Patience is a virtue

Watch this guy transform illustrations into humans. So cool.

It's not a comic book!

Saturday was free comic book day as well as Derby Day. These two events colliding can only mean one thing, of course: DAN ZETTWOCH. He is my favorite graphic illustrator/short storyist/yarnspinner/visual thinkerist/blogger/master painter. I guess that's why he's one of the Best American Comics. Even this guy thinks so. Dan was making way cooler stuff than me by the time we were 8. I think it was the ghost (muse?) in the basement refrigerator. Or maybe it's because I didn't drink the sweet tea. Anyway, I'm always delighted to see what he's got in that fancy case of his.

Between this, this, this, this, and this, it's like we're almost cousins or something.

I still think Dan's old gig, XPLANE is one of the coolest things going. And sometimes I read Communication Nation, written by his old boss, Dave Gray.

So what's better than Daniel? Jenny!

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, April is National Poetry month.

In honor of National Poetry Month, here's my very first favorite poem, thanks to Ms. Hamilton, my 7th grade English teacher. In 8th grade, I won some sort of poetry prize. All I remember is that one poem was about war, the other about chewing gum. Who knows.

The opening lines from the Dickinson poem:

Tis so much joy! 'Tis so much joy!
If I should fail, what poverty!
And yet, as poor as I,
Have ventured all upon a throw!
Have gained! Yes! Hesitated so --
This side the Victory!

Visiting the Emily Dickinson home during the UMass Episcopal Youth Event ('93? Geez, I'm old) was awesome. Also, Ms. Hamilton's husband, Ed, is a well-known sculptor and the cathedral is home to the processional cross he made for Bishop Gulick's ordination.

I <3 NY

The Color of Keeping Warm

Finally went to the Gee's Bend exhibit at the Speed Museum. It was even better than I thought it would be. It fascinates me that even in completely utilitarian endeavors (keeping warm), human beings search for beauty.

Color as Field

James Olitski's Tin Lizzie Green (1964).

The Smithsonian Museum of Art is offering the exhibit Color as Field: American Painting 1950-1975 until May 26. 38 pieces are included from 17 artists, notably Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski, Kenneth Noland, Frank Stella, Morris Louis, Sam Gilliam (Louisville and UofL's own), and Gene Davis. The collection begins with Color Field precursor Abstract Expressionism by pointing to its roots in the work of Barnett Newman Mark Rothko, Clifford Still and more. Do you see why I'm excited about it?

The reviews are nearly as interesting as the work. Watch the NY Times slideshow or read their review. The Sun (Sorry, Mr. Simon) has its own analysis. NPR also has a profile and my favorite take so far is from the Washington Post.

Matter of fact, it's all dark.

Maps are cool, right? Then astrogeological maps are even better. Wired wrote about these in November. If you're willing to go through the not-very-user-friendly-but-
worth-sticking-it-out USGS Astrogeology Research site, you will find more maps of the moon, mars, venus, and mercury. They download as pdfs.

This one's from the dark side of the moon.


Here are some of the maps as jpegs:
Mercury 1 | Mercury 2 | Moon 1 | Moon 2 | Moon 3 | Moon 4 | Moon 5

Still snowing!

Matt Stone's lovely video Snow As Art from the courier-journal.com features snow covered scenes from around the area.

And, yes, it's still snowing.

Queen of Heaven

I keep thinking about this photograph of the moon at the south pole, which made me think of this Durer print, which made me think of the Madonna chapel at St. Sulpice.

Paying Attention

Kathy Grieb preached at our diocesan convention. She quoted one of my favorite poems from Mary Oliver, The Summer Day. An excerpt here:

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.

[Update 3/2]: She must've been trying out Psalm 23.

Billy Collins on the moon

Riding the lunar eclipse made me want to paint or write poems or produce some other form of proclamation thanking god for the extraordinary creation in which we live. Since this is as close I get to that when not preaching, I turned to Billy Collins:

Moon
Invention
Man in the Moon

and from his haiku chapbook She Was Just Seventeen:
Moon in the window—
the same as it was before
there was a window.

Jean Wells: Intuitive Quilting

These sure are interesting.

Map Quilt

Quilts inspired by topographic maps.
Ian Hundley Studio.