Here in the Land of Slack

Gratitude

2012-01-21T22:54:00.000-05:00

Walking down by the Mill river a month or two ago, I saw this display of flags. There was a container with instructions to write something about what you are thankful for or wish for on a piece of cloth and add it to the display, but they were out of cloth, so I just read the other ones. It was peaceful and interesting. The flags were put up by some people called The Keepers, and I liked that.

For years I’ve had this fantasy

2012-01-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

For years I’ve had this fantasy.
I’d like to say a bunch of nonsensical things
through a megaphone,
maybe downtown.
My dying wish…
get me a megaphone!

-John Bauman

What passes for entertainment?

2012-01-07T01:21:00.000-05:00

What passes for entertainment much of the time? Stereotyped, formulaic dogma that aims to keep people sedated in social roles which are too narrow, and support oppressive ends. Or, distracting fantasies that keep us preoccupied so we don’t turn our attention elsewhere, like to the fact that many people are oppressed for the economic gain of others, or that actually, we are not happy with our crappy job or the crappy situation we are in of being massively in debt.

How about doing something creative instead?

Found Stencil

2011-12-31T01:43:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the corner of a building, in downtown Northampton, on Pleasant St.

In the News

2011-12-24T02:10:00.000-05:00

This blog appeared in the local newspaper a few months back. The surprising thing was that the paper never contacted me for permission or to ask about anything. I had no idea until a friend told me on Facebook, and saved the paper for me. There are a few things the paper got wrong in this tiny article: the credits for the pictures are swapped, the poem is by John Bauman, not me, and the poem also has the wrong title.A week later, I got a letter in the mail from the local roller-skating rink. They sent me two free passes because the blog had been in the news, as well as a copy of the article. It was surprising and fun. And strange.

Earring Trees

2011-12-19T01:39:00.001-05:00

Guy Constantine made these earring trees to display on them the earrings that he made. I think they are fun. Another fact about them is that they are made from recycled materials. The wire is part of a left-over electrical cable from a friends house-building project.

On the Path

2011-12-10T01:57:00.001-05:00

Walking down the bike path a day or two after the heavy snowstorm, I saw a couple of trees fallen across the path. Someone had carved this into one of them. I took some pictures in the late afternoon. I went back a few days later and the trees had been removed.

Snow Sculptures

2011-11-10T12:56:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, when the power went out during the heavy October snowstorm, I went downtown and found my friend Guy making snow sculptures. Here's some pictures of them.

Digital Experiment

2011-10-28T01:23:00.000-04:00

Art preview with digitally modified poem.By Jim DuBois

No Loitering

2011-09-27T19:33:00.000-04:00

This is a film I made about driving around Northampton in the 1990s. Starring John Bauman.

Bad Hair Day

2011-08-23T01:35:00.002-04:00

Bad hair day,
yet a good day.
Please accept my condolences,
for uh…
whatever it was that happened.
It’s good to be a spectacle,
I mean skeptical.
If I could just get your social security number, please.
We just need it for our scam, I mean our records.

-John Bauman

Spider

2011-07-30T00:56:00.004-04:00

We went up for a swim at a nearby lake, and saw this huge spider. Selena took this picture.

Outdoor Painting

2011-07-22T01:48:00.002-04:00

Saw this painting on the wall outside of Thornes Market in Northampton.

Sculpture at the Peace Pagoda

2011-07-15T01:30:00.006-04:00

I went up to the Peace Pagoda, in Leverett, MA, with some friends, and there was this sculpture in a field near it. I thought it was interesting, and I have included a picture with the text from a nearby sign.

The Peace Pagoda itself.

Ordinary

2011-07-08T21:58:00.000-04:00

Journal page by me.

Painter on the street

2011-07-01T00:28:00.001-04:00

Saw this woman at the main crossroads in Northampton today, painting the view of the Silverscape building and the Calvin.

The Gift

2011-06-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

I breached your borders
Broke your boundaries
Invaded your country
Burned your villages
Killed your people
Tortured your families
Destroyed your crops
Tortured you
Contaminated your water
Laughed at your resistance
Spoiled your lands
Lied and lied and lied
Even though you knew I was lying
And I knew I was lying
And I knew you knew I was lying
But now I’m tired so I am leaving
And I am leaving you The Power Of Now,
English language edition.

-Dimitri Oram

This One Pen

2011-06-13T00:24:00.000-04:00

Free Compliments

2011-06-06T23:46:00.000-04:00

I was walking downtown in Northampton the other day and saw these folks. They were giving out free compliments and talking to people. I thought it was fun, so put up these pictures.

Sculptures on the Courthouse Lawn

2011-05-29T00:22:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing these great sculptures on the lawn of the county courthouse for a little while now, and decided to take some pictures to share here.

Transition Northampton

2011-05-14T23:39:00.005-04:00

I was walking home from town, and saw this structure on the lawn of the Forbes Library. I took some pictures and talked to the people putting it up, and learned that they were with Transition Northampton, which is an organization which aims to promotion sustainability and resilience in the local community. I thought that sounded like a good idea.

Here's a link to their Facebook page.

Art/poem

2011-04-27T23:58:00.002-04:00

Lost Ducks of Winter Past

2011-04-20T00:43:00.002-04:00

Ben's Paradise Diary - 2

2011-04-13T07:15:00.001-04:00

Ben's Paradise Diary - 2

2011-04-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Ben's Paradise Diary - 1

2011-03-30T00:11:00.002-04:00

[This one has a lovely zen feeling to me. - Jim]

Introducing: Benjamin Kalish

2011-03-30T00:08:00.002-04:00

I think I met Ben at a swing dance, but I had seen him at the library, and over at the bridge street coop many years ago. And by met, I mean actually introduced myself and had a conversation. He is an interesting person, who plays music, dances and works as a librarian. I invited him over to play games a few times, and we had fun. He brought a comic he had made over one time, and I thought it would be nice to post some of it here.

Oranges

2011-03-14T23:02:00.000-04:00

See more on Selena's photo a day blog!

Slack and Slackers, definitions

2011-03-07T23:34:00.002-05:00

To slack:
1. to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen.
2. to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.

Ambition:
1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.

A slacker:
1. a person without ambition.
2. a person who gives up the idea of ambition in order to become less tense or taut, and to make the world less tense.

-

From Return of the Slacker

Cutout collage of fruit

2011-02-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

Icicles

2011-02-21T15:59:00.001-05:00

See more on Selena's new photo a day blog!

Landscape with Moon

2011-02-14T18:46:00.000-05:00

Statue in the Snow

2011-02-07T16:50:00.001-05:00

See more on Selena's new photo a day blog!

Watercolor Flower

2011-01-31T22:44:00.003-05:00

Introducing Eliza Cooney

2011-01-31T22:19:00.003-05:00

I met Eliza when I was making prints of my art at the local copy shop. She liked them and bought some for her grandson, and told me that she was an artist, and had been an art teacher in a school for a long time.

I went to see her paintings, and we also got together to talk about art, and visited each others studios. She is a very friendly and creative person, and those are two attributes I value highly. She's also teaching a new series of art workshops, and I will put up the info for them here.

Here's some of her words from her brochure:

Everyone has greater powers than they realize.
“To engage and persist”
…a multifaceted approach...
Making art is a continuum of making choices, connections.
Art is vital to happiness.

Background

Eliza Cooney studied at Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar and has been teaching art for thirty years.

(click below for more info about art classes with Eliza)

To enroll and for more information
Email: elizacooney@verizon.net
Call: (413) 268-7108

Return of the Slacker - The Book

2011-01-23T23:52:00.004-05:00

I made a book of the poems on my other blog, Return of the Slacker, and now you can get a copy yourself. It has around 182 poems in it, and a bright modern painting of mine on the cover. Many people have enjoyed reading my poems, and I wanted to make them available in another way, so more people can.

Get one today!

Soft and Tender Love Stories

2010-12-22T00:11:00.003-05:00

A thing I made a while ago, with scraps I found on the ground or on something I was throwing out. I don't have the original anymore, just the original photocopies of the arrangement.

-Jim DuBois

3 Pairs of Bamboo Earrings by Guy

2010-12-05T00:41:00.001-05:00

A final look, for now, at some of the bamboo earrings made by my friend Guy Constantine.

Quark Dreams

2010-11-28T00:39:00.000-05:00

I had this dream
that I was explaining to Robby
that when electrons jump from state to state,
they sometimes emit photons.

I woke up
and thought about
that living beings
are made of the same stuff,
like electrons and protons,
as other matter,
and that
all those weird quantum things
apply to the underpinnings
of our own selves.

Do we emit photons
every once in an improbable while?
do our protons ever decay?
do we have junk DNA and multiple back up RNA
to compensate for quantum randomness
that might disturb our
cellular reproduction?

I pictured us
as glowing collections
of subatomic particles,
heat, trapped and controlled
by elaborate methods,
like neurons and DNA.

-Jim DuBois
August 19, 2010

More Earrings!

2010-11-21T00:36:00.000-05:00

By Guy Constantine

Orange Twist

2010-11-14T00:33:00.000-05:00

Acrylic Paint on 12 x 14 " canvas.

-Jim DuBois

Bamboo and Coin Earrings

2010-11-07T00:25:00.001-04:00

My friend Guy started to make earrings a little while ago, and I really like his results, so I am featuring some of them on this blog. He uses lots of bamboo pieces as well as coins for some of them. I am sure he would sell you a pair if you wanted.

I think I will run a few more entries with photos of his earrings.

A Handmade Life #5

2010-10-31T01:23:00.000-04:00

This is a great art zine put out by my friend Robin Olson Mayberry, and it also features some art and poetry by me. There are a lot of collage journal pages, and articles about the simple life. Get a copy!

Or visit Robin's website to see more of her creativity: Alchemy Studios

Algae Hole

2010-10-24T16:26:00.001-04:00

Cool new painting by Stephanie Gerolimatos! You don't get the sense of size, but it is big, like maybe four feet tall. It is up in her show at the Center for the Arts until the end of October. It is even better in person. Go see it if you can.

Detail from the painting, because the texture is really important.

If you want to see steps along the way to the final product, and learn a little about her process, follow this link:
Photobucket pictures

Evolution

2010-10-17T16:42:00.001-04:00

[.01]

Jul 14, 2040

[snapshot of average household]

“Stand up when you’re told to,” Mom snapped. Junior had been glued to his seat for more than twenty-six hours straight.

Junior protested—“But I am!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Mom went over and tried to pry the ten-year-old off the chair. Her efforts, were futile.

The 99.99%-nude girls continued shaking their booties on the computer screen.

They, could move.

[.02]

07 14 2070

[LatestOutbreak_in_GlobalEpidemic ©
WorldDigitalSyndicateNetwork]

Major epidemic reported worldwide.
Muscle atrophy outbreak.

Associated with extended-extended use of computers.
Other digital, technical, devices inc.
Latest outbreak comes 30 years post groundbreaking study: 081450_ChildrenLoseUseOfLegs_01570209.

Leading scientists not worried.

1) “We are 10 steps closer to developing materials that will render physical degeneration non-existent.”—Noted Bioscientist Dr. John Scull, Nanomaterials Institute

2) “The discovery offers a new way to look at the links between genes, behavior, and nerval function.”—Dr. X Doe, Chairman of WorldUni Biosciences’ Education Research Group

[.03]

07² 2120

[Official Announcement © WDSN Dvlpmnt Blog 3.8.1]

Evolutn of human species 1 step ^.

Zero nd 4 limbs. Bane o.exstnce, limbs! Limbs tt u had 2 ke²p moving, 2 prevnt joints 4rm frzing ^. Creakng joints wr frequent along w muscle atrophy, due 2 lack o.impertve ne²d o.hving joints+limbs in 1st place.

Internet = all 1 nds. Mouse+keybrd phased out humns undergo latest neural-cortex Microchip Update 1.7.1 instal²atn. Upgrade ≠ mandatory, √ highly recom²ended, 2 fix bugs+security iss in prev vers. 1.7.0, released 86400.41.26.51 s ago, by Mr. DX26.78.9 on his w.site. Enhances MU 1.0.0 tt al²ws humn brain 2 cntrl mvements onscre²n via brain pwr alone.

-Limbs! 2day, we celebrate we²k 29’s milestone highlight o.humn progres², o.the prjcted nu-humn being evolving 2 ke²ping just brain, and 1’s head in glass canister o.SuperSalt (® Dr. WQ1.51.61.2).

Rmber *23:59:59:59pm*: 2 com²emrte latest milestone in Human Evolutn 1-2-3.

1: <begin²ng w a virtual toast to we²k 29’s excel²nt scientific achivmnts! 4 full list o.VParty Celebratn Venues+Exclusive VParty Celebratn Venues, signin @http://208.179.31.37.92.34.0.com>

2: <we also com²emrte extinctn of last Class Insecta on planet. all animals hv died out—it is th(us)² humans tt hv provn 2 b big²nest win²ers in “survival of the fittest” (™ CR Darwin, “IV. Ntrl Selectn; or Survival o.the Fittest”, in CW Eliot, Origin o.Species)>

3: <Simulate endorphin-saturation in ur microchip. FREE trial offerx>

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- Jess C Scott
from her book Porcelain

Don’t give up now!

2010-10-10T08:17:00.000-04:00

Don’t give up now! Don’t stop your creative endeavors! Write a poem! Draw a picture, do whatever! Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Jump into the fray and let everyone see what your mind creates!

I fell in love with a nobody

2010-10-03T16:36:00.001-04:00

thinking that I wouldn’t
and never would
what if I become
a nobody too?

~ 30 Aug 06, written in 20 seconds. Partly inspired by the poetry of Zen monks like Ikkyu and Ryokan

Jess C Scott
from her book Porcelain

Light & Dark

2010-09-26T17:33:00.001-04:00

[light]

Raindrops on
My room window
I think of
You
And to the night
I wonder
If you’re thinking
Of me
Too?

[dark]

Raindrops against
My room window
I think of
You
And wonder
If you think of me too
Or if
You’re spending the night
With
Your TV set.

-Jess C Scott
from her book Porcelain

Immersion is Delicious

2010-09-19T18:14:00.001-04:00

- Christine Texiera

1000

2010-09-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

A thousand kisses
A thousand apologies—
We aren’t meant to be.

~ 14 Feb 2004
Jess C Scott
from her book Porcelain

Introducing: Jess C Scott

2010-09-12T17:22:00.003-04:00

I got a request from a random person one day. She wanted to know if I could feature her work on this blog. I delayed checking out her book for a little while, but when I read it, I found that I enjoyed many of the poems in it. So I told her I would feature them on here, with a little introduction.

The book is called Porcelain, and can be downloaded for free from her website, Here

Bio from her website:

:: Short Version ::

[x] Jess C Scott :: missfey @ gmail.com

[x] Writer. Artist. Non-conformist. 23. Why I Write.

[x] I design my own book covers. I am a solo powerhouse :)

[x] My LinkedIn Profile.

[x] Contributed to the 2010 Jossey-Bass/Wiley publication, MY LIE.

I could just keep driving

2010-09-05T17:12:00.001-04:00

- Christine Texiera

Making Art is Important

2010-08-31T08:05:00.000-04:00

We sometimes belittle our own efforts as artists and writers, because we are not professional, or it was “nothing” or whatever we use as excuses, but being creative and making art in its many forms is important and revolutionary. The smallest phrase you put together begins the undermining of the current consumer capitalist society which wants you to be “entertained” but not creative.

I decided to start this blog as a place to encourage people I knew to think more of themselves as creative beings. Many of them wrote terrific things, made interesting paintings, and left them in some dark closet; what else was there to do with them? I wanted a forum for those items to be brought out and given to larger audiences and for the creators of those items to have more moments where they think, “Yes, I am good at this!” and “I love doing this!”

I wanted to make a place where we aren’t after perfection, we aren’t after the best ever, we aren’t out to make any money off someone else’s creative acts. We are out to encourage the spread of creativity and art in the hands of everyday people. We are out to encourage people to engage in the most important act: to think for themselves, to trust their own minds.

England seems to circle imperfections on the road

2010-08-22T23:07:00.003-04:00

- Christine Texiera

Introducing: Christine Texiera

2010-08-22T22:58:00.003-04:00

One time, I went to this brunch part in Greenfield, which is an unusual time for me, because, let's just say, I'm a late sleeper. But I had not slept so well, and woke up just in time to get a ride up there. I was there, and my host introduced us to some new comers, and one of them was like, "I know you already. From Lindy Hopping." and I was like, "Hmmm? Oh, yes, I remember that you came by the Center for the Arts for lessons, and you were fun to dance with." It is fun when things like that happen.

Then we became electronic, and sometimes in person at dances, acquaintances. I learned a little more about Christine, including that she likes to Contra Dance, is friendly, and makes art, including collage.

I asked if I could put some collages up here, and she said yes. So, now you get to see them too, and enjoy them.

Links:
Her Blog

Birdsnest

2010-07-31T08:53:00.000-04:00

On those days the sun never quite came up
The young man acquired a meresome aspect
His mind was all swampy from too much rain
And a birdsnest clung to his hair
He liked the sound of the snowmelt
And his chair was often visited
But as for caring
He was plum worn out
So he feasted on the snow and the silence.

-Jeremiah Griswold

Primeval

2010-07-24T08:49:00.001-04:00

Under a stone in a clearing
in the midst of a vast primeval forest
lived a boy who never did what he was told.

He was alone, but for a small bird
who sang to him so sweetly
he never longed for more various companions.

-Jeremiah Griswold

Like the Sun

2010-07-17T16:45:00.000-04:00

Cool book of poetry philosophy by Jim DuBois.

Get a copy:

Like the Sun - poetry philosophy

Josh Painting Again

2010-07-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

Aqua Green Stripe

2010-07-03T17:13:00.001-04:00

-Jim DuBois

Joshua Painting

2010-06-27T17:08:00.001-04:00

Introducing: Joshua

2010-06-27T17:03:00.002-04:00

My friend Rachel has a son named Joshua, and I have been close to him ever since I attended the birth. The whole experience has activated my 'tribal instinct', the feeling and need to belong to and with a group of people who are important in your life. So I go along with them to do stuff and they come along with me, and generally life is much better that way.

The other day Joshua wanted to paint. I videoed part of his painting, and enjoyed how he was quite unafraid of putting paint on paper, so his mom has agreed to let me put the videos up here.

SCOTT'S HANDSHAKE

2010-06-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

Scott gave me a hearty handshake
with the hand attached to his arm,
the arm that he had,
that went with him whenever he took
his body somewhere,
and moved around to various places,
the kind of handshake that would break yer hand
if you weren't on your toes
countering
with your handshake.

-John Bauman

January 14, 2001

2010-06-13T15:58:00.000-04:00

First you're born,
then you live for a while,
you do a bunch of stuff,
then you die.
You might get buried in the Earth...

Sometimes that red light
on my caller ID flashes.
Maybe I should answer the phone.
Sometimes I like to laugh at myself!

-John Bauman

Shell

2010-06-06T16:55:00.001-04:00

Taken 4/15/10 at Porcupine Hill Farm, Windsor MA.

- Selena Dittberner

Caller ID

2010-05-29T16:53:00.001-04:00

Like a beacon in the night,
Like some faint, remote lighthouse
pulsing,
My caller ID flashes,
alerting me to the phone call
of a human.

-John Bauman

Imaginatist Manifesto

2010-05-22T08:19:00.000-04:00

1. Art is the manifestation of the imagination.

a. Imagination is a function of the mind which arranges and combines known elements to create new things.

b. Imagination is something everybody has.

2. Expression of imagination is more important than any particular way or form it is expressed in. So we are not primarily painters, or poets, or even artists, but imaginatists.

a. Set forms and mediums can distract and limit the imagination, which is much more fluid than those forms or mediums.

3. Expression of imagination is more important than mimicking reality. It certainly takes skill and is interesting to mimic reality, but it doesn't necessarily require imagination.

4. Expression of imagination is more important than the skill with which it is expressed. Even an un-artistically trained person, if they focus on imagination and its expression, can be a master imaginatist.

5. Imagination, when truly manifest, bridges the gap between minds, and helps people realize there are other thinking, imagining entities in the universe.

a. Art is a conduit for love.

Become an imaginatist today!

Red Stripes with plant

2010-05-15T00:11:00.001-04:00

From a recent series of experiments.

Untitled Short #1

2010-05-05T08:22:00.000-04:00

Standing beneath an apple tree,
I catch the cheerful song of a bird,
and tuck it in my pocket
to bring home for you.

- April-lyn Caouette

Because There are Rainbows

2010-04-29T02:30:00.000-04:00

I want you to understand:
     we are all specks on this earth
     which is circling in its orbit
     in a galaxy
     that is speeding through the universe
     which spirals through the fields
     of infinity

and maybe
nothing we do here matters
in the end

we are all specks
     but our atoms are specks, too
     spinning and pulsing in the
     galaxies of our cells
     and mitochondria
   (dear mitochondria)

and all those specks
     add up
     to make our breathing
     smiling selves

maybe nothing we do here
matters in the end
     but while we are here
     we must make meaning
     from the breathing
     and the spiraling

because there are rainbows
and because the seas are stormy
and because the spring will return once more
to warm our skin

-April-Lyn Caouette

Introducing: April-lyn Caouette

2010-04-29T02:13:00.002-04:00

I met April-lyn at least a couple of years ago, at a Lindy-Hop dance. She is a person I have gotten to know very slowly over the years. Now I have learned that in addition to dancing, she likes to play board games, write and knit. We have had fun playing board games together. I also find her to be an easy person to talk to.

I have read her blog, and enjoyed her poems, so I asked if I could post some here. She said yes.

Link:
Her blog

Snake Swimming

2010-04-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

Because it was elegant.

-Jim DuBois

best friends

2010-03-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

and so they jumped
off the golden gate
knowing they'd meet again
somewhere
maybe in hell
maybe in a movie
or maybe in a book

like thelma and louise
they were outlaws
but just hadn't broken
any laws yet
except the unwritten law
which says
you must be good girls
you must be bland girls
you must be
life support systems
for the only thing you own
that really matters

and so they jumped
off the golden gate
leaving giant bras
and licorice cats
and fountain pens
and plastic dishes
and old old dolls
and mountains
of things behind them
their legacy of things collected
piled up around them
as the emptiness stayed
inside them...

-Cory Raymond

preparing to leave me

2010-03-17T16:32:00.002-04:00

the old, old woman
my friend
forgets to remember
more every day

talking like dreaming---
scraps of what's real
all stirred up
together
with things
that never were

doves in her mind
beating their wings
scattering
the pieces of her life
the sticky notes pasted
on the woman
she once was

she talks
and talks
her strong contralto
now breathy
and wavering

a haphazard tear
forms and rolls
ever so slowly
down her velvet cheek
once artfully painted
now exposed

her pride put aside
her wispy white hair
glittering silver still
hangs lank
and unattended
like a garden
of memories forgotten

she looks at me
closely
and clutches my hand
for a moment
as if to anchor
us to the present

then she tells me
about the friend
she once had
a long time ago
never suspecting
that I'm the one
she's talking about

"oh, the times
we had together"
she says
her eyes young
and bright

i nod and
i smile and think,
"oh, the times
we had together
indeed."

she loves
my memory
but she doesn't
know me
i've been fixed
in her mind
in another time

i mourn her passing
even as she talks on
remembering
forgetting
preparing
to leave me...

-Cory Raymond

sometimes ever after

2010-03-10T16:27:00.002-05:00

"This is about a place that my dear friend, Linda Sue, and I dreamed about going to in August, 2002." - Cory Raymond

so they carried their bags
full of rocks and seashells
and their shoes full of sand
home where they decided to make
a magical wall with rocks and seashells
and driftwood and ocean-polished glass

it would not be high, just a demarcation
of their territory
a notice to all that this was theirs
the magic would keep out
anyone who did not possess a key
to their minds and hearts
but would allow entry to all
who aspired to gentleness
who practiced kindness
who spoke softly and let
their dogs carry the big sticks
for them

cats of every color
would sit on the wall
and sleep on it
and sing on it at night
celebrating the moon
and their catness
eyes glowing in the dark
with visions human eyes
failed to perceive
feelings human hearts
could not contain

people would sit there too
sometimes
and drink champagne from
chipped coffee mugs
and talk about
a different world
a beautiful place
and laugh and pet the cats
and hope to live
happily sometimes
ever after...

-Cory Raymond

the poetry makers

2010-03-03T09:01:00.001-05:00

I think of them as tiny people
that I carry around in the pockets
of my mind
along with lint
rusty paperclips
missing buttons
and small change from a misspent life

they tiptoe through
the disorderly conduct of my thoughts
collecting bits and pieces
of people and places
books and songs
comic strips and movies

things that drifted into
and out of my life
a hastily discarded feeling here
a long-forgotten idea there
possibilities scattered like ashes
in the rubble of my regrets
all shaken, not stirred, with a few missing links
that came from who-knows-where

day in and day out
for over sixty years
the greedy little scavengers
followed my sloppy thoughts around
happily hoarding
whatever I left behind
like tiny little pack rats

somehow they knew I needed them
stuck as I was
at the bottom
of a cracked glass
filled to the brim
with the stuff of exquisite isolation

so, now they clamor for my attention
eager to give me back all those things
lost in life's translation
a word here
a word there
grain after grain of hope
their gift to me
I think I'll call it poetry...

-Cory Raymond

Introducing: Cory Raymond

2010-03-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Well, now. I know this blog is about the community around me, but the internet is an interesting place, and I have met some interesting people doing some interesting things through it. One of those people is Cory Raymond, a poet whose blog I started reading because... hmmm... I can't recall. Perhaps she commented on a poem of mine. Anyway, she is very creative and friendly and I like her poems, so I am going to feature several here.

Links:
Her poetry blog

Transformations

2010-02-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

Another poem read by Jim DuBois.

Genetic Astrology

2010-02-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

A second poem read by Jim DuBois.

Dear Mr. Frost

2010-02-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

Jim DuBois reading an original poem at the Florence Poets Society summer festival.

A Place to Promote Creativity

2010-02-10T09:03:00.004-05:00

Why I started this blog:

"I wanted to have a place to promote the creativity of people close to me and in my local community. because I think there are not enough places to see the creative works of human beings. Lots of people do creative things and they just end up in a pile in their closet or something. Which is too bad. The world is more interesting to me when those things are shown.

Even people who make art for a living don't have enough places to have their work shown, and can always use some more exposure, so I started adding some artists that I like to the blog. But I always try to make and have at least some personal connection with them when I do.

So, I started this blog to have a place to show creativity that I find interesting. Hopefully it brings a little more connection among creative people in the world, because that is also important to me."

-Jim DuBois

Peanut Corral

2010-02-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

Another short animation by Ron McAdow.

You can get another one on Amazon's video on demand service. It is called Hank the Cave Peanut and Captain Silas, and I really enjoyed watching it way back when.

We The People

2010-01-28T08:04:00.000-05:00

We the people
of these United States of America
walk around, talk, say this and that.

-John Bauman

Peanut Submarine

2010-01-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

This film was made by Ron McAdow in the mid 1970's. It was part of a series of peanut animations created for the educational television program "Infinity Factory", produced in Massachusetts at the Education Development Center. The music is by Jon Klein.

Ron's longer peanut films, also featuring Jon Klein scores, are available on Amazon's video-on-demand: Hank the Cave Peanut and Captain Silas.

When Ron was my teacher in junior high school, he offered an after school course to learn to make animated stop motion films. Me and Jeremiah took it and had a great time. I remember the process taking a very long time. I have no idea what happened to the actual films.

Bored

2010-01-14T03:01:00.004-05:00

Boy, I’m really bored.
Smorgas- bored.
Shmorgas bord.
Ironing board.
What the fuck’s a smorgasbord?
Anyone?
Smorgasbord:
a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes.
Smorgas- bored.

-John Bauman

Define Prophecy

2010-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

- Pete Smolenski
From his website.

3 Minutes Sand Runs Out

2009-12-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

-Paul Richmond

The Egg Came First

2009-12-20T16:52:00.000-05:00

- Pete Smolenski
From his website.

Introducing: Peter Smolenski

2009-12-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have a friend Dimitri (who has a poem on this blog) and I sometimes go to his house to play games. In his kitchen there is this very cool piece of art hanging on the wall: a bright, abstract, psychedelic image. I asked, "Hey, who made that? It's very cool," and Dimitri told me it was a friend of his and his family, Pete Smolenski.

So I logged that in my brain like I do with all sorts of random bits of information. And then I was looking at the 'People you might know' section of Facebook a little while ago, and someone's profile picture was this really great looking psychedelic image, and I thought, "hey that looks like Pete Smolenski's work." Turns out it was his FB profile.

I contacted him, and he agreed to let me feature some of his work here. I looked at his site, and got to see a lot of great art.

It all happened how I like things to happen: person to person, simple and easy, and in the community.

Links:
Peter Smolenski Abstract Art - His website
Abstract Art World - A global community of abstract artists

LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT

2009-12-13T16:26:00.000-05:00

2009, 18 X 24 INCHES

SILICA AND URETHANE ON LINEN

by Sean Greene

"This is like one of Sean's other paintings I saw in person at A.P.E. Gallery. They're even better in person." - Jim DuBois

Bamboo

2009-12-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

- embroidery floss on canvas

by Myrrh Brooks

Aimlessness

2009-11-29T17:01:00.000-05:00

Aimlessness
sets in,
like the gangrene
of
the corporate world.

I wander away
out the back door
of
a busy office.

-Jim DuBois
May 3, 2000

CALLIGRAPH 2

2009-11-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

2008, 54 X 90 INCHES

SILICA AND URETHANE ON CANVAS

by Sean Greene

Introducing: Sean Greene

2009-11-22T08:20:00.000-05:00

Sean works for a friend of mine, as a painter, so I often ran into him when he was working there, as well as random times in town at things he was painting, like the new State Street store and Thornes. In those short conversations I learned that he made art, and I became interested in seeing it. I finally got to, the other day at the A.P.E. Gallery on main street. I thought his paintings were really good and interesting. Lots of clear lines and bright colors. I would buy a painting, if I had the money. One last thing from me about Sean: he is also a very friendly guy.

From his website:

"My paintings are rooted in color. Color intervals provoke the fleeting sensations of light animating a space. Bands of color become paths of light, traces of motion that lead the eye through an illusionistic space and around a tactile surface. These bands evoke written languages like Arabic or graffiti-- illegible but loaded with expressions of balance or instability, variation of speed, entanglement, congestion or comfort, fluidity or angularity."

Links:
His website

Stones

2009-11-15T19:50:00.002-05:00

acrylic on canvas

Introducing: Myrrh Brooks

2009-11-15T19:41:00.003-05:00

Yay! Myrrh has agreed to let me show some of her art here!

I met Myrrh 16 or so years ago, because I am friends with her father, Trevor the games man. Over the years me and Myrrh have had a lot in common, and sometimes even done stuff together. A sampler: we like to make art, we like to dance the Lindy Hop, we like Trevor. She lived in Northampton for a while, and I enjoyed that. Last year I went to her wedding to Joe Brooks. It was in a beautiful refinished barn in Amherst, MA.

Myrrh is one of those people who is constantly creating things and in a variety of mediums. I like that about her. You can't really capture the essence of a creative person in a blog post, or in a photo of their work, but you can give clues to who they are. Sometimes you can only indicate that they are cool, and let people discover on their own. Her website only hints at how creative she is.

Links:
Her Website, Myrrhmade.com
Her blog

She Said You Never Talk To Me

2009-11-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

They hadn't seen each other all day
They sat together
Started to talk
To share each other's day
He started to talk about something he'd like to do
She said that she doubted he would do it
He recalled the times in the past when he had
She remarked they were fewer and far between
He thought about it
He stated he thought that wasn't true

He said he counted 5 times
That he had
She says She remembers 3 times
He gave examples of the 5
She said you like to exaggerate everything
With that
He said it was at least 7 times
She said let's call it 4 and drop it
It seemed on every sentence
She was doubtful
Correcting
He was trying to talk about his feelings
The numbers were meaningless
He fell silent
She said you never talk to me

-Paul Richmond
From "...Ready or Not - Living in the Break Down Lane"

Five Above

2009-10-26T00:05:00.001-04:00

Detail of above work:

Do You Swear?

2009-10-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

Do you swear?
To tell the truth
The whole truth
Nothing but the truth
So help you god

Our first leader
George Washington
Chopped down a cherry tree
And when he was asked
He couldn't tell a lie
He said he did it
I am supposed to use that as an example
Of a great leader's character
To never tell a lie
Yet he chopped down the cherry tree
A source of food
For no reason

No reason was ever given
Just that he couldn't lie
So he admitted doing it
Why?
He didn't like cherries?
What's not to like about cherries?
I think it was the first sign of aggression
He let it out by attacking the environment
He just didn't lie about it

Now when out modern leaders
Do their version of chopping down the cherry tree
They just lie
People know they chopped down the cherry tree

Out modern leaders respond
There was never a tree there

It's established there was a tree
They knew nothing about it

They then give their possible scenarios
The tree must have fallen over by itself
Maybe due to a powerful wind

When evidence of wood chips are found
Where the tree used to be
They respond
We have to do something about those pesky beavers

They are informed that all the beavers have died
Suddenly a boy scout is arrested
Said to have been on drugs
Searching his room
It is reported he listened to music about Satan

Notes were found, scribbled
On hundreds of girl-scout cookie boxes
From the girl-scout who sold him the cookies

The notes were
Rejections of his pleas
For her to be his cookie

It is reported we have caught
The Terrorist

After hearing this on the news
I am supposed to feel relieved
The problem has been solved
The guilty have been caught
And will be punished

The next day
Another tree is found missing

Do you swear?
To tell the truth
The whole truth
Nothing but the truth
So help you god

-Paul Richmond
From "...Ready or Not - Living in the Break Down Lane"

After August

2009-10-12T23:36:00.000-04:00

Detail of the above work:

-by Stephanie Gerolimatos

From Jim:
"I just got to browse through Stephanie's work for images to display here, and I was inspired and excited again by the coolness of what she has made. Go visit her website yourself to see more."