What shows
how little
we know?
What can be is
oft far less than
what we expect.
What is now
has never been
what it was.
07/25/2024 j.g.l.
value beyond
Simplicity.
Is there emotion in austerity?
Humanity?
What do you see when attempting
to define your limited visibility?
Minimalism, abstract impressionism
or incorporeal thought.
Less is more, but is it enough?
Texture, tone, and value beyond
your current scene. If you take it to an
extreme, you will question
what it means.
What is really there?
What line do you cross?
Can simplicity be complicated, or
should it even be attempted?
07/23/2024 j.g.l.
Mondays are just young Fridays
Things will not go as planned. Intentions will be disrupted, even overlooked, in the aftermath of an unexpected reality.
Where you are headed will not be the place you end up, undoubtedly or undeniably. No matter how hard you attempt to make each gesture, brushstroke, promise, prayer, or pastime as perfect as you believe it can be, many times you will not arrive at a perceived destination. All too often your endeavors never hit the mark; at times your work may be better than expected (celebrate those moments), but everything (even your judgement) is subjective.
You are not limited to, or by, the colours in your paintbox or progression of your process.
Imagination is as limited or expansive as you want it to be. Give it time to blossom; in certain instances, you may even have to reel it in. This is all about possibilities, no matter which media, method, or style you are beholden to.
You owe your art (or life) nothing but your presence; the value comes from the practice, as rudimentary or spontaneous as it is or will become.
07/22/2024 j.g.l.
I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Reflections On A City
Posted on October 11, 2020 by j.g.lewis
Leave a comment
I’m currently fascinated with the book Contrasts: In The Ward – A Book of Poetry and Paintings by Lawren Harris from the period before the emergence of The Group of Seven.
The book provides a contrast to the magnificent modernist images of the Canadian landscapes Harris was known for, with the paintings and the poetry offering a historical look at urban Toronto heading into the 1920s. The poetry was previously published in 1922 in text only.
I purchased the book at the Art Gallery of Ontario, during one of my weekly AGO visits over the summer. The gallery offered me solace in these troubling times, a break from the news of the world in these pandemic days. Often my gallery visits would begin, or end, with time studying the brilliance of The Group of Seven work contained in the permanent collection. Each week the art of a different group artist would resonate with me, but most often it was that of Lawren Harris.
As I walk through downtown, and into sections of Toronto previously known as ‘the Ward’, Harris’ world comes to life though his words as much as his artwork. It is breathtaking, the poetry going deeper into the artist’s societal observations.
Wandering through downtown, I would stop and picture what was then versus what is now; what remains and what has been changed.
I keep a notebook with me to write my own reflections on a city I am only coming to know. This book is very much a guided journey through my new hometown with narration provided by Harris; he walked the same streets of the same city.
10/11/2020 j.g.l.
