with an unknown fear ...

circa. 1982 ...
oil on canvas ...
60"h x 40"w ...

veil #18 ...

studio ...

2000 - ?

veil #17 ...

season of the witch - one - self centered, righteous - aggrandized pity - seven sins to go - bergamot rye - nothing to show - schlock away - demented, depraved - oxygen deprived - claustrophobic remedies - sea breeze - walking - seeing futures - listed lines - penalties, fines - never resign - la vie en rose - little sparrow - theresa’s rosary - two, seventeen - eyes of intent - voluminous glances - three time charms - five, twenty four - indifference - prudence - out to play - no free lunch - stabler munch - civil obedience - chewing cud - cb’s and mudd - palladium glamor - area catacombs - tunneling rodents - triple ententes - lucretian cities - brutus revolts - venetian blinds - perilous times - palisade frescoes - malibu dume - flamenco sonatas - felicific ruins - fleece obrigado - yoyo ma - vascular constrictions - half baked predictions - rising yeast - chinese theater - abdominal beast - abominable tactics - molasses traffic - snail mail - bowery attics - tragic fanatics - silly cones and piercings - alphabet fledglings - supper songs - righting wrongs - modest thongs - modernity crumbs - critical exposure - covert disclosure - floral penumbra - encrypted conundrums - flagrant fragrance - franklin sense - red tail hawks - blue collar talk - white lace frocks - patriotic flocks - thermal glides - cliff dives - appointed arrivals - anointed survival - jip joint rivals - jive serenade - momentary glitch - buddhist clock - derelict duty - matinee distractions - boardwalk tutee fruity - atlantis dogmatic - ambient static -

unveil #4 ...

stasis ...

cut wood and dye ... 2007 ...

temporada de la bruja ...

new book of days ...

a new pad of paper and pen - what a pleasure, as usual - there’s something about the newness of a pen, the way it feels as it glides across the surface or scratches marks on an unfamiliar page - the look, smell, sound, and feel of paper - probably why i love books so much, particularly ones that show wear - a pleasure i miss with the tradeoffs of a computer - though i usually do end up printing for the sake of leafing and filing (the old fashion way)...

fragment bouquet ... [between one thing and another, i’ve been feeling a lot of uncertainty accompanied by fragmented thoughts lately - in addition, i’ve neglected my drawings recently which help me balance - this piece started out with that kind of energy and though the tendency would be to ‘arrange’, i just let it take its’ own form as a way of exorcising the moment - in the end it became this amalgam]

radiation ... [still working with that dispersed focus, the energy seemed to organize in ways that radiated forms rather than defining them]

circuitous paths ... [the gray day and fog plays a visual hide and seek with the forest outside my drafting room window - having lost a bit of frenetic energy, some of my daydreams sneak into the image]

orbital momentum ... [familiarity with the new pen and paper generate more confidence, speed, and experimentation, though i’m not sure of how to deal with the limited ‘fineness’ of the pen line - kind of like only having the top twelve keys on a piano - what cecil taylor would do with that ...]

mechanics of love ...

circa. 1986, 48"x48", acrylic paint on canvas ...

sail on ...

today's morning sky ...

mana - substance of soul - lumen - vacant hole - rasputin - mystic, charlatan - mad monk mythologies - enigmas - continuance - reprieve - validating believability - weasels laying oddities - exile or odyssey - vultures and hyenas - communicable luck - feeding frenzy - fragmented - augmented - integrated - anxious anticipation - unknown fears - lost priority - mechanics of love - bureaucracy - cautious relief - prudence - dissonance - belief - miracles of light ...

veil #16 ...

positively third street - so over, again - numina - nominal - dutiful mannequins - end to begin - internet bots - profusion confusion - nip, tuck, and paste - library idols - phoenix from waste - found art acconci - veto mistakes - quilted scraps - pulp dereliction - pseudo propensities - offensive strategies - pot luck prophesies - primordial soup - chromosome replicates - extraneous particulates - lethal aggregates - turnover flips - latin brasseries - shifting continents - marginal consonance - strength of delusion, pride, and defense - id rid of ego - carefree placebos - irrelevance - trivial distractions - medulla obscura - right course of action - meditative side effects - global warnings - reckless taunting - cranial haunts - dilettantes - vulnerable prey - conspicuous targets - nonchalant regret - bronze to wheat - machiavellian paradigms - turns on a dime - forfeit designs -

veil #15 ...

urgency - of god and good - right moves - karmic grooves - improbable events - momentary grace - long winding roads - treasured stops - soulful be bop - inevitable rides - energy alignment - grand design - jondo cante - ubiquitous - conspicuous - forest for trees - what difference looks like - what can’t we see - paradox of clarity - perceptual vagaries - specific ambiguity - what difference looks like - what we can’t see -

veil #14 ...

body electric - somewhat eclectic - ready for change - here or hereafter - diverting disaster - relinquishing claim - second’s grace - present perfection - irrelevant pain - patience and love - developing buds - incredulous - surreptitious - cold spells - warm words - exotic birds - stella by starlight - birthing cool - rearing fanaticism - healing erratics - countdowns - basie - duke and young - melrose bikers - del ray yachts - bobbing head dash saviors - bus stop umbrellas - canyon ladies - coyote rabies - frothing mimics - baudelaire’s sins - codgery grins - ineptitude - samsonite - gorillas’ packing - entitlement waxing - simonized platitudes - beautification - sovereign mutations - jaded ruse - imperial cruises - penitent muses - scarlet and ochre - manic flamenco - treaties unearthed - ethnomusicology - quantum biology - epithets - replicates - singapore side effects - out sourcing - inbreeding - cellular design - smart phones - thumb junkies - techno reliant - cavalcade compliant - opiate age - madison rage - decipher directions - playground insurrections - mental deflections - consummate tide - rodeo breakers - solomon’s pride - serengeti - ferlingetti - lombard street - circuitous travesties - thoracic remedies - scorn torture fleece - improbable events - prayers dared said -

veil #13 ...

breaking smarts - centric forays - no ounce apparel - arrogant plaid - van gogh’s ear - jack flash gas - cleaver contrivances - fatima’s ray - dawn fresh - progress mesh - audacious displays - walrus eulogies - cadmium dye - needle eyes - biggy trash - tupoc surprise - ghosty head - simone’s west side diner - what cubby would say - forty niners - loyal flush - penmanship - literary navies - tongue brigades - mouth organ jive - flippant appendages - networks infected - vestige parlay - keypad connected - executing stays - marzipan elegies - pakistan nuts - prayer flags from sweatshops - astroturf huts - pork rind - left behind - flanking odds - weapons’ quiver - caffine junkie - aphrodite flunkies - feeble comparisons - votive samaritans - pubescent plight -

veil #12 ...

unveil #3 ...

urgency - insurgency - standard issuies - cate blanchett flics - golden ages - philly funk - rock ‘n roll in make up - groovin’ up slowly - sigma sound - fifteen minute spans - bliss deliverance - pissed irreverence - automated chance - counter constructive profanities - convoluted envy - spelunken treasures - half way measures - elevator maladies - sinking hearts - false starts - interchangeable parts - freaky matter - shim charades - julie andrew scores - pericles’ allegiance - culture draped dissidents - sundry bloody tuesday - moth balls and needle dicks - assets shrunk - wilder’s podunk - mind of god - beware of dyslexia - riddled dogma - progeny magma - fluent displacements - ludicrous effacement's - libelous lies - up tight whities - neck visor hats - suicide flights - hubris salads - thousand dollar plates - metal detectors - petty defectors - consummate games - one with the flame - witchery skewered - treachery chartered - eternity bartered - shirley ellis fame - bobana fee phi inanes - rose by definition - ascended into hell - - barbizon shaves - shadowy naves - transepts and biceps - clouds of michelangelo - conclusions foregone - out reach - life’s a beach - securely breached - Katmandu screws - shrewd shakespeare blues - coelho brown outs - pynchon’s horn ...

veil #11 ...

dire measures - despairing steps - banisterless - causal affinities - liquid divinities - static quo - wireless - proprietess - runic rebuttals - scandalous flares - habitats - diurnal journals - duchampian brides - motor trails - littered waysides - tornado alley - political rallies - enchanted lands - effects follow - eating sand - hopeless mirage - best laid plans - ill at ease - detailed barrage - crippling disease - slight of hand - rheumatoid cons - celluloid glamour - basking soda - ridge runners - cellophane foil - sweat and toil - spirits conspire - brandywine creek - civil disorder - second hands - last strands - mausoleums fortified - dreams die - countdown courtesies - tourist calvary - has beens and wanna be’s - mercantile schemes - infantile calamities - damnable discrepancies - trench coat wheeze - aqualung - ladder rung - culinary throngs - copper frisket - frightening statistics - trompe l’oeil sleeves ...

unveil #2 ...

does art ever take precedent over daily minutia - when does it find its way into daily dialogues outside the usual self interested or academic sowing circles - can’t remember the last time i heard anyone initiate dialogue about the beauty, horror, poignancy, perplexity or inspiration from an object of art ...
when was the last time the news media addressed art - current or past - beyond the prepackaged glitz blitz of film and music - or the over hyped gossip tragedies regarding some morons’ life ... is art so far away from our reality ... are we incapable of forming opinions and thoughts about such things ... is it so deeply personal it can’t be spoken or so profane in our consciousness that we dare not mention it ... or is our guilt so pervasive for allowing banality that we ignore it - or are we just picking our battles with effort to communicate with ourselves and others - what about the ‘no humans left behind’ initiatives of liberal education - or did we forget all we learned in a nine week course on the art history of human civilization ...
i could be wrong, but i think that art has all but vanished from our culture with the exception of decoration for social events and high brow babble - to affiliate with a designated reprobate or pawn - now that’s keeping an open mind - unless paint jobs on hogs, wrestling banners, tattoos, and shock / awe advertising is the only aesthetic we’ve earned a right to call our own ...

unveil #1 ...

veil #10 ...

pine barren shallows - kavorkian hallows - assisted remission - arshile failures - rothko admissions - emperor’s clothes - fairies 'til midnight - along arthur kill - counterfeit synonyms - bogus mistakes - fame throwers - word beaters - chamomile tease - cavernous empathy - charlatan trust - stalag mites - thirteen rites - ceremonial dances - ritual stanzas - concubine sights - porcupine bathers - formula racers - brandishing solution - tinnitus rage - white noise pollution - alone with cage - predicting weather - minimum sage - posterior grinding - aqua velvetta - skin bracers - comedic distortions - prepaid passports - last ultimatums - move beyond threesomes - venomous spectrums - mermaid escorts - pisces rising - levels declining - prospero’s books - sultry looks - poisonous flotsam - sordid scandals - waxing handles - shame game names - eyes of a sinner - hands of a saint - angel heart floods - beliefs compromised - beyond seven gates - tin ear symphonies - common committees - van gogh and bono - reprobate hatred - nothing left sacred -

veil #9 ...

onion skin remedies - translucent memories - shadows through scrim - sliced pentimento -optical vagaries - cataract clarity - essential disparity - corrective surgery - legs of a spider - zuni pueblo - shape of an id - social experiments - caressing squid - mobilized malice - cage concertinos - collective anarchies - abstract soliloquies - apples on heads - hoodwinked - heart sinks - american standard - burroughing holes - blind hairless moles - roots intermingled - sought after singles - ostrich legs - jacob’s ladder - lepers beg - divide or provide - head strong or heart - forgetting regretting - status quo smart - flash backing parodies - gigabytes lost - pentecost breads - boogeyman beds - boogaloo treads - platformed generic - ignoring historics - burnt candle wicks - madame tussauds’ - making the cut - fear hurts worse - minimal plane - jules olitski - cavanaugh technology - nikola tesla - serbian moors - war of currents - magnetic reserves - borderline psychologies - aqueous morphologies - rio grande gringos - stamos eruptions - program corruptions - norton’s cork - file revival - style retrieval - bell bottom blues - khaki pant rivals - prophesy codes - rhythms of green - peat brogue hiberno - towering infernos - less traveled roads - bushkill peck - hourglass tears - tenacity chastity - monocle smears - oval room traffic jams - legacy scams - ad infinitum - half baked plans - caramelized fate - crystallized rate - gold guarantees - silver certificates - circuitous leads - brazen intentions - flat face reprieves - looking glass facts - distorted dis ease - sleazy dementia - ease of portention - avian reminders - condensed vapor masts - ginsberg words - number nine dream - laughable factories - ventilated spleens - venerated obstacles - twincicle fantasy - out of this gloom - happy and snappy ...

veil #8 ...

money jungle - baffling mingus - syncopated walking - double lingua - night mired scares - forked tongues - teddy bares - eucalyptus cool - oyster bars - high decibel waves - palisades - no critical forum - crucibles worn - disposable outcomes - improbable trends - tangible fruit trees - melrose ironies - legitimate pain - palm oil sliders - desperate outsiders - towns without names - celluloid dictums - nostradamus predictions - saving whales - traffic snails - pailed comparisons - purifying sacraments - buddhist dialysis - poison paralysis - if that is art - what is this - take a bliss - bangor and squeak - seal abuse - umbrella leaks - under mushroom’s grace - crowns of creation - baby boom waste - knickers rising - buffalo pelts - bronzed and fibrous - spiritually svelte - macrobiotics - covert neurotics - legal narcotics - church and tv - money for nothing - kicks for free - stave world hunger - idealist blunders - planned obsolescence - evolving powers - troubled adolescents - video games - reality shows - twice, thrice removed - practice makes perfect - skills of aggression - character defects - resurrect mummies - proliferate dummies - under auspicion - free time disguise - hidden by shades - promises made - casual handshakes - limply convicted - marginal polls - mumbled interdictions - marshmallow skies - static reception - confined re inventions - other than something - ambiguous reprisals - damocles’ denial - live by and die - high and dry - connery martinis - isabella’s eyes - haunt, froth, and carefree - vivacious wires - dramas retired - smoldering fires - once in a lifetime - byrned shoulder sag - atlas shrugging - photo mugs - amber ointments - fatal derailments - curtailed events - braided verse - seventh sense - 3d glasses - iridescents - heavenly syndromes - stairways laid - everglades - gator alley - tomed by lally - distilled through faith - gratia plena - years in absentia - preoccupations - losing my breath - son walking mazes - selfless saviors - nineteen flavors - clandestine charms - silver white winters that melt into springs - giant step standards - apollo’s creed - sheltered sahara - favorite things ...

veil #7 ...

ocean deep - sky high - tm again - big fish - between the devil and - blue sea - healing service industries - policies of change - divisive stupidity - conspiracy fears - unity prayers - mortar from millions - trillions for war - smart bombs and strategies - opposing thumbs - trigger happy - sugar plums - playground bullies - gallow pulleys - lethal ascensions - lesson retention - church and state blessings - soul separations - expressway survivors - overpass snipers - monotonous revivers - lingering maladies - huey in diapers - how many times have i heard it’s hard work - step into heaven - shrapneled vessels of hope - worldwide joke - hysteric proportions - freedom abortions - flow versus wake - self determination - i camus or kant - cognitive evolution - conflict resolution - bioethical relief - burnt, froze, or smothered - duck hunt mistakes - nepotistic comedies - prosthetic arms - riotous wills - myopic remedies - punt, pass, and kick - gladiator training - radiator draining - thermal stat replacements - sanctity defacement - sacrilegious bores - sadam and bin - what chocolate tastes like - heads on a tin - one day of worship - six days of sin - mingus, roach, and ellington - forces of abandon - space walking pioneers - pollock and gorky - mickey and porky - andy mouse - future perfect - existential dialect - blind runners by night - lights of la, paris, and spain - diamonds and rust - socrates’ bust - controlled sipping lust - tipper’s disgust - zappa testimonials - over crowded shopping malls - urbane planners - debit scanners - purchasing power - what herds heard - permutating absurdities - one of seven, sete - intelligence on earth - privileged birth - self or net worth -

i think the only reason bush hasn’t leaned heavier on pakistan or iran is because he’s having trouble with the leaderships’ names - besides, america would never support a conflict with dr. zhivago or a guy with a scat song name from the middle east - but iran, now that could work - all you have to do is replace the ‘q’ with an ‘n’ - most of the paperwork is already done - hell, that was standard procedure among my patriot brothers back at college - it would be a ... ‘typographicist threat’ - as your president, understanding this stuff ‘is hard work’.

veil #6 ...

plaid angels - cryptic advice - jokingly smoking - rejoicingly flee - unseasonable warmth - to not only see me - leeched negativity - breached insecurity - long arms of lies - beauty’s disguise - fractional movement - cause and effect - recipied sound - years of neglect - merry go round - air can’t be kept - grace giving eyes - mingling souls - plato’s retreat - mengele tolls - throat of an epoch - eternity bleeds - signs saying don’t walk - futures recede - step sweeping - wallow weeping - lethargy’s weight - lost lucky breaks - escher perspectives - program directives - cranial exits - do what takes - dion versions - mapping excursions - playing angles - red barnetts’ - pyro losses - stakehouse joan - snakepit pueblos - sandia moans - rad angelenos - no roads home - nomads roam - finding grail - embedded with spam - derivative devices - satin braille - innocence sacrificed - sake of gains - three minute timers - lobotomized brains - high bottom clouds - memories through shrouds - secretly shackled - spoken out loud - both sides merge - shape of time - mobius stripping - darling serpentine - rail leg acrobats - tattooed and tortured - paradise found - beatles in vegas - night merits caution - four to the chess - feet on the floor - to hell with the rest ...

‘it is my dream to create an art which is filled with balance, purity and calmness, freed from a subject matter that is disconcerting or too attention-seeking. in my paintings, i wish to create a spiritual remedy, similar to a comfortable armchair which provides rest from physical expectation for the spiritually working, the businessman as well as the artist.’
henri matisse

veil #5 ...

tracks - tracking - loose threads and cracks - where light gets in - weight of names - egos inflamed - conge rights - sortie visits - gypsy charades - asylum parades - mummers on acid - flaccid and tame - locrian scales - all in a game - lose or draw - win through attrition - under my skin - stutter strut thin - studio doors - alphabet city - part-time whores - fashion technology - forbidden fruits - perry street zeising - dylan’s white horse - thai’d up on bleeker - turn for the worse - lafayette diner - washington’s cross - frost bitten freedoms - exits and tolls - stratosphere laws - holy affectations - batman and robin - political delusion - crocodile strategies - pillows for eight - limber and loose - late to the gate - fluorescent chartreuse - absinthe and blistered - wormwood insulates - light bending physics - modified rules - borax mules - shadows of depth - eyes of forgiveness - prominent clef - pitch of endurance - life assurance - saqqara dogs - constantinople - bathing in thirst - gilligan vision - pismo fog -

veil #4 ...

admirable changes - audience strokes - invent stories - judgment jokes - yokels gloat - finite glory - gomer piles - brim stacked pyres - skulduggery disease - north face persuasions - wellness slopes - one flavor favored - principle blinders - one-eyed gods - joyous junkies - arctic monkeys - fake tales - bills loom - immaculate deception - no room in the womb - painted porches - stoic forces - mirrored platitudes - snake oil ointments - anointed appointments - preaching ludicrous- tell me it’s rain - strength in numbers - disparity’s refrain - vicarious sins - penalties stand - red flagged and hammered - buggery bins - knee pies - leaking eyes - closet suicides - yarn loops - hula hoops - confidence artillery - enforcing instability - grudge slug insidioms - viable perditions - conditional options - hazardous waste - hasty infractions - morbid taste - dimensions of intention - macadam demise - change of mind - water, sand - helping hands - morning sun - fading night - surrogate saints - tentacled hope - furloughed restraints - diminished complaints - gratitudes abound - committees recess - silent sounds -
in the same way a mantra allows me to explore a vast range of experiences in meditation, modal music provides me with an engaging understanding of harmony without distractions ...

veil #3 ...

alibis - lies - distances minimized - unedited versions - fear as coercion - soft soaping change - more of the same - fast talking - water walking - healing the lame - money, greed, power and fame - learn, serve, and love - extinguishing flames - third down play - what wave fades - real through deprived innocence - relinquishing sense - artifice and trend - restraint of tongue and pen - say a prayer - triple dare - eat a pear - less than thin - tabloid smears - indelible ink - edge needs center - pop defines - left or right - crisis care - walkie talkies - transistor am’s - holding hands - sullivan trail - albino headlines - bedpost meters - meeting greeters - french looks and filigree - aching feet and make believe - tinicum church - rubicon lurch - klondike bars - Pompeii wars - rogaine eagles - diagnosed profane - terminally the same - golfing and baseball - bowling and chess - auto disposal - immune efficiency - veils of law - kryptonite couture - boomer’s demise - persistence of ghosts - arrows in your eyes ...

veil #2 ...

[: will - thy, me, them - stymied stem - man in black - coffee girl - ring of fire - swollen - dante desires - trillions - nero’s melody - day of the dead - visions of sugar plums - laced - multi faced - rubrics - liturgies - lazy - soft silver-white metal - brigadoon moon - satellite sight - wacky wars - republicans - for which we - of the - ottoman seats - twenty nine provinces - seven deadly sins - weill brecht waits - parson’s tail - snail mail - free man - silk - masquerades - jade - cabaret - percent solutions - hold, fold, or run - hair man towers - city limits - mini malls - bering balls - straight as - hello - narrow - camel eye - carmel skies - gold and pearl - prada streets - gehry lines - perilous times - nazz - running red - lace wings - vessel leans - pisa francisco - sliced pimento - spring on mcdougal - poised charm - breughel’s confusion - bush whacked illusions - no farm, no howl - wixing merds - sober byrds - choir wires - eighth mile hire - daily bread - living dead - walking - purchasing power - of forefathers - measured and sized - blinded by light - plato’s cave - bad seeds - good deeds - karmic relief - dog chasers - august past noon - shaker sprigg - elegant simplicity - depraved duplicity - thin skin chagrin - marlow’s chin - chinese theater - tokai drums - tarpits and tunnels - factory laughs - cyanide gas - shoe street and fifth - angelica’s grift - presence and gift - begging again, begin - piece accords - peace affords - balance of power :]

veil #1 ...

earth, 2008 ...

"Relentless... awesome...
trudging onward... an invincible monster,
vast and unseizable.
Almost mocking, but worse: indifferent,
for nothing we do impacts its trajectory at all.

On and on with us or without us.
Unfazed by infinity; traversing eternity;
La machine infernale
of which nothing can halt the serene and sinister momentum.

It orbits a cycle, then pausing, resolves, inevitably,
with a sadness, a fatalism, perceived with anxiety in the realms of the subconscious,
as we, poor deluded pompous creatures,
with age and erosion finally shrug in resignation;
always relieved by a resumption of routine;
wretchedly grateful for even a semblance of a reprieve
throw up our hands, raise our eyes to the heavens and sigh:
Ah well… what can you do? What-can-we-do
as, dispassionately, the cycle mutates a little, and recurs?

And with each hypnotic, mesmerizing loop
hope, (God help us) is somehow energized anew!
We are as Sisyphus, making freshness grow in baron moors,
in drought, in fire, in snow - or how could we bear to face each day?
Ha! How's that for a challenge!
The terrible wonder of the human condition
against which daily we anaesthetize ourselves--
taking comfort in our magnetic, orbiting state,
as we may rock our children to sleep,
or as we may strive to sway worrisome ideas from our heads,
searching peace in the repetition of a familiar refrain,
while the marching machine forges resolutely ahead to a perpetual cosmic chant
in which the sum of all human endeavor is less than white noise;
a trifling, inconsequential interference
as invisible on the oscilloscope as the footsteps of tiny spiders;
as inaudible in the vacuum of space as the screams of
massacred peoples, exterminated species -- while the planets sing on
in celebration of their existence like whales in the deep.

Listen… listen… here it comes again… on and on and round and round.
Adrift in the concentric circles of Dante's hell:
a stupefying, unfathomable, unnavigable maze of canals
where ring upon ring of muddy waters lurk below murky skies,
until we have - gratefully - no idea of beginning or end
as the familiar spirographs and distorts geometrically;
or takes fearful, quantum leaps into the unimaginable
as illusions of control and normality recede --
as if they had ever been anything more than a dream."

by janice johnston howie ©2005, 'earth song'