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.
Mindful Under The Full Moon
Posted on June 15, 2022 by j.g.lewis
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I went out last night to look up at the full moon, but instead spent my time looking for it.
The Strawberry Moon was to be a Super Moon, appearing brighter and closer than normal. The Strawberry Moon sort of ushers in summer, and the weather last night was warm enough to signal that it might be true.
I took the elevator up to the rooftop of our building with the intention of sitting and staring for a while.
Stillness, under the full moon, was not to be.
The moon was not visible to me.
Toronto’s growth continues upwards. Cranes and condominiums are everywhere, all the time. I notice this daily. Finding a patch of sunlight in downtown Toronto is becoming more difficult as the buildings get taller and the shadows grow longer.
I had not noticed, or paid attention to, how the views had changed at night, until last night.
The spot I intended on spending time in the moonlight — the exact spot where I stood and photographed the September 2015 lunar eclipse in all its glory — would not serve me well.
My view of the moon has been blocked. Residents of buildings that have been built over the past five years can now see the sights while I can no longer can.
Not from here.
I thought further through the night, the type of thinking a full moon can force you to do, and I began to thinking about where I am and questioning what I was doing here.
I long to sit under the big sky and watch the moon, unobstructed, on a hot summer night.
Maybe it is time I should become more mindful about doing that.
