glowing with a new spirit wolf

spirit wolf
Originally uploaded by ty at tippycanoe

at it once again, having mulled my test piece for the heart of moonlight and decided to dig in. gently luminous, this piece is tremendous when backlit. in sunlight it is amazing, but the subject seems to demand a night theme... howling at the moon and all! as such, i was challenged to get a good shot that was evocative of the "glow" i have come to appreciate from this stone when it is carved whisper thin.

nize: 5"H x 3" W x 1.5"D
note: The piece is very thin, to increase opacity, at the top.

keynotes: song, spirit, joy, moonlight

i'm just glad to get a few more of these out of my system and into the world. this one is so pure.

love and dust, ty

heart of moonlight - act 2

heart of moonlight
Originally uploaded by ty at tippycanoe

had a nagging feeling... and the heart went back on the banker to allow more light to come through! much happier with the results. the stone lends itself to natural luminosity and light play :-)
love and just a little more dust, thank you!!
ty

heart of moonlight

tonight i picked up a chinese soapstone i've been eyeing, pink with white hues, and carved in the evening under a full moon. eventually, i brought the stone inside and high polished it. irridescent textures in the stone shimmer in certain light and angles. it is almost holographic. in fact, it seems to have captured the moonlight it was created in and thus, the name - heart of moonlight.
keynotes: love, luminosity
my next adventure is a larger piece, a horse head... a windhorse to be more specific. sketch and model are complete, cuts are marked on the stone. just need to get out the diamond blade. a new horse arrived in the paddock across from my banker today, so i hand-carved tonight. give her time to settle in ;-)
love and dust and frisky fillies,
ty

fire of compassion, 2008

fire of compassion, 2008
Originally uploaded by ty at tippycanoe

this is a sculpture i recently completed in serpentine. i was fortunate enough to have this sculpture on display at the Guelph Lecture on Being Canadian, at the RiverRun Centre in Guelph on Friday night. the Eramosa Institute put on a tremendous evening of arts and dialogue and music. it was wonderful to attend. each year i hand-carve the speakers gifts, replicating the emblem of the event - a stylized half maple leaf.

this goddess is my first attempt to render a realistic human face, although you might suggest that "racing stripe" of hers is a little abstract! it is wonderfully opaline and i love it. the stones always have a surprise or two in store by the finish line! she is about 14 inches high and is based loosely upon the goddesses Tara and Kali (buddhist, hindu). in her hair there is a seed, a half-blooming lotus and a full blooming lotus, representing the past, the future and the present, all in keeping with the precepts of those guardians which encourage us to honour all three of those timescapes, here and now.

it was a very rewarding challenge to create this piece and i can't wait to commence more like this in order to to further explore my love of Asian artforms in a hands-on manner. as a keynote to the piece, I very much appreciate the serenity she brings into my space. she brings an interesting contrast between high finish and rough hewn textures, which i was pleased to be able to underscore through a selective polish. the world may have heard the deep sigh of relief when "it worked"!! i am discovering that it is all in the trying, the willingness to just keep trying. that is a sly and shy revelation :-)

love and dust and goddesses in wise repose, ty

the rushing of the seasons

the rushing of the seasons
Originally uploaded Oct 22-08 by ty at tippycanoe on flickr

this fall is shimmering swiftly by, in a rich, expansive way. volumous moments overflow, rippling past and we cast ourselves once more into the icy current of winter's cold. first snow here yesterday and the wind was so bitter. all the leaves are rushing away!

starlight and love, ty

overflowing

waterfall
Originally uploaded by ty at tippycanoe

Today a quote from Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's medium-length work on mahamudra, Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance. Wangchuk Dorje (1556-1603) was the ninth Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. The following passage of meditation instruction is taken from the shamatha section of Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance:

"Directing your mind to no support: Look with unfocussed gaze at the space directly in front of you. There is no object to focus on. Not thinking about anything, simply do not wander. Not pondering what is and what isn't, the past or the future, with great exertion post the bare watcher that is mindful that you do not wander, and rest relaxed and at ease in unaltered freshness. Not wandering for even a moment, be like someone threading a needle. Without turbulence, be like an ocean without waves. Without striving, rest like a garuda soaring in the sky. Be without any hope or fear.

As there is no set way to let the mind rest, do not hold on to any state of mind. If your mind is still, let it rest. If it goes, let it go. Do not restrict it, but let it be. Completely cut all discursive thought, such as thinking, "This is meditation," and "This is not meditation," and the hope that mind will be still and the fear that it will not. Without meditating on anything and without letting yourself wander for even an instant, let your mind be colored with mindfulness."

Here's to autumn colours overflowing and a reconnection with impermanence and rebirth through the seasons.
love and dust and whirlpools, ty

Fall Frond

Fall Frond
Originally uploaded by ty at tippycanoe

I was blessed with the gift of borrowing a wonderful camera to shoot with last weekend. Oh my! how completely vivifying and bone-deep enjoyable!!!!! It was a breath-takingly lovely day. (Okay, I admit! I am also geeking out and testing to see if the Flickr/Blogger x-functionality works as promised... forgive me! It's a living, of sorts!)
Paul's "old camera"- the EOS 40D - was generous and the sexy lens made many good things possible that may have otherwise failed.

I often look for things which are "distilled in the moment", in general I look toward those things, for poetry, lines for sculpture, for personal reflection, etc. And the camera was no different. I love being in the moment so much and the wonder of "seeing so much", intentionally. I think Buddha would have had a nice camera. Of course, if that was so - we know all the major religions would holy war over which camera was ultimate device for photographic transfiguration. Canonical Canons, Numinous Nikons...

With the advent of these kinds of technologies falling into the hands of the masses, more evolution of this craft will congeal, extrapolate, plane out - until the next big shift. I saw so many people taking pictures this past weekend. Everyone had a camera! I understand that some purists complain about this, but it's kind of like complaining about the tides. A new creative wave is upon us. It's never so much about the device as about the original use of methods and means. The means have definitely been baselined by consumer demand for pro toys. You might say "media-ocritized"! But, we all have a right to communicate our story, to make meaning using many mediums, including by means of technology.

Originality, style, unrelenting willingness to push past current trends and divine new visions, invent new ways of seeing - that is a calling old as time and as such, a solo journey with collective creative impact. The artist's way has never had mass appeal, but surely, the more people who embrace it - the better off we will all be. Artist-Scientists are casting their indigo shades across plenty of demographics these days. It is okay to be both. Don't discriminate!!!

At this point in the juncture, my only fear is liking photography too much. It is so immediately gratifying!! Unlike stone carving, my comparatively lethargic muse, which is a different kind of feel good. More primordial, more time elapsed and much more concussive than a shutter click :-)

Love and dust (- just not on my lens!!!),
Ty