"Doin' the Prep""

Wised up, tho, and gonna hire a painter . . .

Pain and the Artist by Charles

Pain and the Artist

I once believed that I could produce art by being witty, humorous and opaque.  I was an inscrutable voyeur who could make art out of anything if I just put enough paint on it.

But I was wrong.  Art is about your pain.  For years I was able to sidestep my own personal pain, making fun of it and went forward making forgettable work.

What I have learned is that I am a better artist when I stand up against my pain.  Being human is to be surrounded by pain.  Pain wraps about us like a thick blanket separating us from our spirit.  Pain blinds us from each other.  And when we cannot find words to describe our pain our lives are brought to an emotional standstill. 

The days when I fear my pain the most are the days that I can dig down into the numbing aching emotional terror and find the depth of my story.  I call it pushing against the pain.  The pain that makes us crazy is also the pain that can bring us clarity and purpose.  I just have to be brave enough to meet it head on.

Some days I have the strength to meet this challenge and some days I run away like a little boy.

I used to be clever enough to dodge my pain but I never did grow in my consciousness.  I was, as my wife notes, delusional. I was in denial and hoping my pain would just go away.

I need to address my Pain and meet it with purpose.  When I write I allow my pain to push against me and then I start to feel my shoulder pushing back into the body of my pain and this struggle with terror gives life to my art.

Painting Spring 2010

It's been a long time without painting, a long time since the Alger-Minoan paintings of two years ago.  Although I have been having fun pushing paint around this Spring, it's only in the last few days that I've caught a stride, at least a little bit.  Here are a couple of paintings that I've finished and one (the one with the white block-outs) that I have in work.

Slavko's Awesome Project

(Ed: Slavko is building a second story home onto his rental building in Solin above Split. His place in Milna is so tiny,especially now that he is married to Nada.)

"We have spent whole April in Solin, busy with the building as you can see in the photos. The walls and the concrete terrace are done for now, and it takes a few weeks to dry, so the poles and supporting beams can be removed. Everything went smooth, with no trouble at all, by the end of summer planing to install the windows, doors, and finish the roof. Milna was a dusty town for some time, and finally yesterday the final coat of asphalt is done. I have washed with hose the streets around me, so terrible it was..."

Meanwhile, In the Desert

One of our rituals while visiting with Tom and Dee down in Palm Desert, CA this winter, was to climb a ladder onto their roof, martini balanced carefully in hand, to watch the sun set.  Now, darned if they haven't made it all civilized with a new spiral stair and iron rails on top.  Still a great view, however.

Saturday Night at the Mosque

Our friend, Abdulah efendija Polovina, imam at the new Bosnian mosque in Shoreline.  Shown with the Srebenica quilt that Julia has helped display around the area. 

Hooray! Byron Hurd graduated from college!

"Hooray! Byron graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Math and Science from West Chester University. He majored in Biology.

He will be staying with us this summer as he studies for his Dental School entrance exams.

 If you would like to write to wish him well, 106 Fair Ave, Hanover, PA  17331"

Best,

Tim and Lynne Hurd

(JRH::  That guy looks rightfully proud!!!!!  Congratulations, Byron!!!)

Sunset at Lori and John's Place

And tomorrow's is her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Lori!!!!

Computer Catastrophe

Crashed hard.  Lost data and applications.  Spent several days into wee hours trying to restore.  If I missed a message, please resend.  Ow.

Spring at our place.

Spring Milestone

The Great May Day Garage Sale!

Melanie Sends Snaps

Friends and family and famiglia,

Here is a brief snapshot montage of our life in the early spring in Michigan, 2010.

We're moving again (3rd time in 8 months) back to Sunward. (Back to the sun, backs to the sun? Stay tuned to find out.)

Melanie

(Ed: Their to-be-new home is the red house in the photo.  Two bedrooms PLUS a two car garage thats opens off the living room --  perfect for a studio for our displaced artiste.)

Sibila and Soon-to-be Hubby

(Note:  Sibila, Amir's cousin and our friend in Bosnia, has decided to specialize in pediatrics.)

"Paediatrics is something I never get tired of.. I enjoy being around children, I even enjoy in communication with parents and that is part which most people find very tiring because they get so overwhelmed with worry and can be really hard to calm them but I somehow manage to do it.

Your grandson is so cute!! :) and so are your son and daughter in law :)

Me and Nudžejm, my soon-to-be hubby :) ,  also like to walk in the mountains but unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share, we also like to ride bicycles in the mountains  which I enjoy even more though it is bit hard . . .

Please say hello to all members of your family and give Eason a kiss from me :)"

Saturday Night

Well, I tried to be "Our Man at the Edison Eye" this year, since Chaz is back East, but I got there a little late.  In time, however, to hear two sets of a three-piece jazz ensemble playing right in front of the smoked salmon, and two new paintings by Christine Wardenberg-Skinner, which I thought were really nice.  Several smaller Brock's painted so people could afford them (about $900. ea.) and one large one in a style reminding me of his earlier paintings of 'light in Edison' days.  Talked a little to Toni Ann who is now signing her paintings with her Croatian maiden name -- she said she got to make all the placards so the Baron didn't see what she was up to.  (Also -- pay attention, Chaz -- the Baron wants to talk to Chaz about hanging a piece in the June show.  Send him you 'phone number or give him a call.)  Still the place was hopping.

After the show, Julia and I stopped for a bit at the Bayview Community Center, where the Skagit-Anacortes folk dance group was dancing away to the music of the Balkan Cabaret with (Julia's friend) Mary Shearhart.  Julia danced and I smoked cigars in the doorway.

michigan

the wind is whistling across

the prairie today

it is cold and gray

yes whistle is the right word

the wind gusts around corners

just strong enough to knock over

the lawn furniture and whistle

loud enough to remind you of 

winter and make you wonder where

your winter coat is it whistles loud

enough to remind you that you need

to stay in control of yourself

nature is still in charge it is not

summer yet the weather is not

warm enough to soothe your soul

the whistle of the wind reminds you

to proceed with caution and protect

yourself keep order within for the

time for summer indolence is still in the 

distance 

charles

FWD:Coal piled high in the egyptian manner

Chaz scours the eastern seaboard for a deep water port to ship coal to india to make steel. this is from his recent trip to providence, rhode island.

(Update, Ed:  Here's the website -- www.provport.com/ )

PAhurds Say: Tim just returned (Update)

He is back in northern climes after 3 days in Florida, a day in North Carolina and then today in Williamsburg, VA presenting at William and Mary College, the second oldest in the US.

He has had a whirlwind trip up the East Coast, soon off to Boston and New York again.

Lynne was Tim's onstar again this trip.  One traveling companion said "Are you sure you have never been here before?" since Lynne had scouted all routes and restaurants, etc, and another companion piped up after he got a text message that his flight was delayed this evening, "How did you train an assistant so well?"   Tim replied, "That is not my assistant, that is my wife."

Still not as funny as early in his career when a flight was canceled -- pre-cell phone days -- and Lynne rescheduled then called the airport (also pre Homeland security days) and got the ticket counter and was explaining to the steward that she needed to get a message to her husband about the rescheduled flight and the steward asked "Is he wearing a plaid shirt?"  and .... and sure enough he was and he handed the phone over to him. I love that story!

Be well, hope spring refinds you, we have so many gorgeous flowering trees right now, the town looks like is is showing off it's nicest laciest lingerie.

All our best from Hanover Hurds  (Ed:  aka  "PAhurds")

 

Just Cuz

Huh.

"The girl, from the southern town of Knin, had only just started studying German at school and had been reading German books and watching German TV to become better, but was by no means fluent, according to her parents.

Since waking up from her 24 hour coma however, she has been unable to speak Croatian, but is able to communicate perfectly in German. . ."

from the UK Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/croatia/7583971/Croatian-teenager-wakes-from-coma-speaking-fluent-German.html

Unkie Tim sez: Wild!

Unkie Tim is on the road again -- starting with 3 days in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, then Raleigh, North Carolina, as I recall.  Photos are from his hotel room window and down on the beach.