A Tough Nut To Crack

"A tough nut to crack!" is a phrase referring to a situation, person, or thing that's difficult to comprehend or decipher. Personally, I find my life replete with tough nuts to crack--they seem to be low-hanging fruit.

During a recent exercise in unearthing, or rediscovering, my creative essence (that neglected, often-denied, yet essential aspect of us all; which, in science, is associated with the right-hemispheric brain), an analogy emerged.

The analogy involves a nut—which by definition is a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel. As we know, the kernel or fruit of the nut hidden within the shell cannot create progeny until the shell decomposes, is cracked, or broken open. Hence, the nut must be “cracked” to discover its essence.

The image in my analogy is that of a pecan. The environment significantly affects the physical characteristics of a pecan—all four seasons, over cycles of years, result in each year’s crop being more or less plentiful, having thinner or thicker shells, and sweeter or less-flavorful meat. The tree producing the nut has evolved by responding to its environment—thereby improving the odds of its proliferation.

The pecan is analogous to our individual lives. Most agree that we humans have two essential components: 1) a physical package or vessel including our body/DNA and intellect/ego, and 2) the mystical Life within us that invigorates, enlivens, and flows through our physical package/vessel as long as we are alive. When this Life is no longer present, our physical package/vessel returns to dust.

Specifically, the pecan’s shell is analogous to our physical and egoic essence. The kernel or meat of the pecan is analogous to our mystical, transcendent, and creative essence—hidden within the shell.

The analogy: Just as with a pecan, each of us must realize and know that our creativity is encased in the protective shell of our physical/egoic identity. Our creativity, hidden from us within this shell, cannot emerge, be recognized, and shared until this deceptively obvious physical/egoic identity relinquishes its sovereignty in deference to that which enlivens, unites, and transcends us—Life. There are talented people who have studied and developed their talents, but the Michelangelos, Picassos, and Einsteins historically admit tapping into something transcending their intellects.

Does this analogy resonate with anyone else, or is it yet another tough nut to crack?

Graft

H 16 x W 13 x D 12

Graft - Definitions

n 1 : a shoot or scion inserted into a slit of stock, from which it receives sap 2 : practices, esp. bribery, used to secure illicit gains in politics or business: CORRUPTION

Graft

Some words stand at odds--their meanings conflict;
graft's can be fruitful--abhorrent, as well.

Grafting the tree makes the peach sweater still;
the Life-giving sap--shared--sustains the whole tree.

Like ignorance of mind and hatred of eye--
greed of hand, saps Life--with bitter disdain.

Clutching our ignorance and folly, we swagger and prance;
with business as usual--we're in utter contempt.

We hoard all we can--"Let others get theirs!"
the sole free-flowing resource is our excrement.

When a critical mass, clearly perceives;
and responds as is fitting--unobstructed by greed--

then, with free-flowing resources--as nature evinces--
provision is present--the rest passed along.

         ---hhw2013

Graft - Relevant Quote

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst be false to any man.
---William Shakespeare, Hamlet, soliloquy by Polonius in Act 1, Scene 3

See more of this piece on my website.

The Framework

H 18 x W 21 x D 9

The Framework - Philosophy

Each of us has a personal perspective--a framework of reference that leads our dance through life. Cultures, nations, and humanity reflect their collective frameworks.

Our framework is our premise--it's critical.

The Framework

Peaches 'n Cream is an acquired point of view--an attribute held high in esteem;
from genes and perspective come desires, then beliefs--all tied up with nice pretty bows.

Ashen is subject to biased aspersions--being common among us, but misunderstood;
with transcendent appointments, often suspicious--labeled nasty, dark, and taboo.

Some of our reference is overt convention--right/wrong, good/bad, and...yes, beauty;
even these are obscured by our varied perspectives--life and love, we taint with darkness.

References most vivid are also intrinsic--the most robust, sexuality;
behaviors and mores obtusely diverge--life and love, we foul with darkness.

Perhaps we can sojourn this foreboding dark place--the place where creation is found;
and rethink our framework, and mores to boot--life and love are the light of day.

---hhw01Apr2013

The Framework - Relevant Quote

It's not the darkness we're afraid of, it's the light.
---Nelson Mandela

The Framework - Composition

Lintel of cedar, set before form--it's healing and cleansing protection.
Life's burning filament--energized by blood & bone deep within darkness.
Column of panes reveal causality casualties--building blocks set with hide.
Pedestal showcasing void without form--clay on the potter's wheel.
Spiraling arc of golden means--an embrace of dimensions profound.
Deck of spalls with dowels, by golly--all á la a mall, that stalled a maul.

See more of this piece on my website.

Ghoul & Yule

H 11 x W 4 x D 3

Ghoul & Yule - Definitions

• Ghoul - robs graves and feeds on corpses
• Yule - a feast of nativity

Ghoul & Yule

Most of life involves the dynamic of avoiding that which is unpleasant while seeking out that which is pleasant. Perhaps this highly refined human dynamic is deceptively biased.

We've come to realize that opposites are two sides of the same coin. Neither can exist without, nor annihilate the other. There is no pleasant without unpleasant, light without darkness, space without matter, virtue without vice, god without devil--ghoul without yule. Indeed, polar opposites enable us to recognize and appreciate the spectrum of diversity between the two poles. Polar opposites are complementary aspects of the same thing.

Ghoul & Yule dances with this dynamic and is replete with images. Its component-remnants include horse hair, chicken back and a partial neck vertebra, poke root, gall remnant, and hors d’oeurve skewers. On the flip side of the coin, its composition is intricate, flowing, balanced, and pleasant.

         ---hhw2013

See other views of Ghoul & Yule

The Mantle Piece

H 14 x W 18 x D 8

This piece--The Mantle Piece--has a pun in its name. Not only is it to be placed at mantel-height (just below eye level), it also represents the culmination of the Come Together Series.

The Come Together Series includes pieces of piqued intricacy. They came together organically--with no envisioned design beforehand. They developed intricately--at a level unnoticed in photos. To perceive the level of detail portrayed--my brushstoke--they're best viewed from a distance of about 2-3 feet.

The Mantle Piece is the preeminent piece of the series. It has the "idyllic duality" of The Golden Mean And Artifice. It's "in the arms of our Mother" like Archetype. It's got the "soul of existence" as does Entanglement. It "brings together all shared by and common to man" like Unity Sampler. And, it has varying perspectives approaching that of 360° Perspective.

Unlike all these pieces, The Mantle Piece is not suspended--it's grounded on earth. Just as all my work comes together one remnant at a time, this series came together one piece at a time--enveloped by The Mantle Piece.

See Relevant Quote for The Mantle Piece--and the other pieces in the Come Together Series

Valentine’s Day & Love

Perhaps love is singular. Humanity claims many varieties of love--however, I’ve come to believe that love is regarding others as we regard ourselves--the foundational premise of all religions.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8, NIV)

Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you.

Peace de Résistance

Peace de Résistance - Background

The internationally recognized symbol for peace was originally designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958 as the logo of the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Over the past 50 years, the peace sign has become familiar in our lives. Let’s allow it’s meaning to manifest in our Heart.

Ironically, Peace de Résistance and its narrative poem were completed, signed, and dated before I realized the completion date was the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Peace de Résistance

Defying orthodox and common conventions,
unique and special—a place of calm, space of quiet…

...transcendently adorned—the soul of us all passing unobstructed through sovereign ego;
at once, far beyond sensual reaction and resistance,
while intrinsically endowing—now.

The vibrant Green suspends unity with derivation—a stitch in time;
the balance—remnants forgone, forgotten, but foretold;
remnants remiss with gross unseemliness, now perceived with endowing light.
Behold the One comprised of the gross, forgone, and forgotten.

The sign of calm and quiet—macro of dualistic micros:
Holtom’s unclear—nuclear all clear, or gesture of despair?
Inverted, broken cross—a debauchery?
Crows foot—symbols to show relationships?
Peace and love—or rune of death?

…of feather and root—freedom of flight, solidarity of root.
…of tri-maille links studded in faceted red, hemp-leashed to bone shard—design vs. organic.
…of duo-wishbones bound together—cluck with the luck of it.
…of inverted hangman nooses suspending bell flowers—history knelling and beckoning us.
…of helix spanning nooses—spiraling inclination to repeat atrocity; springing resistance.
…of intertwined hanger (unity) and remnant-strung fob (linear)—as above, as below.

peace: a state of calm and quiet…
peace: freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility
peace: mental calm; serenity
peace: freedom from or the cessation of war or violence
peace: a treaty agreeing to the cessation of war between warring states
peace: freedom from dispute or dissension between individuals or groups
Peace…So be it; truly.

---hhw11Sep2011 (Conferred 25Dec2012)

See detail photos by clicking here.

360° Perspective

360° Perspective - Definitions

• Perspective: a) the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed: also: POINT OF VIEW b) the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance
• Point of view: a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated

360° Perspective

I never consciously envision the outcome of my creative expression beforehand. My art comes together one remnant at a time--synchronistically. This piece came together in the same way. It is, however, more dynamic in terms of perspective.

From the beginning, it was obvious that unlike my others, this piece is intended to be viewed from every point around its vertical column (...hence, its name). This new dynamic forced me to expand my perspective since the piece has an infinite number of viewpoints--or points of view.

Infinite points of view!?...Infinite genetic combinations...Infinite unique fingerprints...Infinite human perspectives...

If it were not too long and cumbersome, the name of this piece would be How In GOD's Name Can We Judge Another Of Our 7,000,000,000 Siblings For Honoring Their Perspective While We Remain Ignorant of Their Point Of View? (...hence, its name.)

---hhw2012

See more photos at e-hhw.com--after all, it's to be viewed from infinite viewpoints.