she says maybe the grassy area by the fountain will do. Our last stroll to Puget Sound from Traditions the playground was to crowded to many kids without masks she decides this from 50 yards away. Her decision to go to the grassy area was her fear. She is dealing, adjusting but there is a sense of loss. But there was French Fried ..fruit flies to bring childhood silly to return for a few minutes Sunday. But there were other highlights a trip to Westport to the cool 70’s with a breeze on the hottest day in Olympia where it reached 106 degrees.

Upon arrival there is sun screen, a kite next the a large driftwood log that I can sit on, our spot.

My garden provided fresh tomatoes, lettuce, lemon cucumbers and visual stimulation. This flower child now a senior flower child longs for humanity. Conversations in person, lunch at a café people watching now relegated to take out picked up by Liz. And flowers in my window out my door the walks become shorter with less to see repeated.

Old themes repeat Doors and triangles

Simplicity just light. It is always Light to share a story to appeal to humanity.

Today’s 9/27 stroll postponed as I share light here. The afternoon showers arrive early. Yet a late afternoon walk in the golden hour. Seeing, breathing peace.

A six day conversation with a Senior flower child and you.

love and peace

The female form a subject of mine and the rest of the art world forever. Arnold said I was a lazy sculptor followed by his laugh. The movement of the body through the image frame mesmerizing in it’s beauty. Light dances around the curves. Strong stunning form. I’ve been asked why no men? I agree with Elaine [from Seinfeld] “women’s bodies are a work of art men’s bodies are utilitarian for getting around like a jeep.”

But the eyes of a model, sometimes you know right away that the connection is right, again it is the eyes. Her eyes are my eyes, my eyes are hers, speaking volumes to those who listen. They speak and dance in a language that only we can hear it is magic! We work, talk, laugh and the time disappears. She is a mirror of my reason for creating, an alphabet for me to comment with, we dance this creative minuet both thinking we are in control both knowing that neither of us is, there is only the moment it is brief, lasting forever.

Shapes created by light, eyes and wonder is there. Figure studies of mine are favored by collectors. More then half of these connoisseurs of mine are females.

A simple torso study much of my work is highlighted by it’s simplicity. A difficult concept to grasp. There is no need to understand why an image moves you. What is important is that it does.

Way pre Photo Shop the 80’s I began exploration of the figure abstracted. Creating an alternate environment often gravity free. The image below could by hung with three different bottoms.

Four if you can handle the breasts at the bottom. It simply does noting for me that way. So much of my work will never be seen this portfolio has over 200 negatives. Many not printed or scanned. The Connecticut Archives will be home to my journalistic, documentary work. But my art has yet to find a home.

peace pjc