Return to blogging...a test...
Recent Posts
Only in Dying....Life
A dear woman that we know in the US is actively going through the process of Death as I type this. She took this photo off Richard and I four years ago. It was part of a project that she initiated on "Letting Go"...I must admit that letting go is the most difficult of intentions that I face in this life...I guess...(in my small vessel of knowledge)...that Death is the Ultimate Teacher...it is the Door we must all pass through when we let go of the challenging minds and bodies.......I am reminded over and over...it is scrawled near my own personal Doorway: May All Beings be Free of Suffering...May All Beings be at Peace...May All Beings know Their True Nature...
The woman's name is Octavia...bless her...
I came...I saw...
In the latter part of the 70's and into the late 80's I was immersed in a spectacular cultish woo woo experience that was both a magnificent and a quasi-disturbing experience...over the years I have attempted to cultivate the beneficial teachings of those moments and at the same time I have focused on distancing myself from the group/herd experience. I have no regrets...I probably would have expired at an early age on the Mean Streets where I was roaming and moaning before I met my teacher...I am forever grateful for the Darkness and Light that herald the unfolding of this thing called Life...Thankful...
Charmed....Who am I?
As a sometimes casual observer of ex-pat life here in San Miguel. I am often reminded of one of my fave films from the 70's....there is something in the air...a foodie nightmare of sorts played out in sun hats and four wheel off road vehicles...something has run amok amidst the botox and the surprised surgically rendered faces of the reverse migrant culture undulating on yoga mats...Discreet Charm of the Bourgeosie....where do these observations lead?...will there be an outcome?...how much more can be consumed? who are these new "Trustafarians"?....is there a god of consumption? Who am I to judge? Who am I? Who am I?
Wheels
We returned from Italy early on Sunday morning of this week. It had been quite an adventure that I will always cherish with Beloved Richard. We basically have hit the road running on our return with different projects and tours during this Dia de Los Muertos period. It was so good to see all of our Beloved Critters and to love them. Our Divine Matriarch Wheels was happy to see us and did her little dance...not letting me get too close at first. She has always been her own girl...She has been getting weaker as she approached fifteen. I remarked to myself how she was the only one left from the original group of critters that gathered with us when we first came to Mexico. The others had passed and she was "The Queen"....I have been having to help her get in her chair lately...she occasionally would stumble when running up some steps. I remarked to myself again yesterday that she was able to run out through the bars of the gate having never put on a bunch of weight. Yesterday we had a large tour of 30 women who came out to see the place. The tours that we give always culminate in my studio. Thirty American women in my studio...chaotic...I noticed that Wheels wanted out and I opened the door for her... the women started to trickle out of the studio to get in their vans to return to San Miguel...We don't like our little girl Perla out in the street but we allow the others. Wheels skirted out down the cobblestone road to avoid all the Gringa chaos and their vans. In the meantime Richard made us a beautiful soup and we were enjoying it in my studio while Carlos was working at the table where we were eating...His youngest son, Jaime Salvador came into the studio and was talking to his Dad...Something was wrong...So I ran out of the studio and on to the road and there lay the body of our Beloved Wheels...our Dear Beloved Friend's heart gave out on the road...The road that she ran down so many times to greet us when we came home from town...Her little body was still warm....I was sobbing...I am crying now as I write...these tears are my prayers...my prayers of gratitude for having Beloved Wheels in our lives for fifteen years...She has passed on...it is all Impermanence...these tears are impermanence...she will always reside in my heart...Beloved Wheels has moved on...she died with dignity and she graced our lives....
Why Complain...Just Bring it All Back Home...
I find myself wanting to lash out. As a part of this human race, I feel violated by the likes of "not my president frump" and his cronies....I feel like just dumping a load of excrement on those who aided in getting him elected. I start an angry post on Facebook and inevitably I erase it before I open the galleys of a "shit storm"...I feel a bit helpless...as if all this turmoil that I witness is "out there" somewhere...this morning...here in the dark...as a kitty crawls across my lap as I type.....I remind myself: To Bring it All Back Home...have a good look at my anger...how is this anger serving me?...is this anger an honest gesture?...is this anger just the result of helplessness? It is important for me as a man to sit with this and watch this internal event in my consciousness. I feel compelled to express this...I find myself confused...lashing out only drags me down to un-needed strife...I shall stay tuned....and listen...and wait...two inches below my navel...the emptiness...the Buddha Nature....neither this nor that....just this.....nothing....no...thing....
I Was Reminded....
I had the opportunity to introduce a film about the Grateful Dead last evening for the Guanajuato International Film Festival. Beforehand a new friend asked at dinner what song from their catalog did I wish to hear the most...being an old timer and not really a Dead Head (Not at all)....I am partial to their first album which was such a hallmark for me 50 years ago and especially the song "Morning Dew"...I replied that I wanted to have a listen to that old classic song one more time...sure enough...I got to hear this most divine version...but ultimately...I guess it doesn't matter anyway...however, Jerry transcended on this version...and in my book...that matters anyway....
Who Am I? To Stand and Wonder.......
Some folks believe that I am this druggie hippie artist....I was a stoned hippie 50 years ago...Times have progressed and moved on...I feel that sometimes I have been unfairly culturally profiled...as Richard once exclaimed to a guy trying to sell us "blow" in Oaxaca..."who do you think we are? Cheech and Chong?".......As I sail through these years...I find comfort in this Mystery of Persona wrapped around my soul-ness...my Such-ness...Because of the way that I have allowed the cards to fall...I have left myself open to speculation...There is an odd art form in being the object of speculation...The trick is to turn it into the Subject of Mystery and Lore..."To Live Mythically and in Depth" as a friend once said years ago in New York...So, Dear Readers, the same question will continue to stir my heart beat...will tug at my sense of wonder....Who am I? Who am I?...The beat celebrates and continues.....the beat...the beat...
Out of the Closets and into the Streets!!!!!!!
Everyone seems to be posting on Social Media about Obama or Hillary and the mistakes they made in the past election...Democrats were bad for democrats across the board...Bernie and Jill Stein (Green) included.....Bernie gave it a shot but waited to the last couple of years to truly go for it...the democrats should have been grooming a successor 5 years ago.....we all point the finger but ultimately the finger points back to us as individuals......myself included...one of those who experienced the 60's...some of us sold our souls for the comfort and illusion of the American Dream.....Maybe the Dream needs to be analyzed.....or maybe the Dream is over.....the fact that Donald Trump will soon be the President of the US is very horrific...we all need to wake up and quit treading water in this horrible mess....as we used to say during the early days of Gay Liberation, "Out of the Closets and into the Streets"....we need to abandon the comfort of our individual closets and take it to the guts of the Republican fools.....OUT OF THE CLOSETS AND INTO THE STREETS!!!!!!!
Only in Silence....
...around the Late Spring of 1978 I finally achieved my rock bottom....I was a bundle of depressed hysteria fueled by drugs, sex and alcohol... I was playing out my drama for a small nebulous audience under the guise of an "artist/poet". A string of serendipitous circumstances led me out of my guttural niche and I found myself bowing at the feet of a mysterious man in India who gave me the name Anado. In hindsight, I believe I was afforded the opportunity of a newer "spiritual" identity to heal the troubles that surrounded my True Nature. Anado is a Sanskrit word implying "No Sound" or "Silence". I believe that I was given the name as a clue and for 38 years or so I have followed the clue. That mysterious man was known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh when I met him. I stayed close to his side for 11 or so years. Towards the end of my stay in his Community I began to feel the need to be less attached to this particular teacher and to move forward on my own...A friend once likened this process as getting rid of the training wheels and riding the bike alone balanced on two wheels. What a profound experience it is to occasionally experience that balance within...I can say in all honesty that the experience of balance is less in the forefront of my Journey and my stumbling personality seems to be leading the way most of the time...But those glimpses...those opportunities of true balance are a constant reminder...a carrot hanging in front of me. Today as an artist...I still seek that silent bond with the creative force...there is still so much to learn...not about a product or finished work...it is about the process and the relaxation of just doing the work...riding the wave...the artist Marina Abromovic has expressed,
"An artist has to understand silence
An artist has to create a space for silence to enter his work
Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean"
It is a matter of returning for me to find that Silence...returning to the Source...bowing at the Feet of my own True Nature...knowing which way the wind blows.......
The Whole World is Not Watching...
The Caucasian Spanish came to this area and conquered, pillaged and raped the population and enforced their religion on the people and have kept them enslaved for centuries. You never see Indian people represented in advertising here in Mexico. The Caucasian popularion is still ruling the masses and the deparity is staggering. This is one of the sources of the drug cartels and crime that plagues not only Mexico but the recipients and the populations of the destination nations that receive and rely on the drugs......the Indian population has been the victim of religious anesthesia...their acceptance of their servitude is saddening...so I rail and rage in my heart and no one is listening but me...such is the state of thing....The Whole World is Not Watching...
The Discreet Charms...
...there is a video circulating the internet about San Miguel...the #1 City in Latin America...I believe Travel and Leisure Magazine may be behind it....the video depicts two very white youthful Americans enjoying all the moneyed destinations in San Miguel. I find all my buttons being pushed. The disparity here is not addressed.....how many Mexicans play polo? Where are the brown faces in this video? Where are the streets where there is no sewage?...where are the beggar ladies who are bussed in every day? In my short time in San Miguel (15 years), I have been very fortunate and blessed to know and engage daily with everyday people...such a gift. At the same time the video for tourists does not promote this simple pleasure of immersion...I am quite perplexed...'cuz I am still the white guy amongst these beautiful folks...I am gifted by the tourism here like many others...but forgive me if I do not buy into the fantasy world of the Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie.....the video that I mentioned above depicts a fantasy life that I find to be a beguiling charade......just give me some truth in light of all the upheaval the world is embroiled in.......
Tears Tears Tears
It finally hit me this morning...this event in Orlando had very little to do with ISIL...the man was an abuser and bi-polar...quite possibly gay beneath all of his hatred towards himself and others and he just happened to be Muslim...all this venom is fed by bogus religious dogma and the likes of the Donald Trumps and the right wing white ignoramus good ol' boys and girls....tears tears tears....wash away the hatred.......walk strong.....May All Beings be Free of Suffering...May All Beings be at Peace....May All Beings know their True Nature....'cuz this is all there is....
Living in LaLa Latte Land
Years back one of the millions of realtors here in SMA dubbed a certain Colonia as San Miguel's Greenwich Village...two days ago I saw a man casually point a handgun at a truck in broad daylight in said Colonia...the truck sped away...just like in the Village on 6th Avenue back in 1977 when a guy pointed a gun at the crowd waiting in line to see Rocky Horror...I turned and walked away expecting to be shot....but it was not my time...ahhh the highlighted moments of gentrified bohemia....would you like almond milk with your latte? Strange things happen everyday all over the world including in our fair hamlet...gentrification leads to all sorts of surprises ....the answer for me lies in witnessing my reaction....at first I felt fear because the fellow with the gun saw me...so I just turned around....and walked in the other direction....a bohemian rhapsody in the spring of sciatical step...
I Go to the Feet of the Ultimate Truth...
....Today I awoke rather late..6:45...maybe it was the tequila and burgers the previous evening with friends...I usually get up around 5:30...Richard was still snoring away and I quickly gathered some clothes together in the dark to dispel the December chill....I went about my morning business: brushing my teeth, taking a seat on the throne, letting the dogs out, visiting our big dogs at the top of the property, getting myself and the guys started in the studio, feeding the cats, making coffee and breakfast with Richard...and finally sitting down for a warm breakfast. I noticed the clothes that I had on were various shades of burnt orange and purple-red....I said to Richard, "I look rather Sannyasy this morning (in reference to wearing all oranges and reds for 10 years of my life)...Richard said, "You do...is it his birthday or something?"...and then it hit me...today would have been Bhagwan/Osho's birthday and Richard had no idea of that and I had not remembered the date...a little cosmic tuned in-ness....(Bhagwan/Osho has been a paramount part of my life for close to 40 years....I had lived by his side for 11 years of intense devotion and growth...in 1989 I left his Commune and immersed myself back into the "Real World" after leaving his Ashram in India...I was ever ready to surf this life without training wheels while using what I had learned...he died the following January in 1990)...I ate my breakfast with my Beloved Richard filled with such joy in our most joyful home and exclaimed, "I love being alive"...and Richard felt the same....I go to the Feet of the Ultimate Truth and bow down to the Wonder of all that is Groovy....
Waking Tears...a Poem
I have tears today...
easy yet hard to explain...
I have tears for the innocent victims...
I have tears for the innocence ripped from the lives of the shooters...
I have tears that are innocent....
yet my innocence is being drained….
I want to smell a rose…
I want to feel like a child again…
I don’t wish for these tears...
I wish for innocence….
Awake Early...Thinking....
I got to thinking...in two years we will be celebrating the Summer of Love's 50th Anniversary...in less than 2 years...I will be 70 years old, Goddess willing...that is so hard to fathom...this photo was taken in 1970 on a pond that was once my front yard...I had returned to Oklahoma from San Francisco and the Summer of Love the year before...the following year (1971) I went to New York...Life has been so rich...So full of platitudes and a few nights in the gutter...so today...I embrace this journey that continues to wind around a magic mountain offering sustained views of the Groove...the pond has expanded...over here...over there...
Lost and Found
I have a confession: I felt like a loser growing up...I felt un-noticed and dumb....I made up for it in all the wrong ways...Today I realized that creating Casa de Las Ranas and the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery has been...... "like this elaborate scheme to have an audience.” I found that line in an old New York Times article this am...and realized that I have to fess up....this scheme has transformed my life and that of Richard also...as a Divine Friend once said, "Only Losers Win in This Game"....
Shock and Awe: The Bush Sisters.....
I completed the piece that you see in this photo back in 2012...I sold it off the wall....The couple who bought it went back to the US...They decided it was too large for their new space...so they gave it back to me and asked if I could sell it for them and they would give me half......ok.....that sounds good......I showed it to this lady who was very politically active for many years...she liked it....Shock and Awe......The Bush Sisters....any takers? By the way...the lady's name is Bonnie Raitt.......
Putting the finger on it.......
I am trying to remember why I never went to Burning Man....for the same reason I never saw "The Sound of Music"?....I ask myself that question when I see all these incredible photos...could I be stumbling to the beat of a different drum? I can't from afar be in judgement...such beautiful talented spirits mingling and reverberating on the Playa....It just feels too ...like a country club...I guess that's it! There have been other events and causes and cultural gatherings that I had an instant yes to dive into....but Black Rock City? Let those folks flourish there...it is a rite of passage for some...I prefer my spectacles to be a bit more personal...less mainstream.....just some thoughts on a morning before breakfast, laundry, studio.......etc
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For Mad Men Only.....
.......Well folks, I watched the last installment of Madmen today....on the internet....and I have to admit...a tear or two was shed.....I found that Don Draper's redemption or tempo-redemption was totally believable... much like the awakenings for those of us who passed through the "Me-Decade" of the '70's...in some ways it paralleled my personal journey and the journeys of countless others from that era....I found myself draped in orange in India with a new name and a somewhat clean slate in 1978 and what a profound discovery that was for me....I am quite amazed that I gave myself that chance to leave the gutters of downtown Manhattan and to claim a new costume in order to shed the old skin..... And then years later...in the gardens of Marin County deciding to shed those orange robes in order to move on without the training wheels that I had claimed in India...In this evolving and revolving I am reminded of reading Hermann Hesse so many years back and the chapter, "For Mad Men Only", in the book Steppenwolf...how that title was so spot on for my early days in India.....and now miles and smiles and tears and fears and years later.....here in Mexico......in this spiral culture that I have come to embrace..."For Mad Men Only" rings in my ears.....and I allow it....and the sun has a twinkle....
As Seen From This Side of the Coin....
I keep hearing about these man buns that the hipsters have added to their beards......I can not imagine anyone under fifty realizing what we older gentlemen went through fifty years ago...what a calamity it was to our elders....now we are the elders and all I can do is give a big ho-hum to the youngsters in the Super Mall of America that was once known as Manhattan...strutting there stuff to a digitally enhanced Google-ly derived same old story...am I forgetting Compassion?...Probably......everyone must Wang Chung their lives however they see fit.....most of us hippies were only copying the pioneers in the Haight and East Village......I mean..what can I say...I arrived in the Haight in the Summer of Love from Oklahoma because I read the news one day, oh boy.....I consider myself lucky to have been born in that era......and these kids are so lucky today to have their imaginations enhanced by keyboards pushing around some x's and o's......we are all both sides of the same coin......
Our Beloved Sueño Is So Strong...
...it has been awhile since my last blog posting......the world is still turning...here in our household we are holding the space for our most Beloved Cat Sueño who is overrun with cancer. This is such a hard lesson for me...to be present with him and watch him decay....he still purrs and cuddles but does not go outdoors anymore....our poor friend is skin and bones...and there are lots of tears on my part...he is eating...but there is nothing we can do but try and make it comfortable for him....he has brought us such joy in this life...his fierce playfulness has been his Hallmark...we have been blessed with his energy...Ah Impermanence....such a huge lesson....May he be free of Suffering...may he be at Peace......may he know his True Nature....
Chapel of Jimmy Ray Update...Bulletin! Bulletin! Bulletin!
Well Dear Folks...the 3 year Anniversay of the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery is coming up....on February 7, 2015 we are hosting Agustin Santoyo and myself in a two man show featuring the art of both of us......this guy is brilliant beyond words....San Miguel...this is for you! Some major art for all of you! Be There....Be Art Astronauts....Catch this wave.....Lots of surprises and community spirit......A Celebration of the Visual and the Mystical......
Some Serious Moonlight
For the second night in a row we have been awakened by moonlight shining through the cupola on to our faces....reflected light from a sun millions of mile away...Talk about being connected? So that is the quandry for me today:...being connected. What keeps this connectedness in the state of being connected? What is the flow? Where is "the flow" flowing to? Is there an energy that fuels this connectedness...'cuz...I have been thinking about god lately...the subject has even come up in dialog with others...and I am not sure of where I dance in all this godliness talk that I seem to be traipsing around and through and into these days. The term "spiritual" gets thrown around a lot...does anyone really know? Know what? This connection...is there a connection...or am I just howling at the moon? In this moment I feel a certain poetic connection to "all" of this...and deep in my heart is the waiting...the remembrance of waiting...to unknow everything...to not need to know...to not have to howl....to not have to act but to wait...maybe I just need to purr in the moonlight......to relax.....
Be a Light Unto Yourself.......
.......Despite my dismay that the result of Bhagwan's (Osho's) death has created a religion of sorts, I still marvel at some of the keys that he left behind....I keep one in my back pocket...I find that it is important to honor these keys and to harbor them with a respectful intention....To create a religion around them or to deify that Indian man is doing a big diservice to all. In my heart of hearts...in the deepest most ripe part of my beingness: I was touched...what I do with that action is personal and not about creating dogma or beliefs...it is the interiorness of this Secret that should be guarded and nurtured...Religion is bondage....Be a Light Unto Yourself....(yes)......this is something so personal...No Drama No Moon.....
Suffice to Say...
...I know nothing about nothing. You can read into this statement anything you wish...but do know this: it is coming through your filter...tonight when I was taking a pee....I had one of those Supreme Joyous Moments of Revelation and Relationship with the Whole witnessing the Light...I truly did...and there was the choice to remain there and live in that Revelation... and I knew in that moment that I was not ready...I did not have the means (I felt) to accomplish that...so...trust me when I say....I know nothing about Nothing.....and if I did....I would probably not reveal it.....
...But Funkiness Has That Shine....
I think I have stumbled onto a major scientific and cultural phenomena quite by accident...I do believe there is some credence in this observation. I never could quite put my finger on certain situations...the behavior of some and the choices of others often left me perplexed..."How could they?" And now I know....some people lack the Funk Gene...they just don't have that certain ability or nuance to slide into the Groove...this is a learned behavior...because I believe we are all born with the Funk Gene...and like our Innocence...some allow their funkiness to dissipate...just a Sunday Morning observation on my part...but I felt it needed to be expressed...So I suggest to people like Hilary and Barak and that guy Perry from Texas...and ALL Republicans and most Democrats....folks, lighten up...Bring Funk to the Forefront of your world view...lighten and expand...New Age Drivel has some merits...but beyond that.......Meditate...but don't bring dogma to your reflection...let the funkiness shine through......get in the roll of the rock...enjoy...participate in your funky glow...get over the hump......The Groove is Expansive......Your Inner Emporer or Empress has no clothes.....
Have I Been Profiled?
...I have discovered something lately...nothing big...just an observation....kind of makes me wonder...I am being described as a "Mosaic Artist" in some media and things that I hear...that is a compliment.... however, it is only a corner of the work that I am doing here....there are other things going on...So maybe I should be described as an "Other Things Going On Artist"....it is a bit of a mouthful....I guess I am the only one who notices this...There are so many great Mosaic Artists on the planet and I bow to their expertise...I am a wee fan of many of them....I am just plugging along and oftentimes mosaic work comes into play...I have my little plot in this Grand Universe...and there are "lots of things going on' in that plot.....so I raise a toast to all Artists....all of you......
Most of the Time.....
...I leap before I look...and that has its shortcomings...Today I did it and I believe I hurt someone's feelings. I can not wiggle out of these moments and feel justified...I happen to work on a different wavelength and I can not expect others to be comfortable in that rythmn...So the lesson here for me is...things are not always accomplished by provocation and nudging...there are many different sides to this prism...and the prim is immense....so I am smelling the coffee...I will partake with gusto and be more adaptable and apologetic and hopefully one day I will truly be able to be still and to know....there is a depth in this Mystery...respect is in order......
Electrical Waves From A Past Unforgotten....
...yesterday there was a fundraiser out here at our gallery for the Fringe Festival San Miguel...a really great experimental happening in the ever-gentifying that has become the norm in San Miguel...there are still out posts of bohemia....ya just have to seek and search...We did a reading of the transcript of the Chicago 7 Trial that occured, I believe in 1969 or 1970...The gist of the testimony and the issues are sadly still relevent today...here are some photos that illustrate the play reading yesterday...it may actually be produced.....the first time I was onstage since 1977......but come to think of it......I am onstage every day (chuckle)......that is Sky Yeager as Abbie Hoffman, Allen Gross as Judge Julius Hoffman, Jim Newell as Rennie Davis, Bill Pearlman as David Dellinger, Mick Deiner as Jerry Rubin, Michael Gottleib as William Kunstler, and myself as Allen Ginsberg....Not pictured: Kate Rowland as Judy Collins, and John Wharton as the prosecutor......
Excuse me.......But.....
...I do not remember hearing about Native American people who were victims of extreme genocide being given a new country in order to reclaim their identity. They were placed on reservations that were whittled away as treaty after treaty was broken by the US Government...There was nothing but robbery and genocide on their plates...But the US defends Israel in their genocidal imprisonment of the Palestinian people and I just have to wonder...I am not a racist in any way...but this special treatment to a nation that is backed by supporters with deep pockets is very questionable...something is wrong here...Can someone shed some light on this for me...where is the kernal of compassion?
Liberation Blues: Self-styled Deliberations in the Key of Fancy Pants
...I am completing a piece today...Photo/Assemblage titled: "Self Styled Self-Taught Artist Perplexed by the Prison of Attention Seeking Diisorder (ASD)"...A certain person here in San Miguel with museum credentials once said I should not refer to myself as a "self-taught artist"...I believe she was reacting to my comment about a certain exhibition that had that "Contemporary Art staged look"...the kind of thing that makes me yawn.....I am having a really good time with this....it will be on view at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray on August 2.....I will have some more photo/assemblages to add......Richard keeps wanting me to do paintings.....maybe in September.....Life is full on and of the Groove Nature.....Viva la Vida!
Our Beloved Slidell Has Passed On...
Our Sweet Beloved Slidell has gone to the further shore to join Patzky and Kali to romp in eternal delight. He came into our lives 11 years ago this past June. We loved him so. He and Patzky were brothers and I am so saddened to have lost them both this year. This is a hard one...he was Richard's dog...mine too...but he was Richard's.....the memories of him sleeping under the desk or jumping on the couch and his wagging tail knocking things over...we have been so blessed to be with him...yesterday he could not jump on the couch and I felt how skinny he had become...he had an inoperable tumor in his throat...we were going to try and fatten him up...he had a great last meal...but he could not keep it down...he was in the studio and I heard him trying to vomit...so I let him out the door and he went down into the garden...Carlos and the guys found him this morning....Slidell....Sweet Slidell is gone...his Spirit will always be with us....this is a tough one......
My Sweet Boy...
...in late January of 2004, Richard and I ventured to Patzcuaro for the first time. We went with a group of friends. What a lovely town...it was during the Purepecha New Year and Patzcuaro was alive and festive. One day we were hanging out in one of the town squares near the Public Library...taking it all in...A black Labradour mix dog soon engaged me...he just wanted to be near me and was extremely playful. He just could not get enough and started following me around...We decided we wanted to visit the Library and sure enough the Lab followed us to the entrance...I told Richard that if this dog follows us into the Library...he is coming home with us...and sure enough he did! We kept him in our hotel room and noticed that he had a bad cough.......We took him to the Vet and he was given some medicine...the doctor told us that many of the street dogs in Patzcuaro were suffering from a lung ailment of sorts...it was about then that I gave him the name Patzcuaro...Patzky for short....The night before he came into our life...I had a dream and a word came in that I did not know...I googled the name and for the life of me...I can not remember the word...but it was a pre-Hispanic Native word for fate or kismet...Patzky was directed to come with us and watch over us I believe...he stayed with us for over 10 years...he was run over once...kidnapped one or two times...he was extremely frightened by the fireworks...he loved to go for long walks....he sat on the road in front of our house every morning....soaking up the Sun...When I left our house early last Wednesday morning...I let Patzky out the side door...that was the last time I saw him....I had a strange feeling that this may be the last time I would see him...I wish I had hugged him....he must have gone for one of his long walks last Friday or he was confused and frightened and was trying to find me...We will never know...but our Divine Friend and my assistant/brother Carlos went out looking for him...he found him yesterday...near the bridge on the New Road to Guanajuato...Patzky is no more in his body...Carlos buried him in the lower part of our property near Beloved Dilly Jo our departed burro... Sweet Dear Divine Patzky will always reside in our hearts. I admit that he was so much my favorite dog...even though my love is limitless for all the rest of our critters....but Patzky was my boy...my divine Bilby Boy...my Sweet Dear Friend...I will miss you forever...My Bilby King.....
Oh Where Will I Be?
....hopefully in here....inside this beingness....inside this mysterious phenomenon of Life...I am awake in these early hours of the day...sleepless since 2ish.......Richard too...we went to bed at 9pm...I experience myself taking a toll on myself and others...witnessing as I toss and turn this awful aimless prison of blame that I sometimes inhabit....And now remembering the core of my True Nature that I miraculously stumbled upon with the aiding and abetting of a clever Wizard way back when....and for a few moments I am awash in the deep surrender of tears and remembrance....I once heard a Mystic say, "Remember Thyself", and I go deep into those words of encouragement....and there is a door available to pass through and the availability of forgiveness for those that I close my heart to... and I am grateful... I find release in these words...and it is somehow OK to forget...because then again there is that beacon of remembrance...and possibly without really hoping, but with intention and awareness that beacon can become more constant and there I will be...better yet here I am.........where I will be....
Bringing it All Back Home...
...we awakened early this morning at the hotel in Kathmandu and our taxi driver took us to Bhaktipur an amazigf town just outside Kathmandu...a complex of temples an old nepali architecture...truly an amazing place. We were possibly the first Westerners to arrive so it was just us and the Napali people who live there. We strolled through ancient palaces and temples...It must have been like Bhaktipur when the first overland hippies arrived in the Kathmandu Valley in the late 60's...we strolled down a lane near the wood carvers square and I noticed an unpretentious jewelry shop...the sign above the door included a photo of my teacher Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)...of course I had to check it out and I inquired inside. The young man behind the counter was a disciple of Osho...his name was Swami Pramod Ananda...he told me that there was an Osho Center nearby and that he would take us there. I told him that I met Osho 35 years earlier and had spent a number of years with him. We folded our hands in Namaste and looked one another in the eye...I immediately hugged him and broke down in sweet sweet tears of remembrance that colored the present moment...all those years of being with my Teacher...all the reasons that I went to be with him in India...everything that is bitter and sweet filled me with absolute joy and tender bliss...I last saw Osho in 1989...he died around 1990...I have kept a distance from his commune and even denied my connection to him more than once...when we went to the small Osho Center....the young man gave me a cushion and I knelt on the ground in silent weeping...the connection is still there...the beauty that surrounds me...Osho pointed this out to me years ago in India...in many ways I returned to the Source of my Being today...at one time, being with my Teacher...he pointed out the way on my Path with me...when he died, I was on my own...and today...I am still on my own...but the Beacon of energy that flowed through that man, well, it still shines and that Beacon is in my heart...today was a return...Bringing it all back home....Only in Silence the Word...Only in Darkness the Light...Only in dieing...the Light...
Osho...A Memory...
...Last evening Richard and I went exploring in the Sufi Neighborhood near our hotel here in Delhi. Suffice to say: It was amazing...truly amazing...The streets were absolutely alive...it was an India that I remember from over 30 years ago...the grit...the guts of it all. Afterwards we had a delicious meal at Karim's...such a delight...afterwards we headed back to meet our driver on the busy avenue...We were surrounded by rickshaw drivers and hagglers vying for our attention. A man asked me in good English: "Where are you from"? I replied that we were from Mexico....he said "O Good, but you sound American"....Richard told him that we had been born in the US but now live in Mexico...He asked if we had ever visited India before...Richard declared that it was his first time and told him that I had lived here before...he asked me where and I told him Pune....he said, "Osho"? I said, "Yes, I knew him"...he looked at me in disbelieving wonder and said, "Really'? I said yes, I had known him...and then my heart filled with tears of remembrance, just like now as I type...and the memory of that meeting and years spent with that man beckons me home to the Source of my Being...and I remember...not something from the past...but a cellular memory of "What is"...I do not make this up or feel any sentimentality...just a remembrance...a return...a return to the Source...I am a lucky man...
Attention Seeking Disorder: The Perils and Preoccupations of ASD...
...I have been in therapy for a number of years. I have been blessed with a most benevolent and insightful therapist. He practices what he calls Buddhist Psychology. Basically what he has emparted to me is that I lovingly revel and struggle in a "Disorder" known as ASD: Attention Seeking Disorder. He continues to remind me that when I put myself "out there" (like now)...many opinions, accusations, adulations and such will be reflected back. He once jokingly told me that his therapy will be complete when I show up for an appointment in a business suit...Yesterday my friend Carol Jackson brought me back another treasure from her visits to thrift shops in the Deep South of the US.....it is like a major pimp coat taken to the next level...perfect for me: The Art Pimp...but ya know...even I wondered if I could pull this off in public...so I put on the coat and headed to town...when pulling into the parking lot in San Miguel, who should I spy? My therapist getting into his car...and after all these years of therapy...I hid..Why? I don't know...maybe I wanted him to believe that I am on the road to "recovery"...I guess I just have to marvel at the Creature I have created...there are pluses and minuses...I love to adorn...my art and myself...but sometimes the attention is too much and I want to flee to a cave in Tibet...so...ASD has its high points and its perils.....I ride the wave...Life is like a Big Wave...when you catch it...your Sitting on top of the world...if you miss it...time to bury your head in the sand...so the Middle Way is my horizon line.....searching, seeking and questing for the ultimate ride on a perfectly imperfect wave.....
A New Year...A New Dawn...
...35 years ago this morning...after a night of dancing....I walked out of 12West on the far west side of Manhattan Island...I felt a confused exhilaration and a lonesome connection while experiencing a descent from some extremely righteous acid...I meandered out to the end of one of the abandoned piers...knelt down above the water...and embraced the dawn...now all these years later I feel so blessed for these extended dawns...all continues to be revealed... I am grateful for this relationship with Richard and my work...still connecting the dots...Blessings on this Year!
Some of the Truth...From My Line of Sight
The other day San Miguel de Allende was voted the top travel destination by Conde Nast Magazine. I look at this news with both pride and a heavy heart. This will bring lots more tourism to the area and tourists mean pesos and dollars to spend. That is good for everyone....myself included. This is a beautiful spot...we still marvel at the magic of this vortex. Special serendipitous energy abounds. The Mexican Culture is still magnificent as it lumbers into the 21st Century. Ex-pats have brought all kinds of great restaurants and cultural events to perk up the night life. My thing about a heavy heart is this...with all this infusion of wealth and interest comes more crime. Over the last twelve years I have seen more and more crime...some of it quite violent. As long as there is this extreme have/have not equation it is only going to escalate....there is not enough water in the underground aquafers to sustain rising populations...where is the water going to come from? It seems that there is really no Big Picture in the plan. And from my line of sight...I just take in a deep breath...have another hit of coffee and watch......this is Life!
Views from the Winds...
...it has been awhile since I last posted. It has been a busy time with the Opening at the Gallery in early August and commision work which brought us to Puerto Vallarta for two weeks. I am glad to be home even though Richard is now up in the States for two weeks...I am settling back in to life here at Casa de Las Ranas...reflecting...wondering...doodling and such. I am reminded lately of my roots and how deep they venture giving me levarage...to experience the wind...to gather in the heights...to follow the Muse...to allow the Mystery...to make breakfast...and feed the animals....these roots are sacred...they should be honored and revered...I just need to remind myself again and again...Rumi once said, "Even though you have broken your vows a thousand times...come come yet come again".....So it is a time to allow the levarage...activate and soar...and trust in the winds....Glad to be home.....
The Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery: The Good The Bad and The Visionary, August 3, 2013 1 to 5 pm, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery in La Cieneguita, Mexico
We are happy to announce the next Opening at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery in La Cieneguita, near San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. All are encouraged to attend The Good The Bad and The Visionary featuring new works by Joseph Arthur, Spencer Tunick and Anado McLauchlin on Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 1pm. Brooklyn based Joseph Arthur, a musician and a painter brings a worldly lyrical vision to his work, which captures the poetic shorthand of the magician and translates the secrets of color and line to define archetypal visage and intent. Joseph will be collaborating with Photographer and Artist Spencer Tunick in a collection of nudes gleaned from a rooftop in Brooklyn and at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery in Mexico. Anado McLauchlin is a North American Artist living in Mexico. Seven years ago, Anado began adding the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery Complex to his existing 2.5 acre compound 5 kilometers from San Miguel de Allende. The Gallery features not only Mr. McLauchlin’s assemblages, but also his jewelry, furnishings and mosaic work. Mr. McLauchlin continues to celebrate the “everyday” with his playful gumbo of a vision. Be prepared for some surprises along with some installations and a video collaboration with Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata of Mexico City. Mojiganga and Paper Mâché Artists, Hermes Arroyo and Cindi Olsman will have a large combustible Paper Mâché Effigy that will truly amaze. The Hierbabuena Cocina Gourmet Food Truck will be on site with their delicious fare. The Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery warmly invites you for an afternoon of revelry and mirth. The previous openings at the Gallery have been more than a presentation of splendid work but a celebration of surprise and Visionary wonder. There is something new around every corner…discovery and delicious provocation…
DIRECTIONS
From Centro Historico in San Miguel de Allende. Taxis to the Gallery are recommended. Tell the driver that you wish to go to La Cieneguita. Take Canal Street and head down the hill. Follow Canal through the Glorita (Traffic Circle) and head straight to the parking lot of the Train Station. Cut a left diagonal across the parking lot and cross the railroad tracks.
Follow the asphalt road that initially curves to the right for 5km...when you see the signs for Guanajuato and Atotonilco..be aware... and 100 meters past that set of signs is a small sign on the right that says Casa de Las Ranas......go right there...the small lane comes to a “T”… on your right you will see a sign for Balneario Las Grutas de Guadalupe...follow that sign….The Gallery is directly across the street from the Balneario…….Happy Trails!
The Chapel of Jimmy Ray Gallery in La Cieneguita, Mexico
Joseph Arthur Spencer Tunick June 2013
Joseph Arthur Spencer Tunick June 2013
Anado McLauchlin: The Guru's Light Was Normal Yet Provocative (Partial View) April 2013
Anado McLauchlin giving an invite.......La Cieneguita, Mexico
With Heavy Hearts....
......Richard and I said goodbye to our Beloved Burro, Dilly Jo. She has passed on to the Further Shore today. She was such a Love...the oldest and most loving of all our critters. We have no idea how old she was....she was further along in years when she came to us 7 or 8 years ago. She came from a very tough Beast of Burden existance...she had been hobbled most of her life...there was rope growing out of the bottom of her leg.....near her hoof.....Her legs turned inward...but there was joy in her heart because she had two daughters with her: Barbarella and Lolita. She was able to get around with ease. Her patron saint was Catherine Abby Rich who she got to meet one year. Sail on, Dilly Jo...I miss your Spirit already...with Heavy Hearts, Richard and I thank you, Dear Dilly Jo, for the joy that you brought to our lives.....
Only in Silence: The Word
For 35 years I have been called Anado...the name was given to me by a Maverick Mystic in India...over the years I have been called Anardo, Analdo, Anando, Anadi, Otto by others (innocently).....it has been my meditation to witness this...("does anyone listen?") ...Anado in Sanskrit means No Sound...such is life when you try to name Silence.....I am reminded what Rumi once said: "Only in Silence...The Word...Only in Darkness...The Light...Only in Dieing....Life." More importantly, however... Am I listening for the Silence? Am I inhabiting that which is without sound? Or is there no more "I' in that nameless Silence? Enclosed is a photo of my Teacher Bhagwan, now known as Osho to some, touching me ever so deeply in India many years back...
Full Tilt......and You Can Quote Me.....
Well...pedal to the metal time...gotta get in gear....things need to be poppin' in the studio....Group Show on the property in early August... stay tuned (talking to myself)...So August 3rd at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray a new exhibition: Spencer Tunick collaborating with Joe Arthur and then my work for a bit of accent...this is gonna be good...Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata will be collaborating with me on a video installation......he is coming up this evening from Mexico City and I will stay tuned in for that too.....Onward and Inward.....catching my drift? The photo indicates that there is lots on the horizon......
Sometimes a Great Potion....
...and the Elixir is Love! Yesterday was one of the Hallmarks of San Miguel Events....the Wedding of Kalyana Valeur and Christian Baumgartner. I was honored beyond honored to officiate at the Ceremony. I was up close and very near a bubbling gumbo of these two fine talented geniuses. Both of these men are performers, actors and provocateurs. The Wedding and the Reception were just fucking glorious. I marvelled all day, "how lucky we are to be in such a community"....My heart goes out to both of them for the rainbows they poured on our souls yesterday...it is time for the World to realize that we are here...we are queer...we ain't going away...and we sure know how to Love...Kaly and Christian grabbed the rings on the merry-go-round yesterday and led us in a Dance of Life and Laughter....Gracias por Todos, Mis Amigos! The photograph is by Holly Wilmeth....