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Articles on travel

Achieving the impossible

Achieving the impossible

 

 

 

 

 

 

Achieving the impossible – It would be a foolish task to aim at the impossible and yet people that do tend to reach heights their piers can only dream about. These days it seems mediocrity is more noble than achieving your dreams.

There is something about those unique minds that don’t seem to realize they are attempting something that is not only unlikely but to many impossible. I applaud those that seem foolish enough to succeed at their dreams because of one very important flaw in their character: Naivety.
If someone never questions if they will succeed they often either learn lessons in not succeeding or succeed even beyond their expectations.
Self doubt is the weight we voluntarily carry, it allows us to give up. The excuse is a wonderful benefit of self-doubt, it allows us to stop running the race before it even starts.
Common obstacles:
  1. Excuses, Excuses: If we live on excuses we never have to do anything out of our comfort zone. Success is impossible-what is the point of chasing after pipe dreams. Grow up and stop dreaming, excuses are the drug we use when we’ve given up on what we want for fear of failure.
  2. Blaming others: Blaming others allows us to skirt the issue, it’s not our fault we failed, we’re just not lucky, we weren’t born rich, we weren’t born with options others have.
  3. Self-doubt: If we spend so much time explaining why our idea won’t work we’ve already given up before we started. There is a beauty in those foolish enough to proceed even when the odds are against them.
  4. Expectations and reliance on others: If you expect a hand out from anyone, you are doomed to put your life in a holding pattern. It is the obstacle that allows us to procrastinate, it takes all the control and the blame off our shoulders and assigns just reasons why we can’t achieve the impossible.
  5. Afraid of work or sacrifice: Few successful people accidentally succeed, they work for what they have, and they chase their passions tirelessly. They are fully committed and their passion allows them to sacrifice the time and effort necessary to succeed.
  6. A lack of passion: We often chase a dream that may be programmed by well meaning parents or a job that ensures wealth or a life of ease. The problem with this tendency to live a programmed life is a lack of passion-how do you work tirelessly if you have no passion in the act of the pursuit nor full understanding of what the end game means. Wealth will not make you happy, chasing your dreams and seeking your passion will.
We must be realistic but not in the pursuit of our dreams instead realistic in who we are-what is our passion, what would fulfill our lives and make us content. I once thought I wanted to be a travel photographer and yet during the years of raising a family, the last thing I would want was to be away from them. The goals and dreams we seek must be in line with the people we are and that we only learn through time and experience.
My advice, shoot for the moon, be foolish enough to succeed, live a passionate life full of learning, exploring and adventure. We only grow old when we give up the great adventure, so start your book, start a screenplay or make plans for the Oscars, the sky is the limit and the only limit is your drive, passion and imagination.
Articles on travel

Treading Water

Treading Water
I want your peace, you give it as a gift
I only lick the edge of the plate
Ignoring the state of bliss
I bask in dark water
It’s how I comfortably swim
As I drown in a slow whirlpool
I won’t ask again, I’ve seen my shadow on the bottom
And my eyes were always scared
I trusted you
The thin skin of the water
A blackness I can barely discern
And a thirst I can not contain
I remain in this water
Smelling the memories of winter
And fall
How cold the bottom seems and distant
Like memories
Of so many summers gone
And all of the children
That have passed on to be parents
Watching children
Treading water
I wish I could feel the safety you insist
And the fact that the mortal coil
Only persists
As long as I’m breathing
And as long as the water evades my lungs
Welcome it in and I sink to the bottom
I trusted you
You never failed me
I’ve failed you
And the shadow on the bottom that stared back in fear
Was only the remnants and entanglements

The love and beauty of a fleeting year….
Articles on travel

The Hole – The Hallows

Child of Ten - The Hole
Child of Ten – The Hole

The Hole  -From the Hallows

Perched on the edge of that hole
The wet soil of cold November
Frost on the ground
The plywood planks never saved me
The distance falling
Never covered the hole
The heart
Still beating young and naïve
The sprout in winter
Wake to the winter ice
That hole
Buried deep inside me
And keeps me
Awake at night
The gaping wound
The earth and all its hollow glory
Never saying once
It was sorry
Only the edge of the soil
Is discernable the ground will never settle
Never heal
You lay in silence in the empty shadows
Your not there
I know that now
And you never were
Around us
All around us
And the evil silent hole
Would never keep you
Only me
In its violent graces
Keeps me crafting words out of a shadow
Keeps me searching for something precious

I lost in the hallows…..
Articles on travel

And for our next trip

I am at a bad time in my road tripping life. My son would rather be home than out and about-he blames it on the money we spend but I know better. We’re getting closer to the time when he will have a job and the possibilities get smaller and more narrowed. I”m not doing good with this but I am all about compromise.

Our next trip is a sized down trip from last year. A simple trip to Oklahoma-I feel like Clark Griswald having visions of grandeur while my son just wants to go camping. I want to go to the top of Oklahoma and while we’re there maybe this and maybe that. Suddenly four hours is too far, I have rolling eyes and frustration the greater the scope of the trip that I envision.

What happened to the days when I would just plan everything and he would simply show up. I think I liked the lack of concern for the amount of money that was being spent compared to my new and improved frugal teen.

This brings me to the reason why we and maybe selfishly I do this. A road trip to me is the epitome of freedom, I don’t feel any more free than when I am finding places I’ve never seen  and going places I’ve never been.

So assuming it were just a  selfish act of going and exploring, I took my own day yesterday to go the zoo and explore. Unfortunately I’ve learned a large portion of the trip was the company, the sharing of moments, the excitement and funny things that happen. The lessons no one could teach unless you experience them together and learn from them together.

I’m not trying to be sad and morose-this is a time in our lives and just what I have planned for and hoped for; an independent child; mission accomplished. I’ve always described the parenting role as the spring board, we are supposed to teach them to stand on their own and in doing so they become independent, successful adults.

I celebrate this time, I don’t have to love it but I do celebrate it. There will be plenty of time for more road tripping and exploration but in the future maybe we’ll have even deeper more profound adventures. I look forward to grand kids…..a long way out of course….teaching them and preparing them for that next incredible feeling of being free to roam. Who knows what their journeys and adventures will bring back, I can just imagine a full refrigerator door filled with magnets.

Articles on travel

A visit to the zoo

Valentines at the zoo –
Went to the zoo today, Valentines, the zoo, alone. Maybe not the best idea but I was trying to emancipate myself with my sons increasing need to be more independent.
It was a long ride but it was quiet, no working radio in my aging Nissan, and it was quite pleasant with little traffic. That is until I got to the zoo, suddenly I was in a huge line of cars trying to get in, which started my aggravation.
After getting in and finding a parking space, I realize how alone I was. It’s funny; sometimes it’s good to be alone, sometimes there is that feeling of independence and

freedom of answering to no one, this was not one of those times.

The problem is I realize how much the zoo is a family thing. I watched my life in different stages, I saw the new couples together, the new moms and dads sharing their duties and the old family that seems to have a system down the neatly packed carts full of baby and child items. I was haunted by the days I used to bring both my sons to the zoo and I missed that point in my life.
I hate to admit it but I was kind of bored, something I rarely say, maybe it was because I had been there so many times before or that it was so crowded there were no peaceful moments to enjoy nature and the animals. There was no one to share the animals with, no need to see any specific animal, no rush, no anticipation, I didn’t even get enough gumption to find the lions even though I could hear them roar.
Instead of enjoying the zoo I looked at the elephants as if they were being hounded and gawked at by patrons much like paparazzi. The people didn’t know any better, you go to a zoo, you enjoy the animals but from my state of mind I saw animals that were on display on some strange reality show where they were expected to act like animals unfortunately they were in captivity. You couldn’t hide the smells of the rhinos, the cold concrete enclosures, the foreign objects turned into play toys.
Probably for the first time at the zoo I felt more sorry for the animals instead of in awe. Maybe I related to them from my state of being-not fitting in, not in my natural environment-now being divorced and now even the identity of dad becoming irrelevant. I was the elephant in the concrete enclosure, I didn’t belong there, I was acting like myself but I just didn’t feel like I belonged there or anywhere for that matter.

In the end I had a full day of fresh air, realized I need a telephoto lens and had that feeling of introspection you can only get when your alone. Next time I may just hire a family or maybe bribe my son to go to the zoo just one more time.
Articles on travel

Simplicity for capturing water effects……don’t overthink or overdo it.

 

First Lesson: Droplet of water on a flower

Studying Details – The subtle intricacies of the  appearance of water is easily overdone. When you look at a droplet you can over think and over render trying to achieve the clarity. I have learned that a simple and limited wash of color and light are more effective and often painting what you actually see is harder than what you logically think you see.
The problem in capturing water is that you don’t paint the droplet itself, instead you paint what is around the droplet and how the colors and light change in relation to the object.
When the logical brain sees an image it tends to fill in the gaps and details with what it assumes.
When rendering water effects, it can easily become overworked when you paint what you think it should look like instead of what you actually see.
A droplet is a very simple object actually. There is a soft dark shadow that is the color of what is beneath the droplet. Next there is the body of the droplet which is usually a gradation from the shadow on the surface, highlights alone one edge and a faint outline of light and a droplet is successfully rendered.
Articles on travel

The Life of a Goldfish

Goldfish image created in Illustrator-See ArtbyGordon for step by step process
Life of a Goldfish – I was in a restaurant earlier this week and noticed a goldfish tank in the waiting area. I watched the brightly colored fish calmly float about in a perfect suspended state and it seemed very peaceful to me.
My first reaction was how carefree they must be, no predators, no need to look for food and their movements were weightless and effortless in a beautiful blue space.
My next thought was contradictory-what a sad and boring life. I imagined every few feet the invisible barrier.  I thought of surroundings that never changed except for occasional customer staring through the glass. I came to the conclusion that the safe, weightless, blissful life was instead what I would consider boring and mundane.
The fact that the fish was living in what it had always known and  lacking knowledge or need to explore softened my perspective but compelled me to compare how the human species often lives its life.
Some of us live our lives in the epitome of a fish tank. The invisible barriers of time constraints and the responsibilities that keep us floating back and forth in the same small space, we easily become the goldfish as routine becomes much like the confines of a small fish tank.
For me personally, I don’t prefer living in a fish tank and yet I shared this idea with a family member who argued for some the fish tank life is a beautiful thing. There are families that have no interest in leaving their space and for that matter to each his own but the realization of this for me made me want to jump out of the tank and find the nearest river to the sea.
Articles on travel

Illustrations using Adobe Illustrator

Purple Passion vine illustration using Adobe Illustrator
Illustrating with Adobe Illustrator

I have been illustrating in Adobe Illustrator for many years and after a many parts and end equipment I thought it was time to expand my subject matter. How I actually started working in the high-tech industry doing technical drawings and the occasional illustration was by showing an image of a green tree frog to a potential employer. It was the first attempt at illustrating using a PC-the program was Arts and Letters Jurassic Arts and the tools were basic at best.

I have since worked in Micrografix Designer, Corel Draw even freehand and finally the standard adobe products-Illustrator and Photoshop. After writing about the life of a goldfish I decided to illustrate the image instead of using a photograph and what follows is how I approach illustrating in Illustrator.
My first and most basic process is just getting the shape and basic colors and tones down. This is the fastest part of the illustration. I will usually follow the lines of color and shadow and create layers of light that cover up layers of shadow.
Image 1-basic form

After I feel the overall form is correct I will layer the colors again almost like the rings of a tree-you overlap each color with the form that overlaps it. You will notice every change and try to process it as if there were multiple layers of shapes that make the final form. I try to use as little gradients as they can tend to be contrived-if I do use them they need to be very subtle.

The second figure shows a minimal change from the first. Basic overlaying of colors that allow the background to show through and adds depth to the illustration. Detail is not as important at this point as there will be overlying of details and softening of edges after this stage.
Image 2-overlays of colors-layering for effect
The third step is where all the details begin taking shape. Again hard edges are overlapped
with lighter softer edges. At this stage I need to realize the overall texture and the best
way to create a subtle dimensional feel to the image.
Image 3-overlaying two
By the third step the most intricate color and details become the major focus. I start cleaning up the basic shape and making sure all the proportions are right. The lines and detail is severe at this point because with the next step I will use the brush to merge the shapes to form a subtle more photographic image.
The final step is actually using brush strokes to overlap the hard edges of the previous step. Light and shadow overlay the original details and blocks of colors with varying degrees of opacity allows for more subtle effects.
Final step before creating background
After finalizing the details and colors of the fish I create a background. I don’t want much detail in the background so brush work and simple heavily feathered images create a backdrop that strives to not fight with the image of the goldfish.
Finished product using Adobe Illustrator

Please stay tuned for more how-to articles on illustrating in Illustrator and rendering in Photoshop as well as processes for oil and pastel artwork. I welcome your comments, requests and suggestions.

Articles on travel

Sunrise

 

I watched the sunrise this morning. The dark sky was a curtain, unveiling the beginning of a play. I drove with the same impatience, never stopping but still intent on noticing every change in color and temperature.
I saw birds in various shapes and sizes, silhouettes against a pale blue sky.  Behind a frozen window all sounds of the morning serenade are hushed and muted.
The spectacle was warmer than usual, gold and amber replaced the typical cool blues, pinks and mauve. Silhouettes of trees turned from black to sepia as ambient light lit the gnarled winter branches.
Clouds marched in like the impatient audience and reflected in the remnants of the lake. My thoughts were active, scattered like birds, ferocious and manic as the now flaming sky.
I realized the absence of myself-how often I drive by with such intent to get there I ignore the sunrise. I should’ve stopped and taken in more details, maybe painted en plein air, but there is always places to go and the day never allows for stragglers watching the sunrise.
That late morning sky-pale and white, all spectacle is subtle and burned out like overexposed photograph, details lost to the bright white light. So what will today’s show be-I’ve watched the intro and now my impatience for possibilities pushes me to create, to make this day a show to remember until the curtain closes once again
With sunset-maybe I’ll stop this evening and watch every detail and even the credits

As the film ends…
Articles on travel

Fishing with My Older Brother

I watch as he casts the fly. I remember the meter of casting but still haven’t mastered the finesse. My brother has been doing this for a while and he’s mastered both, even perfecting the awkward cast from a kayak.
I remember when we were both very young I would go to Roosevelt Park with him and I was a burden, as I’m sure younger brothers tend to be. I feel nostalgic and peaceful as the rushing water fills in the background noise.
Our priorities have changed a lot since than, back than there were girlfriends buzzing around him, there was a tape player with music of the day, I think it was Queen at the time. Time seemed not to fly by as it does when you’re young.
This time there are no piers, not even our kids are around, we don’t even converse. He seems to be in his zone as I am in mine. There is something simple and natural about fishing-there seems to be little that needs to be said.
The light casts shadows and glistens on his silhouette-lighting up the fly line and the rod as he shadow casts, I sketch while writing notes about this post. There is an indifference in nature and when you fit into that space, even for just a few minutes, there is a peace that is hard to describe.

All that exists for that moment are memories like the autumn leaves that float on the current, thoughts and ideas like the current that flows a constant. We are close as brothers can be for that moment, no questions, no bravado-just an afternoon fly fishing in a landscape that fits us both like a glove.