Something To Bug The "Purists"

Here's something different for you to look at. What do you think it is (or was)?

That’s the problem with art: what is and what isn’t art is decided by very few people. Bono on Bono, p73

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Wayne Dyer

Wet Night Storm

Sea At Night

Outback Painting

Into The Night

Icy Blue

Ice

So... Does it matter what tools one uses to make their art? Or do you think one must stick to very defined guidelines to create anything of relevance or significance?

From Wikipedia:
A purist is one who desires that a particular item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences. The term may be used in almost any field, and can be applied either to the self or to others. Use of the term may be either pejorative or complimentary, depending on context. Because the appellation depends on subjective notions of what is "pure" as opposed to "adulterating" as applied to any particular item, conflict can arise both as to whether a person so labeled is actually a purist and as to whether that is desirable.

Here's a short discussion on what is fake, or not:
http://www.danheller.com/faq-manipulation.html

P.S. The above creations were made from one photograph of a rusty light pole in Perth City... a pole that does exist, but is now only distantly related to this "art".

Visual Variety 3

No prizes for guessing what I've been up to lately! I've spent a fair bit of time learning about Photoshop Elements - a great imaging programme from Adobe. You can do SO much if you have the time and the patience. Love it!

Church in East Perth. Had some fun distressing this one.

A door at Mundaring Weir.

A house in the country in the Middle Swan area. Nice colours!

Engaging!

Thanks everyone who responded to an earlier posting regarding what makes you connect with a song and make you want to sing it. Some great thoughts there!

I have another question for you: When you go to church, what engages you, pulls you in and gets you involved in worshipping yourself? Comfortable environment, seating, lighting, sound, staging, props, worship leader/band, preacher, video/multimedia, etc, etc.????

Visual Variety 2

Nailed!
This I found on an old condemned bridge near Mundaring Weir.

A goat in the country-side...

Wet Night. Great Eastern Highway, Burswood.

More John Mayer Magic

Oh yes, John Mayer does it yet again. Continuum is a great title in many respects. For one thing, it suggests that this representation of his music is just part of the journey, this is where he's at right now, and he is very comfortable with that. John is not trying to "give you all he's got" in one album, although with what he gives you, you know there is a lot more where that came from. It doesn't always have to be fancy, but it always has soul. He's not trying to dazzle with his abilities, but you'd have to be deaf to not be impressed.

John is obviously enraptured with music, like a kid in a candy store. He has spent the last couple of years collaborating with numerous master musicians and has allowed the influence of each to wash over him while still being able to bring his own touch.

It's not very often that someone comes along that is this musically mature - melodically magical and deliciously understated, and at the same time writes lyrics that are meaningful and make you think. Sometimes its as if he's taken a walk inside your own head!

This is a pretty laid back album, one that you could listen to at any time without being intrusive. But its much more than that. I think this is another great marker on what will be a long and rich musical continuum from John Mayer.

Enjoy!

What Makes You Sing?

What is it about a song that makes you want to sing it?
Help me out here. As a songwriter, I'd like to know what it is in a song that captures your attention. Is it an image in your mind... the rhythm... melody... particular sounds?

Please comment and give me your thoughts. Thanks!

Visual Variety!

Here are a few more shots from the last week or so... I know there's no theme, I'm still just having fun!Planted by the water.

Sometimes the boundaries get blurred...

No, not the same car thankfully! Found this one torched and abandoned in a car park.

A World Behind The Eyes

Saw this beautiful dog on the beach at Freemantle. Its owner was having a sleep so I got some snaps! It looked like the owner may have been homeless. Whatever the case, it looks like there's quite a story behind those eyes...

When You Walk Through The Room

I've been reading a great book over the last two weeks. ONE STEP CLOSER: Why U2 Matters To Those Seeking God, by Christian Scharen. Last night as I was reading, this exerpt really jumped out to me:

... Yet U2 sees how they are part of something much bigger, something that they contribute to but does not come from them. Their embrace of the fact that, despite their shortcomings, they know that the gift of God's blessing and mercy lives in them, heals more, touches more, and inspires more than they could ever hope to do on their own. It is, in a way, the biggest contradiction of all that a rock and roll band understands itself as wrapped up in a conspiracy with the God of heaven and earth. Yet that's U2. Larry: "If we thought it was all about us, it would f**k us up. Something happens, but it is not something we make happen. It only happens when God walks through the room."
This is something that every one of us in the Creative Arts areas, and also in the position of providing and creating and shaping corporate environments for worship need to understand. We can do what we can do, but at some point we have to stand back and let God walk through the room.

Get Your Poo Tickets!

I've got to recommend this movie to you. Yes, it's toilet humour, but who hasn't ever indulged in that? For some reason, everyone laughs at toilet humour. Anyway, I reckon KENNY is a must see. I laughed and laughed (and believe me, I needed to). Kenny is a lovable Aussie character just trying to live a meaningful life. He's naive for sure but has a great sense of humour and a real openness to others that is endearing and ends up opening doors for him. But its not all potty and poo. His family situation is very sad and perhaps all too common. There are some real human relational issues dealt with in the movie, so be warned, you might cry too (I did - just a little bit!).

I reckon this one is destined to be a classic Aussie movie, a la The Castle. Yep, its that good! Get your poo ticket and check it out in a thunderbox near you.

A Fire Inside

I found this derelict old truck just around the corner from where I used to live. The late afternoon sun was flooding through the windscreen and making the rusted out mirror look like embers. (It looked a lot redder on my screen).

Developing an Eye

After many years of developing my "ear", I'm now learning to develop my "eye". I'm having fun with the photography and especially with Photoshop Elements. I'm very new to the whole thing, but here are a few early creations...

This is East Perth Power Station early in the evening...

...and from the other side...

Perth with angry skies. This is NOT our usual weather, but it makes for an expressive picture!
And something dreamy and soft to finish up. Someone very kindly gave a beautiful bunch of roses to Ali recently (unfortunately it wasn't me!).

A Strange Feeling

On Monday morning I woke up knowing that I didn't have to do anything! It was a strange feeling and I did feel a bit lost for part of the day...
I spent a couple of hours out with my camera just taking my time and trying to get a few shots. This was one of them...
I'll be trying to get the hang of relaxing over the next few weeks, but I think a bit of photography will help with that. I really enjoy it but it's not particularly taxing.

Bluesy and Cruisy!

Well, the Sunday Sesh went well. Thanks to Jess who took a few photos on the night, but the light wasn't very helpful.

I did make a recording of the set which actually came out better than I thought it might. I think we were a little aware of the record button being on, and so were a little less relaxed than we might have been otherwise.

Thanks everyone who stayed around! We had a fun night.

Sunday Session

I'll be playing a live set this Sunday night at Riverview Church's weekly "Sunday Sesh". It'll be a basic four piece band doing a mix of my own songs and a few covers. A couple of John Mayer songs, a classic that Ray Charles made great (Georgia), and some of my more funky/bluesy tunes from over the years. Bluesy and cruisy! The band is Paul Hardy on drums, Billy Muchtar on Bass, Luke Griffin on guitar and myself. Great band! I'm very much looking forward to it. Hope to see you there. (Start time around 7:45pm.)