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 November 6, 2023 by j.g.lewis
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Last week, I couldn’t help but notice a bin full of traditional candy canes at the bulk food store. The next day my morning coffee was presented to me in a seasonal cup.
The signs of the season are increasing daily.
I’ve not yet noticed the Christmas-themed muzak (or otherwise) filling the retail environment, but then I have not recently ventured into the malls. My consumerism, lately, has been limited to only what is required.
I suppose I have enough.
I don’t pay attention to the increased advertising by all the stores on television or online. I know it is the nature of business (and the all-important fourth quarter financial results), but it is difficult to comprehend all the happiness and goodwill the merchants are trying to promote for profit’s sake.
The constant barrage of lowest-price advertising and must-have items overshadows the message of peace on earth.
The excitement and importance of gift-giving — expressing gratitude and appreciation to your loved ones — seems lost in a ruptured economy where most of us have less to spend. Some of us have enough. Others have nothing.
This is the debt we are all paying and the ultimate confusion of the holiday season.
Happiness must be found in our humanity, not purchased on credit and paid for later.
11/06/2023 j.g.l.
