The aroma of fresh sawdust . . .

Here I present a photograph of one of my grandfather Clayton's planes sitting on my table saw. I have planes from both of my grand fathers and my father. I love those old hand tools, but not simply as collectors items - I use them every chance I get. One of the best things about having a house built in 1945, is that it gives me many opportunities to use my tools. The planes are my favorite wood-working tool. Few things in life are more satisfying than carefully trimming down a piece of wood with a sharp, properly adjusted plane. And, the two best aromas of life can readily be experienced together: fresh sawdust and wood chips, with a strong cup of coffee.

Fountain Pen Day

My wife offered me the greatest gift for my birthday: a fountain pen day. This means that I get to spend the day reading and writing with and about fountain pens! Recently, a friend of mine asked me why I like fountain pens so much? So, what is the reason? I had to think about the answer at first, and then it dawned on me: fountain pens represent resistance against technopoly. Not just resistance against technology but the recognition that faster is not always better. Easier isn't always best. We are living in an age where drive-through tellers, restaurants and pharmacies are normal. Face to face contact is less common and less valued. Even though I am an introvert, I used to enjoy striking up conversations with the cashiers - it was a pleasant human activity. Now, the cashier is constantly pointing me back to the debit pin-pad and it is impossible to have a conversation. We are no longer running the machines; the machines are running us. I would like to return to the world where there is time to sit inside a restaurant to eat lunch; where the banker and grocer know who I am and I know who they are; where you do business face to face; where signmakers paint signs with brushes rather than computer cut letters; where people have real paintings in their homes rather than posters; where people play boardgames; where we are more concerned about what politicians say versus what they look like and where people write letters on actual paper. So, fountain pens represent a lifestyle and a pace that is rapidly disappearing. Taking the time to write with a fountain pen is an act of resistance but it is also recognizing that writing is a unique human priviledge. Conveying ones ideas and thoughts on paper with a fine pen becomes an act of thoughtful leisure. Using a beautiful and well-made fountain pen produces the same kind of rewarding satisfaction that I experience using one of my grandfather's woodplanes to trim down a piece of fresh pine. Technopoly is deadening our senses. Tools that allow us to use more of ourselves in their operation - that require more of our time and concentration - also keep more of our senses alert and awake.

Twenty-fifth Day: Morning Prayer

Psalm 119:33-40

He

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.

Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.

Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.

Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.

Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.

Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!


Quoted from the English Standard Version

We are here to help you

"Whenever someone from the government comes to you and says, 'We have to fix your soul,' be very afraid. Governments cannot fix souls. In my worldview, Christ fixes souls . . . No one believes, outside of the hardcore Left, that government can fix your soul."

- Hugh Hewitt

Love's Seeing Eye Dog

Romans 8:28

Phone Control

Believe it or not there is actually a website that specializes in selling electronics that don't beep. I like that. The constant annoying reminders from beeping electronics makes me feel like I will need to wear a straight jacket soon.

Austin and Alice

Since I am partially colorblind, I have never felt quite as confident with painting as I have with drawing. Even so, I was more pleased with the way this painting of my father turned out than any other painting I have done.

By the way, my father is Austin, not Alice.

Painted in 1982 (I think), the painting was an experimental oil painting. I had never painted a portrait before that was set in a natural background. Up until that time, all my paintings were fantastic and dealt with imaginary beings and settings. This painting of my father was inspired by a photograph of him out in the Mojave Desert, which was one of his favorite places to be. It captures him well and anyone who knew him would recognize the likeness and the appropriateness of the setting.

I may have tried to incorporate too many different influences but even twenty-five years later I still find the combination pleasing. The upper background was prepared with a textured gesso and the painting was inspired by Monet. For the foreground I prepared my own mixture of Japan drier and gesso that forced the surface to crack, which was painted over with a wash so that the paint would seep into the cracks to give them definition.

In the 1970s I was listening to albums on vinyl records, which meant that while you listened you could analyze the artwork on the large album covers. The album covers that impressed me the most were the Yes covers by Roger Dean and the Welcome to My Nightmare cover by Drew Struzan. With apologies to my father, this album cover influenced how I rendered him in the above painting. Struzan imitates a 1920's stylization that is crisp and clear and has patterned embellishments, that are usually seen in drawings and advertisements rather than paintings. These appear as sharp edged flat lines for shadows and highlights. (Note Alice Cooper's top-hat, hair, hands and the bottom of his vest.)

The painting of my dad is not as crisp nor as precisely stylized as Struzan's but it was the main influence to the style. Due to the informal setting of my father's portrait, in contrast to the formal setting for Alice Cooper, I rendered the lines in my dad's shirt more organically and not so rigidly as in Alice's tuxedo.

For me though, the best thing about the painting is not who influenced my technique; it is that it reminds me of the person who most influenced my ideal for character and integrity.

Welcome to My Nightmare - Artist: Drew Struzan