Little by Little

I did not have a lot of ideas for blog posts this week. However, the picture above came about to reflect this dilemma. Sometimes it is the little efforts or acts that sustains us and can provide for us in unexpected ways.

Phil Poppin and the Return of Mr. Wisor

Tom, who is a friend and co-worker, left a paper on our work desk that said "Fill Poppin". I was left to wonder what this was about? In my mind it quickly became a person named Phil Poppin. Later I found out that Poppin was merchandise and Tom's job was to fill a display of Poppins products. Having kept the paper with the note on it, I decided to fill it with what I considered poppins. This reminded me of my work creating portraits of Mr. Wisor. Because Mr. Wisor represented wisdom, I tried to fill him up with the wonders the world has to offer. Mr. Wisor was/is a real person and someone I met. However, Phil Poppin will have to come into being or perhaps I will bump into him.

Title: Mr. Wisor, Size: 22" x 15", Mixed media, Date: 2008

Title: Mr. Wisor (Occidental), Size: 24" x 18", Mixed media, Date: 2009

Cheese Cake in a Jar and Hercules Segers

Valentines Day brought about two surprises. First, a wonderful co-worker made cheesecake served in little jars (akin to a parfait) for all of the workers on the clock. Second, my friend Emmet surprised me with a book about the printmaker Hercules Segers. We had talked about Segers and this book for months and little did I know he ordered it. Never, did I feel so thankful and blessed to have good friends. Regarding the photograph above, I cannot recall another time that I felt a picture need to be made fast because the primary subject would be digested. In more ways then one it seems that a treat in a jar and a book are food for thought.

Sunlight and Snow

Since a snow storm knocked out power in my house (this has lasted 5 days), blogging has not been at the center of my attention. However, I got out today and attended a lecture and worship meeting. One of the messages was a simple but profound reminder to 'consider what you can give without consideration for what you can get'. If one follows this approach then one will be less likely to be disappointed and more likely to feel the warmth that contribution provides.

Cold Feet

It could be that poor circulation makes my feet cold at night, but the winter is also not helping. The image above was captured in the early stages of a new drawing. The crisp white of the page reminded me of the sting of winter and my cold feet. For the first time in months I went out running today. My feet got very hot as a result of the activity. A couple of lessons or reminders occurred. One, movement is good for circulation. Two, momentum allows one to continue further than one would have otherwise. As I consider making exercise a part of life, I realize these concepts can lead to a thaw in other areas of life where "cold feet" (an emotionally frozen state that inhibits action) keeps one from trying and moving forward. Although an active mind is important, movement and momentum are crucial.