papa pájaro

I want to share with you a small piece I did for my dad Javier... I call it pájaro.

"pajaro" Aug 2010 acrylic & watercolor on panel, 10"X8"   click to view

My dad's birthday was yesterday and we are celebrating his 60 years alive.  He's a young dad to me, an older dad to my lil' bro Xman, a great dad to a us both.  In 1987, when I was about 12 yrs old, the age Xman is now, I made a painting of a ruby throated humming bird for my dad on his 37th Bday.  It was my last oil painting I ever did.  I grew up painting with oils... my mom hooked me up at 7 years old with a slew of brushes, canvases, oil mediums, turpentine, and tubes of paint... and I painted with them until I dropped painting during middle school (asterisk)... years later in college when I picked up a brush again I took the safe route with acrylics.

ruby throated hummingbird, Aug 1987, oil on panel, 10"X8"
hanging in my dad's "museum" wall     click to view

My dad loves birds.  He loves to watch them, study them, and talk to them.  Which is why I chose a bird as a subject that summer of 1987 to paint for him.  This year when making something for his Bday, it came back to me the memory of that painting from years ago and I knew that a bird was coming through for this piece.  Unlike last time though, when I sourced the hummingbird from a bird book, this time I simply allowed an imagined creature to come through my fingertips to create a unique bird species from more of a dream world ...since my dad also has always had a strong affection for dreaming.

My dad likes to think of himself as an old bird ...silly dad, what you are is beautifully alive like a bird in flight, soaring always to greater heights, loving to observe all of life, loving all of humanity.  Your noble heart has infused my own. Thank you dad, I celebrate you and I love you!

click to view

written during
week 18 "mapa"

∞ ceci

6

mapa de momentos

A story is like a map. Life is like a story of stories, maps within maps, like a fractal you can always go in further, deeper right down to the territory that each moment holds. Our expressions, our pieces of work, are sign posts along the way, and surely ZBOOK is a major one for us, telling the story of and mapping out 14 years of our living, being, and synergizing. A story of stories it is. A 4D map of our growth as artists and as friends, of our young lives.

But this map is not to be figured out. Life is too wonderfully messy for that. And truth is always changing based on perspective ...there are certainly an infinite number of perspectives from a multitude of moments that shaped ZBOOK ...and infinitely more to experience ZBOOK with. This page started out with words, phrases that mutated into other phrases that with continued added words mutated into other phrases and on and on until it became a fishbowl of expressions, all specific phrases linked so closely that they seem like a school of individual fishes. Reminds me of Johnathan Harris' work, which I shared about in my "Collecting Stories" post a few weeks back. These phrases are all "partial glimpses" into our mind, a mental or emotional map if you will (from 1998 mostly). Our stories are the map to our lives, the destination being the map itself.

"Mapa" offers another mapping point, this photograph from summer of 2002, of Jennifer's husband Tony, her daughter at 1 1/2 yr old, and Vinh, my partner at the time, of whom I've mentioned in prior posts... for it is impossible to reflect on the last 14 years with out thinking of Vinh... as we were together since high school and all through my 20's. I am so profoundly blessed that he and I today share a friendship, this is a gift in my life... for Vinh is an amazing man that I am proud to know and honored to call family. Vinh is my oldest, dearest friend.

"mapa"

click to view

∞ ceci

6

week eighteen >> "mapa"

"mapa"  click to view

When I hear this word, 'mapa', I see lands and crossings and adventure in my minds eye.
The picture from the “mapa” spread comes from the summer of July, 2002 at Lake Barryessa.
Tony, Hallie and Vinh have sinced been tribaled out by Ceci’s silver tipped experimentation.
 She apparently thought I was the tattoo / piercing culprit; however, I believe my observation stands here, as I mentioned to her, I probably wouldn't have gone all out on Tony's navel - because I know him too well!

This spread is obviously enhanced by intense shocks of color - blue saturated water colors, and fluorescent pen designs highlight the poignant masked angel beings who appear to be observing the goings on, participating?!  These Venetian robed figures hover as if on a threshhold of mirrored waters.  Through which, the words of life are swirling. 

I can't help but connecting this to the meditation on the Prologue to the Gospel of St. John:

                                                        In the Beginning

                                                        Was the Word

                                                        And the Word

                                                        Was with God

                                                        And the Word

                                                        Was God.

                                                        He was in the Beginning

                                                        With God.

As a studier of Rudolf Steiner, I came across the above 'Incarnation' in an issue of the Anthroposophical Society of LA's monthly newsletter some time ago.  I cut it out to keep and use because the intro said something about RS not being one to give guarantees, however, regarding this prologue, he is said to have said, "If you meditate on the Prologue to the Gospel of St. John, the first five verses (1 and 2 are above), for one year, every day, the whole course of your life will be changed."  That's a pretty powerful statement, so i cut it out.

On another note...

 Here is a short story to take you into the land of lake shores and rocky hillsides:
Our family travels every summer, through the hot plains of California’s fruit basket, into the foothills of the Western Sierras, via Dinuba and the Tivy Valley. As we turn the final curves of Sunnyslope into the domain of Pine Flats Lake, I am always relaxed into dreamy breath as my senses fill with the scenery. Our August trip, to celebrate Tony’s 42nd, was enlivened by his dear cousin's family floating along too. After a weekend overflowing with refreshment, we prepared our intentions and steered our course for Rattlesnake Island... to pay our final respects to Old Grandpa Snake.

We killed Old Grandpa last summer, another story in itself. This summer, a year later, we returned his head to the shores where we first crossed paths. Preserved in a hummus container, soaked in rock salt, OG’s diamond shaped cranium still held poison. We were cautious; my own touch, the only handling of the head and its container with gloves.
Tony and the four kids dug a hole.
I carried and opened the container and unloaded the contents.
Amazingly still well in tact after a year in salt, the head was large and commanded our reverance.
We admired the eyes and the scales and respected the fangs tucked away.
We prayed, then we buried and marked the snakes grave with a split walking stick, secured by rocks.
While the group swam in the warm cove, I climbed to the opposite side of the high water island, where the current is stronger, to rinse the bowls and jump into a cooler area.  I remembered swimming there, along the rocks with Hallie and Jack and cousin Jimmy the previous year,
the weekend we took home the snake.
For Christmas last, Tony tanned the skin and created five wearable pieces from it's length.  I received a baked skin bead on a red stone necklace he strung; Hallie was proud of her rattling bracelet and Tony's cowboy hat band catches any honky tonks eye. 

angels watching
Tonight, Tony and I pulled a powerful spread of cards to commemorate his birthday transition. So much of the weekends great lessons were mirrored in the pulls as we asked guidance from the Shaman Wisdom Cards and connected to the power of Zen utilizing the Osho Zen Tarot. So much power and affirmative wisdom poured through our devoted space; I am incredibly grateful and respondent to the gifts showered down. Tony acknowledges so graciously the truth of a 7 year cycle coming to close, and the next opening. In Steiner speak, he will come into a period once again of a double shot of will development. I will be elaborating on our spread for Tony, if anyone is interested in channeling universal guidance, feel free to ask. And also, go to Ceci’s newly manifested Oracle link – I’m sure she’ll extrapolate and invite expanded participation soon.

Please also feel free to share a comment with inspired vision ... we are on a path of visioning,
and oh my the waters are refreshing.
Blessings and Be well,
-Jennifer