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.
All About Us
Posted on February 28, 2024 by j.g.lewis
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For my entire life I have been a part of the bubble that drove this world’s growth, a 65-year reign of the post-Second World War generation, the largest cohort in the population.
Along with my older brother and younger sister, I am from the Baby Boom that, with millions of others, became the largest generation in Canada beginning in 1958, seven years before the last boomer was even born.
Our generation accounted for 40 per cent of the population from the mid-60s to the early 1970s.
In addition to being responsible for the post-war housing boom and the infrastructure and urban sprawl that went with it, we have witnessed educational reform(s), ideal confrontation of our culture and counterculture, social movement, the sexual revolution, political instability, economic prosperity and rapid technological progress.
Everything was all about us.
Figuratively speaking, all that ended this week as Statistics Canada announced that Millennials have dethroned the population of Baby Boomers as the largest age demographic in this huge nation.
This country, or the world, now belongs to our children and those who follow: Millennials born in the early 80s to early 2000s, and Generation X before them (1965-1980).
What kind of world are we leaving behind? That question has been proffered many times before, but is only now sinking in with me.
Our generation gave rise to consumerism and convenience, habits we have passed on to our children. Under our watch mass production increased; soap operas, science fiction, and automobile-dependence became cultural norms along with TV dinners, fast food, and the automation that began to impact the world economy and eat away at local jobs. Offshore production blossomed, and global trade flourished, in our lifetimes. We, for decades now, fuelled an oil crisis that will continue until we wean ourselves off fossil fuels. Our generation has raped the land of its resources and damaged our environment and atmosphere to the point where it likely will never become healthy again.
Think of the damage we have done, and are still doing, to our planet.
We are living longer and leaving behind a health-care system that continues to struggle as we age and die off. Yes, Baby Boomers are dying off, by natural causes or otherwise.
Last week’s statistical evidence is the proof we didn’t need.
© 2024 j.g. lewis
