After the Christmas Blizzard of December 26-27, on my way to and from work I managed to shoot a few nice photographs from my car as I drove.

The Eight Animals of Bagua

Pastel & Ink on Paper

This piece was done as a Christmas gift for my very great Sifu of Wudan.

Merry Christmas, Sifu!

Flowers of Paradise

Flowers of Paradise
Phoenix, AZ

Tower of ID

New York City
November 5, 2010

A Tale of Two Buildings

New York City 
November 5, 2010

Sushi Chef at Haiku

Peaceful Music

• Tibetan Flute
• American Indian Flute
• Chinese Bamboo Flute
• 12 Girls Band 

A YouTube Play List:


:)

Ferdinando the Wasp Warrior

Just a little something I threw together for Holloween.  Quite fun it was.  :)

Here Come the Zombies!

I never realised growing up that the Zombies produced such fantastic music!

Here is the YouTube PlayList:

Mystic Bird of Paradise

Art Rebellion #26 
One fine evening at Haiku a sweet little bird of paradise came and flew by my shoulder.  When she was satisfied she landed with her wing draped on my arm for a moment, and then with a smile swooped away.  What a strange and wonderful little bird she is.

An ArtRebellion Calling Card

ArtRebellion Calling Card ... leave behind on ... the windshields of 10 cars, 1 postal box, 3 street lights, 9 doorways, 4 restaurant tables, 7 store counters... etc ... etc ... etc. ...

peace out.

:)

Temple of Concordia

In southern Sicily there is a city named Agrigento.  Here one may find a very large number of ancient Greek Temples, in wonderful condition after all these centuries in The Valley of the Temples.  If you ever go to Sicily, you really should stop by and visit The Valley of the Temples.  It's quite amazing.  ArtRebel was there not terribly long ago, and the above photograph happens to be of the Temple of Concordia which he took while strolling by. 

Secret Knight Super Spy

"I'm a spy, in the house of love."

- Jim Morrison

Waiting for the Sun

Waiting for you to tell me
what went wrong

the desert windmill

There was a desert once upon a time far far from the woes and travails of the sleek glistenning office buildings in the East. A lonesome windill stood against all that the sky and sun could wreck upon him. And so he stands to this very day.

Eyes in Disguise

Art Rebellion #4

June 23, 2010

Art Collaboration #4

Sun Flowers Dreaming

Art Rebellion #25

On blazing hot day in Phoenix Arizona, Art Rebel and his mystery collaboratress created this lovely abstraction over Mai Tai and delicious appetisers at Trader Vik's.

This is the first collaborative color Art Rebellion piece, btw. Well at least done with color pencils.

Some see a woman  in a blue dress reclining on a cloud.  Some don't.  What do you see?

Shedu of the Sky

The Stranger

It was a strange evening for Art Rebel.  He didn't feel up to trying to pursue that which he desired.  He wanted what he desired to come to him, instead, for a change.  It took a great deal of focus, but in the end it all worked out just as he had hoped it would.   And this is because he retained his power by resisting the impulses of his ego.  In the end it all was the way he wished it to be.   And then the stranger spoke, and said what it was that made it so... and no one understood what he meant at all.   And, so the stranger smiled to himself and walked off into the sunset.

The Ultimate Question

Simple:  What is love?

What other question is worth answering ahead of this one?

Because you can't have love until you know the answer.  And what is better in this universe for us than to have love?  To hold honor and cherish it?

Is there anything? 

Anything?

The Mind Of The Enemy

When ArtRebel was at a young and impressionable age, he had the distinction with his peers to see this astonishing film one steamy August night in summer camp, a long time ago. He barely recalls that night, and yet, this dreadful film instilled in him a grave foreboding of what the future might hold in store. And being of the age where young men believe they are invincible heroes, he dedicated his life to the opposition of this horrific foe. This monster above all monsters - this Grey Utopia which no one can stop. The Great Leviathan that can not be slain. His chosen weapon: Art Rebellion.
Love and Beauty, he reasoned, are the only hope for victory.

Warning: The following BBC TV film, "1984" (1954), is based on George Orwell's book '1984'. It is starkly terrifying, and deeply disturbing. I do not recommend it for anyone who is not strong of mind and spirit enough to endure it without succumbing to it's morose and terrible message.  It is far beyond normal horror, not so much for it's violence which never fully revealed, but because we can now see that this fictional future written in 1948 could become our future with terrible ease. It appears the world has been slouching toward Gomorrah after all, as is evidenced by the chaos we witness daily, and seems to be in a state of rapidly increasing instability:  thus the conditions are growing more and more ideal for the kind of world that Orwell envisioned.

Art Rebel chooses to fight in his own sweet way. Poor lovely poetic Art Rebel. Always standing in the dappling shadows invisibly listening to the bird song.  Whether men shall honor him or not, he is little concerned. To his mind, the world is filled with great ancient spirits flying through the winds everlasting and their stories cascade across the myriad realities within and without us all.  And so, he is invisible to the worldly eyes around him, because their hearts can not perceive his dream. To perceive it is to be drawn out of Oceana for a fleeting moment. A moment of escape. And Big Brother simply can not allow it. Remember it.

And remember, Eternal Vigilance is the price we must pay for our Liberty.

The book, of course, is far more terrifying than the film, for all the detail it went into, which I could not stomach for long. 

In fact, I can only sincerely recommend this film for those who do not sufficiently comprehend, and therefore fear, Socialism, aka Totalitarianism.  It reveals what the ultimate goals of Socialism are, for those who are the Party Leaders.

I think all people should have some familiarity with 1984, especially at this time. Understanding the minds of the Grey Utopians, one can better defend against them. Turning one's shoulder away from the horrific temptations of IngSoc, people must dedicate themselves to thwarting the designs of the evil if they wish to have a mind of their own, and remain a free people.

However, there are many who have already succumbed to the Great Slavery and wish this hideous Doom upon us all so that we may all suffer together.  And many people have succumbed to evil without ever quite realizing what has happened.  Until it is far too late. If you succumb you become them, and perish into the Grey Utopia. If you resist you remain among the living, and your spirit burns bright for the rest of us.

We must be vigilant and understand the reality of our times and be prepared to thwart the vile design. For the Art Rebels this is done via Strategic Art-War.  Does anyone believe that hearts and minds are won by bullets and bombs, rather than through inspiration and the spirit of love?  Yes, the Slaves of IngSoc believe it.

For the rest of us, those who are already quite aware of the dark perils of the Grey Utopia and already of a mind to eschew the evil, then please, my recommendation is to leave this film behind, resist the temptation and avoid the disturbing image, and so spare your mind the shock and horror.   Be of a good courage.

It is believable, and inevitable, that some among wish for IngSoc to be our future.  A nightmare future in which they get to be the ones who stamp their boot on human faces forever.  It is something we must defend against at all times, least they get their way. And the terrifying fact is that they are currently in the process of getting their way, and have been for 40 years, slowly, incrementally, and inexorably.

And that means to me one thing: Art Rebellion.

George Orwell's 1984

George Orwell's 1984 Part 2 - Missing from Youtube
George Orwell's 1984 Part 3
George Orwell's 1984 Part 4
George Orwell's 1984 Part 5
George Orwell's 1984 Part 6
George Orwell's 1984 Part 7
George Orwell's 1984 Part 8
George Orwell's 1984 Part 9
George Orwell's 1984 Part 10
George Orwell's 1984 Part 11

Questions:

• Where did Winston and Julia go wrong?
• Why do the Proles not revolt?
• Who in the story is the worst villain?
• What would you do in Winston's or Julia's shoes?

The Winds of Change

If your sun should turn to rain
and all your clouds sing sad refrains
won't you come and love me again?

oh how I pray, how I pray for the winds of change
oh love, love so true, oh with a love, love so blue

Black moon is rising on the stormy sea
Tides of change wash over me
and all the little birds are singing "love will be"

oh how I pray, how I pray for the winds of change
oh love, love so true, oh with a love, love so blue

Two souls that dance in God's sweet name
Two souls in love are never the same
Oh how I pray for the winds of change

oh how I pray, how I pray for your love again.
oh love, love so true, oh with a love, love so blue

... Regrow ...

Art Rebel found himself engaged in a fascinating, albeit dark, poetry recital tonight.  This collaboration piece was a tangable result.  Enjoy.

Three Strangers on the Bar

A few napkin portraits over saki while waiting for something interesting to happen...

Life in a Fish Bowl

Surely, he thought, there must be more to life than that ... there must be something beyond... the end ...

Dream of the Flower Maiden

Image taken from Nord Fantasty by Kreniya Simonova

Pluck the Moon from the Sea Bottom

Art Rebel took a risky journey into the city recently.  The risk was to his heart, and the journey was a kind of dream quest.  He wanted to go on a small pilgrimage to visit a little known building on 47th Street that once was very famous in certain circles.  It had been called the Lamasery.  This was back in the 1870's.   But this was not where the risk came in.  What he wanted to do was bring someone he had never met before with him.  Someone whom he met through a dating service website.   Someone who seemed very special.  It was a dangerous journey because Art Rebel has strong feelings, and sometimes they are difficult for him to control.  And the risk as always for him is that he wounds himself when he wounds others.   And he always seems to be wounding someone or other.   Why this is, only the God of Love can tell.   He's not entirely clueless as to the causes, but what the real reason is, it always evades him.   And so he struggles to find someone who will be just forgiving enough to help him find the Divine Sanctuary.  Together.   Art Rebel knows that such a place exists, and he knows that it can be found only by those who have true love in their hearts. It takes compassion.

And so he met her at a little place not far from the Lamasery.   She came in and was more beautiful than he expected, her musical enchanting voice weaving for him the story of her dreams... dreams that he intuitively understood, and which revealed to him who she is within the Kingdom of Divine Idea.  She didn't seem to know it but her dreams were very specific as to the nature of her spirit, and her plight.  He wanted to help her.  And he felt she needed his help, as he needed hers.  She spoke to him from a place that touches the sun and the moon and the stars, and in her story was hidden the music of the Celestials.   He listenned with profound joy in his heart, feeling that he might have already fallen in love with the flower maiden, and he lowered his eyes in an effort to control this feeling, though it was a futile gesture.  Art Rebel's love is meant to shine like the sun.  Together they sat, hand in hand, talking and healing one another for what seemed an eternity - until she pulled her hand away.  And then everything changed, and they came back to earth.  He didn't know why she would do such a thing.  And he failed to mention it, but sat in mute perplexity while the topic of their lives in the world came up, and the problems thereof were discussed over cognac and dessert as the clouds gathered.   They drank a bit too much, and laughing they split the bill and wandered into the night.  Forgotten was the Lamasery.   And in wandering they parted company, suddenly, perhaps forever...

From Libra to Venus

It wasn't long before Art Rebel found himself at a familiar haunt, doodling his next escapade into existence.   Defying the omnipresent TV of Sauron, he broke the soft silky chains of that wretched, flaccid banality to challenge the Silent Strictures of Society.  A moment before he seemed so hopelessly ensnared, but in the twinkling of an eye he was transformed and executed this daring midtown Art-Attack.   No one among the throngs paid him any mind, of course, for Art Rebel is in fact quite invisible to all but a very seldom few.   Should he regret this, or rejoice?   It is difficult to say, isn't it?

Tapestry of Light

Somewhere along the way home the sun's fiery departure beyond the rim of the world ignited the panes of a glass tower, filling the city with its heavenly glory from afar. Little did the people in their offices know just how magnificent a reflection of heavenly glory they made. How often that is so. Let us not try to tell them, for they will only scoff at poor Art Rebel and his mad cause.

The End of the Day

It had been a long day for the Rebel. It seemed to be that all too few were paying much attention to anything important, like the color of the clouds, or the strange way the wind had been carrying the voices of birds over from the far side of the river. Nothing important could stir the people from their turpor. And so the Rebel was left to his own devices today, and captured this moment as he crossed from the East side of the road to the West side at sunset. There was little else to do except point out the lovely view to a passing squirrel who remarked that it was indeed very pretty. And then he dashed off in search of a nut, as squirrels are wont to do, and vanished behind a tree.

Towers at Sunset

On the way to dinner the Art Rebel could not help but notice the beautiful sunset reflecting her light off of the gleaming towers nearby. Just a quick photograph to commemorate the lovely scene, and share it.

A Knight of Haiku

It was one of those nights.   I had been grousing for sake and managed to make my way to the local watering hole.  It was slow.  The bartender gave me one of her gentle waves and smiled when I found my way to the bar after dinner.   Next to me sat an ebony princess and her lovely friend, and conversation ensued over these napkin drawings.   The sushi chef worked tirelessly to feed us, and the hot sake flowed liberally from flask to cup to mouth.  And so Art Rebellion slid past the guard and highly controversial ideas were exchanged regarding the freedom from ego that can be had by those who seek it sincerely.   We parted company and each went their own way into the long dark morning, satiated, liberated, and perhaps just a bit too drunk.

The Unlucky Location

One day in NYC the Art Rebels found a pretty poor location without quite realizing it... of course it happened to be Art Rebellion #13... eerie...

So having found a famous hotel lobby with light traffic, they went to work.  First the procurement of an inocuous napkin from a local restaurant.   Then the pen work.  A fast collaboration while no one was looking.   A phone booth and two pieces of tape.   Then some fast camera work, and ...

Voila!  Art Rebellion #13, Art Collaboration #3. 

As one might have predicted for #13 --- the spot selected was too dark!   Gosh.  So some video splicing and rework and ... well, anyway, we hope it will suffice to provide some enjoyment to you.   Next time, we will focus on finding a better lit location for our dirty work.   :)

Once Upon a Gloomy Eve

Somewhere in the big city three Art Rebels collaborated in a small nondescript bar... waiting for their opportunity to strike ... Art Rebellion ...

cup on a tire

It was a moody drive home beneath the brooding flagships of the skylords.   The air was scented with lightning, the crows flew west with speed in their wings.

I was still enchanted by the pleasant and modest manners of a certain young lady, as she was sweetly reflecting on her good fortune when I last happened upon her. Even in the midst of a world of chaos, she found herself at peace, for she had left her ego at home in a drawer. How darling she is.

Edge of Forever

Art Rebellion #7
Collaborative Art #1

Isn't this the edge of Forever?

The Hudson on a Mailbox

Art Rebellion #5 ... after a month it is still there ...

Sun on a Parking Meter

Art Rebellion #3... (#2 was wisked away by fate and destiny who had their way with him)...

Art Rebellion #1

It all began here... a whimsical notion... fleeting artwork... hidden from common view... only for the few... for free... without ego...

Art Rebellion?

I feel that we need more creativity in the world and I want to encourage that through experimentation in Collaborative Art.

Too many people have shut themselves off from their creative side, often out of the fear that others will judge them negatively. This is my effort to encourage people to let go of ego, let go of fear, and be free. Express your creative inspiration.

Make beauty, not hate.

To join the Art Rebellion you may collaborate by doing the following:

1) Create a piece of art. Make it as interesting as you can. I use bar napkins and felt tip pens, usually, but sometimes photographs I've taken.

2) Write "Art Rebellion" on the piece somewhere. I like to number mine in the order I created them, so mine read "Art Rebellion #1", etc.

3) Place it somewhere in the public domain where other people will see it. I like to put mine on garbage containers, lamp posts, parking meters, etc. Someplace where someone who sees it will be surprised, and hopefully delighted.

4) Record your Art-Rebellion on video and post to YouTube in your own Art Rebellion Channel.

For example here's mine: Art Rebellion Then let me know and we can subscribe to each other's Art Rebellion Channels and expand the Collaboration.

5) Do Collaborative Artwork with friends and/or strangers. It's really neat. Collaborative artwork. Mmmm...

6) Rinse & Repeat!   Keep going!   :)

Note: I almost always leave the artwork behind as an ego-freeing exercise (and often wonder whatever might have become of these works).

:)

Sincerely,
Art Rebel 1