William Stafford (Photo by Kim Stafford) Early Morning is a memoir of William Stafford written by his son Kim Stafford. This book is so singularly satisfying, so full of wisdom I can’t put it down. Is there another case of a larger-than-life writer whose story has been told by his or her child who just […]
Books, Forgetting and the Pure Joy of Reading
My favorite library belongs to my friends Andrew and Kathryn: Color coded throughout the house. This week I have been inundated with references to a piece by Ian Crouch, The Curse of Reading and Forgetting, on Facebook, Twitter and in my email. Bullseye. This is what perfect targeting looks like, exactly the kind of tailored […]
- Aesthetics
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It’s Only Afterwards
Penelope’s Heart, by Paula Overbay When you are in the middle of a story it isn’t a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the […]
The Space Between
Rob McLean and Matt Kahler in the Hypocrites’ “Pirates of Penzance,” an update of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera (Photo: Matthew Gregory Hollis) We know that consciousness has no boundaries. It is for that reason that the connectedness of everything running through us is utterly overwhelming. In an effort to manage our day to […]
Kenjilo Nanao: Hand of a Master
“Boxes in Terra Rose I,” oil and silver leaf on canvas, 2009 (courtesy of the artist) Kenjilo Nanao, printmaker and painter, passed away on Monday. He was 83. Born in Aomori, Japan, he came to San Francisco in 1960. He studied printmaking with Nathan Oliveira, married fellow artist Gail Chadell, and together they spent most […]
Practical Guidelines for Artists (Just in Case You Were Looking for Some)
Let’s face it: artists walk a pathless path where nothing is clear The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the […]
- Aesthetics
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Being Seen
Close up of the surface of a painting from the Orbilinia series I am honored—and really humbled—by a terrific post written about me and my work by Sloan Nota. We have been friends for about 20 years. While our orientation to many aspects of art and art making are very different, we share a mutual […]
Your Own Way of Looking at Things
Solitary boat man on the river in Hampi, India When I Met My Muse I glanced at her and took my glasses off – they were still singing. They buzzed like a locust on the coffee table and then ceased. Her voice belled forth, and the sunlight bent. I felt the ceiling arch, and knew […]
Embracing the Ephemeral
Still in tact: The view of the Pacific from UCSC’s Porter College (AKA to some of us as College Five) “Material Ephemera” at UC Santa Cruz Another view Long time friend Alicia Falsetto at the artist reception on Saturday Things, people, ideas—they operate with a certain kind of circularity. That coming round again has becomes […]
Material Ephemera
Jakara 5, part of the exhibit, “Material Ephemera,” currently on view at UC Santa Cruz I will be away for a week for my show, “Material Ephemera,” on view through May 13 at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Porter College. I am speaking at the artist reception on Saturday, April 27. I am […]