now, consider how devastated would you might be if those things were taken away without your approval? what do you have leftover? what remains? if your answer is family and friends, then you are blessed and wealthy. ( i address this further in an article i wrote titled, the campfire effect. )
in the absence of relationships, all of these gadgets are merely metallic and sterile gimmicks creating a mirage of warmth to our soul and without realizing it, especially and particularly, if we are co-dependant on these items to experience happiness in life, then these things are killing us [humanity]. i'm not entirely against these life-comfort things of convenience, but there is a word called, balance. i perceive that most of western culture thinks they have balance in this area of their life.
yesterday was a big day for me. i had to say farewell to my mentor and close friend, teddy, as he and his wife were moving to the philippines. sometimes, a person doesn't realize the affect people have directly on their daily life until the day they have to part, especially when on good terms.
teddy has been working on the particulars for nearly 30 years to make this dream of his come true and today, as he flew out of san francisco, his dream became reality. i really am happy for him, even if there is a void he left behind in my world. yesterday, when i stopped by his house one last time to see him, only as i left, did the gravity of the situation began to set in. as i pulled out of his driveway, i begin to further grasp the profound effect he had on my life in who i've become as an artist and my approach to the arts, not to mention possibly other aspects of my life as well.
coming soon to a monitor near you, i will talking more about my background with teddy in my art/life journey in art/life. so, subscribe to my blog with your email address and stay informed when that article hits the press.
in short, one day, at a community luncheon, this man introduced himself when he found out i was interested in art. later, i learned that he had taught master-level classes on art theory and the approach to the arts at u.c. berkeley. the art conversation between us that day was kind of ironic, because i had no idea what the hell he was talking about as i thought that art was just about colors and shapes. that was 2005 and i've had the rare opportunity to have a private tutorship and mentorship for eight solid years by a very gifted art mentor from one of the most prestigious schools in the country for art. if this had never happened, but was written as a movie script, it would be considered one of cheesiest and unrealistic scripts ever due to the improbability of the turn of events. well, folks, it was real.
today, i am a mixed media artist.
Departure day minus one.
( L: teddy's son, cliff; C: teddy; R: me )
Summer 2013
( L: teddy's son, cliff; C: teddy; R: me )
Summer 2013
