Merle, Your art reminds me of being a child when I used to really squeeze my eyes tight and watch the resulting kaleidoscopic images (I almost said, "In front of me", but then remembered the 'I/You/They/Us' police will be reading). Maybe this (seriously) was my first remembered taste of the blurring of the inside/outside split.
I was born in 1964, so I only have a very hazy memory of the 60s. I can imagine that it was a revolutonary time, in more ways than one. I'm grateful for that generation for trailblazing a path that made it easier for my generation to follow (especially concerning drugs!). However, although the 1950s and 1960s made the music of the 70s possible, I think the pinnacle of popular music was reached in the seventies (Encapsulated in bands like Led Zeppelin - Saw them in '79 where i smoked my first joint, btw). Anyways, I enjoyed your art and can also see that mandalas have had an influence on it. Not being a Zennist, I feel completely free to take what I want from many teachings/traditions to inspire me and mandalas have an ineffable effect on me. Paint on! Mike --- On Wed, 13/6/12, Merle Lester <[email protected]> wrote: From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] : self To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, 13 June, 2012, 14:28 mike when i was "younger"..in the late 60's..sure i did the hippy/ zippy thing...but i am not an extremist.....like i went to work etc..after all i wear glasses to see... and which hippy/ zippy would work out a script for the glasses out there in the communes?...hippies originated well before it hit america..google and you will see it began in germany...it's a way of viewing the world...there are wonderful ideas to embrace...are you referring to mescaline?what i am trying to express..is the underlying structures of life forms..look under a microscope...you'll get the picture..i have never been interested in realistic art..i was doing mandalas as a kid..never knowing what they were...the single cell..the very beginning of life..and what manifests...as we see the world ..it's all a bunch of colours and forms..except..they make sense to us..i.e.,,this is a tree ..this is a chair... etc...how do we come to recognise each and every living thing and non living thing as they are..is truly amazing..sure..take a "trip" and then you may discover another reality...one may ask what is reality but that what us humans have made to be so..and it is amazing indeed... everything we see..and how fortunate we can see is amazing..we see we hear we speak..we know...are we born knowing and in the razzlema- tazzle of life forget our origins?..where did we come from where do we go...sure scientists have nutted it out... but does that answer the big picture? why?..why?..the why..the very beginning is the why and the why not..the artist speaks the language and attempts to create realities yet to be seen ..the artist opens the door...and there you have it... a discovery i do not know how old you are..so you may have missed the 60's counter culture...i did not...a wonderful period in human history..not to be missed! merle Don't worry about it, Merle. It was just a reference to the drug counter-culture in the sixities. I liked your art. It makes my school book sketches look like they came from the under-achieving doodle artist that I am. ....You sure you don't know anything about certain cacti? Mike --- On Tue, 12/6/12, Merle Lester <[email protected]> wrote: From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] : self To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, 12 June, 2012, 18:09 the what???????????? merle Geez, I guess you never stopped drinking the koolaid... what do u mean a product?...yes i was alive in the 60's..yes it did have an impact?..so what are you driving at?..merle Oops, thought maybe you were a product of the 60s. My bad. Mike -- ?????????? huh????? merle Merle, Mushrooms or something less organic? Mike -- Nisargadatta Maharaj said it beautifully. “When you understand the meaning of "Self" there will be no room for selfishness. 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