Friday, May 30, 2014

FROST PARK: HUNTRESS


Detail of "Huntress (Helladic II)" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:9. Friday 30 May 2014.

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It appears I had another Helladic octopus lurking within. This one is a manifestation of Artemis, hunter and deity of the moon

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I tried to be somewhat more faithful to the colors that would have been used at the time. White for female figures and characters, blue for silver, yellow for gold.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but there is also read and green suckers on her tentacles—four on each praying limb, nine on each of the others.

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You can view more pictures of Frost Park Chalk Off 7:9, including a picture of the full "Huntress," HERE.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Monday, May 26, 2014

FERTILE WITH PARTICLES

"The fixity of sea and sky is a supreme deception. Over it lies what Herman Melville called the ocean's skin—a permeable membrane, one-sixteenth of a millimetre thick, fertile with particles and micro-organisms and contaminants; a fantastically fragile yet vast division. The horizon is only an invention of our eyes and brains as we seek to make sense of that immensity and locate our selves within it. The sea solicits such illusion. It takes its colour from the clouds, becomes a sky fallen to the earth; it only suggests what it might or might not contain. Little wonder that people once thought the sun sank into the sea, just as the moon rose out of it." 

 —page 17, The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare.

Friday, May 23, 2014

FROST PARK: HELLADIC


Detail of "Helladic" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:8. Friday 23 May 2014.

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The rain was steady. Chalking on wet concrete changes the way that one chalks, primarily because it changes the way the chalk adheres to the sidewalk or wall. I don't mind the wet; it is actually a bit fun to try to figure out how to draw in a slightly different manner. But chalking in the rain is not fun. It erases the image before it can even be brought to life.

So, Troy's Work Table opted to stay home and chalk in the carport.

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I've recently been studying Helladic and Minoan artwork, especially that found on various pieces of pottery.

I decided to add some color to what was often created with only one or two pigments, due to what was available at the time and location, while trying to remain true to the forms and images used.

And I returned to my beloved octopus.

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You can view more pictures of Frost Park Chalk Off 7:8 (the carport episode), including a picture of the full "Helladic," HERE.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

INTEGERS OF TIME

"She sees her reflection in the store window. She looks at herself and I stare back. Or I look at myself and she stares back. It's hard to tell which. I am older and she is young. Or vice versa. She seems to have startled herself. Who are we, now that we have to rely on new ways of calculating the integers of time?"

—page 16, The Circus Train by Judith Kitchen.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

RSR LIVE SHOW AT PPL


Poet Hannah Gamble reads her poem "Cabana." 

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A River & Sound Review (RSR) hosted a live show at Puyallup Public Library (PPL), which last happened a few years ago. TWT thought it was a blast, with enough literary shenanigans to keep the people of Puyallup awake for nearly two hours.

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Chicago poet Hannah Gamble read poems, many of them fairly new and/or recently published. Her gently transgressive poetry was delivered in a conversational tone, which would be used amongst friends and casual acquaintances alike. The poems are just slightly skewed or absurd, yet point out the beautifully flawed nature of what it means to be human. They are filled with sex and death and suffering and longing and love and loss. I was smitten with her very first words and continued to be so throughout her reading.

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RSR plays various interactive literary games during its shows. One of those games is 4-Minute Poetry Project. Each audience member is given a notecard and a pen. Then the entire audience is given five words (and one bonus word) that they need to use to write a poem in a period of four minutes. RSR poetry editors collect the poems and judge them. At the end of the show, the winner is revealed. At this show, the winner was none other than Troy's Work Table.

The five words were scribble, button, knuckle (selected by guest poet Hannah Gamble), danger, and tremble. The bonus word was warp.

The prized for the win were many. First, my notecard poem was returned with three stars at the top followed by two exclamation points, whose periods had also been used as eyes of a smiley face! Second, I received a copy of The Circus Train by Judith Kitchen. (I was planning on buying a copy after hearing her read, so this was a very pleasant surprise.)  Third, I got to read my poem for all those gathered.

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My 4-Minute Poetry Project poem:

The danger
is that you allow me to scribble
down words and thoughts such as
"button" and "knuckle"
and "lemon Jell-o is
best left for Lutheran potlucks"—
where and when I expect you to
reflect and tremble
while I quietly warp away.

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Creative non-fiction writer Judith Kitchen and poet Stan Rubin read together. They happen to be wife and husband, as well as cofounders of the Rainier Writing Workshop low-residency MFA at Pacific Lutheran University.

For their reading, Judith found words that appear in both of their most recently published books—her The Circus Train and his There.Here. The words were then thrown into a fishbowl and drawn out. They took turns reading the passage or poem in which the selected word appeared. It was a wonderful way to read and even they didn't know exactly what was coming. And their interplay with one another as people, alongside the interplay of their pieces, was something to witness. They were gentle with one another, yet playful and pushing at times. It is obvious that they both spend time with one another and allow one another time to be alone with words. The balance of their relationship to one another as spouses and as fellow writers seemed perfect.

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There were also a few other features to the show. A couple of "advertisements" from the Pencil Advisory Council made an appearance. Two musicians known as Boyd and Grubb (and soon to be renamed, with suggestions from the audience) played a few blues-influenced numbers, as well as the new RSR live show theme song and a few other themes for various portions of the show. There was another literary game, Name That Book. RSR founder and host Jay Bates read a humor piece to start the show and ended the evening singing a cover version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" as Elmer Fudd.

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It was truly an evening to experience and one that I am grateful that I did.




Friday, May 16, 2014

FROST PARK: LUNAR PLEXUS


Detail of "Lunar Plexus" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:7. Friday 16 May 2014.

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I was rather happy with my rendition of Luna (pictured above), as well as my mini-moon of the "lunar plexus." I was not as happy with my silhouetted figure, but it was what it was.

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By the time I got around to taking pictures of my piece, someone had run their wheelchair directly through the moon. Another had left a nice visible footprint in the middle of the same. It appears that we humans must leave our mark on whatever we encounter, whether chalk art or the actual moon.

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You can view more pictures of Frost Park Chalk Off 7:7, including a picture of the full "Lunar Plexus," HERE.

Friday, May 09, 2014

FROST PARK: DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS


"Diplomatic Relations" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:6. Friday 09 May 2014.

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This ambassador and/or negotiator has his work cut out in settling the differences between Captain America and The Queen of Bees. Will he be successful?

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One of the earthanima Elementals was inspiration for this character sketch.

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 You can view more pictures of Frost Park Chalk Off 7:6 HERE.

Friday, May 02, 2014

FROST PARK: NUCLEAR SHEEP OPTION


"Nuclear Sheep Option" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:5. Friday 02 May 2014.

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What began in "Captain America vs. the Queen of Bees" and continued in "Hive" now moves into "Nuclear Sheep Option." Note the translucent egg castle of "Hive" in the lower right corner near the Red Sheep.

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You can view more pictures of Frost Park Chalk Off 7:5 HERE.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

JUNCO EGGS


Nest of Oregon dark-eyed junco, containing four small pinkish eggs with light red spots. Afternoon of Thursday 01 May 2014.