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.
Mondays are just young Fridays
Posted on August 7, 2023 by j.g.lewis
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Since moving to Toronto almost 10 years ago, I have continually been trying to deepen my relationship with photography.
My first career as a photojournalist allowed my both the time and ever-changing situations to expand my craft. It was always an appreciated challenge to illustrate life as it happened a fraction of a second at a time.
As my career shifted, I began to spend more time with my words than I did with in the darkroom.
Then, there was a period where I hardly picked up my camera.
About 15 years ago, I made an attempt to jump back into a pursuit has always been a major part of my life. Then, my move to Toronto provided plenty of new opportunities visually. Photography turned out to be a great way to explore my new home.
I purchased a new camera last summer and have seriously enjoyed each moment adjusting to the new technology contained in the device. I don’t think I’ve ever spent as much time studying a camera manual as I have over the past year; I never thought I had to. Photography, at its most rudimentary level, is the balance of light and time. Digital photography has disrupted that balance.
I know I must learn more if I want to keep up with, or get on top of, the reality of what is happening. It is as confusing as it is inspiring.
I bought a new lens last week, adding a greater dimension to the range of focal lengths I employ. In my newspaper days, I had a particular wide-angle lens that was one of my workhorse choices. I felt, recently, that that range has been missing from the toolkit I carry around with me.
A wide angle lens expands your perspective. The width and breath of the lens allows a greater swath of the landscape that surrounds you and provides a greater dimension if not a bigger moment.
It’s another way of looking at things.
I need that right now, inspiration to take me a little deeper, something to adjust my focus. How I spend my time is more about how choose to see what is before me.
08/07/2021 j.g.l.
