« Echoing Jimmy Chitwood | Main | I've Tried to Quit Reading the Lord of Rings so Much, But I Just Can't Kick the Hobbit »
October 31, 2006
Minnesota : Illinois
mn
after first frost
lake city
harvest home
glow on the farm
the walker
_____________________________
il
cold rain
can you hear me now?
blustery
fallen
______________________________
and a bonus one from mo
coffee and cigarettes*
*though, if the truth be known the cup on the left is actually tea. artisitic license. and, yes, I popped the colors a bit on this one and the frozen lillies, oh, and on the deer. And i used to be such a purist.
Photos and Art | By jackdas | 9:55 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://stlouisblogs.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/744
Comments
OOO...many of these remind me of good 'ol South Dakota. My faves are "cold rain" and "glow on the farm". Thanks! Thanks for the party pics too!
Posted by: Tanya at October 31, 2006 10:04 PM
Honestly, you have an amazing gift! Harvest Home is stunning.
Posted by: Heidi Vincent at November 1, 2006 8:00 AM
Neil,
"Pure Northenness" the pictures stir the embers of the heart to feel, long and ache for something beyond our selves and our meager existence. Thank you for having us stop on the side of a busy highway or road to see what is impossible to see at 65 mph. continue to bring the magic and mystery of the ordinary and the natural colors of God's pallet into man made grey.
your brother
Adi
Posted by: Adrian at November 1, 2006 8:54 AM
Hmmm...lilies bending their purple heads in death, a fallen deer blanketed with colored leaves...some interesting themes your working with.
Posted by: Laura at November 3, 2006 11:45 AM
Brother Adrian, welcome to the blog and thank you for your kind comments. Now we just need to get you painting again on a regular basis.
Posted by: Neil E. Das at November 3, 2006 3:41 PM
Laura, there was a time when I would not really have addressed such themes. I used to have a bit of a Pollyanna-ish view of the world, or rather more accurately thought that we needed to strive to look at the positive side of life. Phillipians 4:8 was my guiding verse, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
I realized at some point that "whatever is true," or more accurately, what constitutes reality is not always beautiful. It seems like a simple enough point, but it took me a while to get it, and to allow myself to apply it in areas such as art and film and literature. I still think Phil. 4:8 is an excellent guide. I simply see it more deeply now.
And because of that and from seeing things through the eyes of some of my friends, I found my aesthetics being redefined, being broadened and deepened. Now, I do not believe death is beautiful. It most certainly is not. But I think that it may accentuate beauty by being a counterpoint of sorts. It is the "oscuro" to the "chiara" in a painting that uses contrasts.
OK, that was a long comment.
Posted by: Neil E. Das at November 3, 2006 3:56 PM
