Friday, October 31, 2014

TRICK! or TREAT?


Either someone has a sense of humor or was playing a trick on The Child. The "treats" in the middle of the picture are mild taco sauce packets from Taco Bell.

CARPORT CHALKING: OUR LADY


"Our Lady of the Celestial (Sorrows) Sea" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Friday 31 October 2014, All Hallows' Eve.

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This piece was fun to create. It is layered over last week's "Octopodic," which peeks through here and there.

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After studying some icons of Mary and the Infant Jesus, and thinking about how those would be represented by an octopus (She) and one of her offspring (the eggs She meticulously watches over until they hatch), "Our Lady" was born upon the carport concrete.

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View more pictures of "Our Lady" HERE.

LUNCHBOX FRIDAY: ALL HALLOWS' EVE


"Happy All Hallows' Eve" by Troy's Work Table.

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I try to sneak a quick ink drawing into The Child's lunchbox each Friday. It's the one day of the week that The Wife is off to work early and I need to get The Child's lunch ready. This is my signature of sorts each week, and something that is shared with kids in the classroom. Most of them tell The Child that, "Your dad didn't draw that. It's too good," which I find rather funny. 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

PUNKTOPUS


"Punktopus" by Troy's Work Table.

The All Hallows' Eve Jack-o'-lantern swims into the world.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

SKYPOOL


A skypool portal opens up during sunset on the North Hill of Puyallup.

Jump in!

Friday, October 24, 2014

CARPORT CHALKING: OCTOPODIC


"Octopodic" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Friday 24 October 2014.

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What does it feel like to have "things" crawling along your nerve paths? It feels octopodic.

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Thanks to Ada for the word.

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You can view more pictures of "Octopodic" HERE.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

INSOMNIA AND MUSE

Insomnia and nerve pain have me awake. I can hear the BNSF trains blowing their whistles in the dark downtown morning hours as they transport coal and cars and consumer goods from the Port of Tacoma to points unknown.

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And, as I lie on the couch, propped up on pillows, trying to achieve a minimum of comfort, her voice comes calling.

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Our Lady of the Celestial Seas speaks black psalms to me. She tells me of her eggs that hang in the night sky like stars. She tells me of the ships she has shattered and left on the shoals of various countries and coasts. She tells me of wearing others like rubber suits and stealing their final breaths.

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I try to gain a better glimpse of her and She inks and flees.

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I lie and listen for her sing-song as She calls from the night sky, from the cold shallows, from the unknown and unseen fathoms of the sea.

Friday, October 17, 2014

CARPORT CHALKING: SHE SLIPS IN


"She Slips In" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking. Friday 17 October 2014.

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It was raining, so staying home to chalk seemed a good idea.

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This is one of my favorite pieces of chalk art I've ever done.

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I worked fast and loose, taking only about ten minutes to lay down the chalk.

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The picture is based upon a series of poems that I am working on and needed to "get out of my system" in a medium other than writing.

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There were remnants of chalk from another Carport Chalking piece that were hanging around, so I used them as a base. That worked well since some of the colors and form were already present. Most of "Cosmic" was covered up or blended in, but it formed a nice canvas to work upon—the "gesso," if you will, for this new piece.

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I took a "selfie" of my eye and studied it for some time. Then, I set off with the chalk.

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Once I had a base of purple for the iris and added brown and green to get the "hazel" color I was hoping for, I laid down a thick powder of charcoal for the pupil. The smooth texture of this "hole" was exactly what I was hoping for, even if I was initially unsure if it would work.

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Building around the pupil and iris happened very quickly. A few black strands for the legs of She and her yellow eyes and it was done.

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I was (and am) rather pleased with this piece and keep going back and looking at the photos of it. You can likewise view more photos of "She Slips In" HERE.

Friday, October 10, 2014

FROST PARK: SSP


"(You Down With?) SSP" by Troy's Work Table. Frost Park Chalk Off 7:28. Friday 10 October 2014.

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A title that plays on the song "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature. Chalk art that incorporates neon orange and navy blue duct tape within its "canvas." An homage to Street Sign Project.

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The person pictured on the wall has blown his mind thinking about the Street Sign Project's work for too long.

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The green "halo"/"hair" of the person was chalk that was already present on the wall. I didn't event realize it made it look like he had hair until it was signed and photos were taken.

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You can view more photos of "(You Down With?) SSP" HERE.

Thursday, October 09, 2014

LEVIATHAN

"knowing from hindmost teeth to jackknifed tail / Leviathan is neither fish nor mammal."

—from "Eschatology, Piscatology" by James Brookes, as found in the October 2014 issue of Poetry.

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This poem reminds me of Daniel Berrigan's portrayal of Leviathan as crocodile. Here, the monster is not carved up for the market; here, the monster is not commodity that cannot be tamed; here, the monster is exactly what Berrigan warns us to beware.

This poem resonates for me in the same way that Berrigan's glimpse does. And, in that sense, not only have I left crumbs of crocodile scattered on the Work Table once, then twice, but now thrice.

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And the lilt and trill of "L" throughout this poem (which runs counter to the image) is a wonder upon my ears.

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

(SHEER/ABSOLUTE) SILENCE

"Perhaps I should not hope to convey in mere words the unutterable hideousness that can dwell in absolute silence and barren immensity. There was nothing within hearing, and nothing in sight, save a vast reach of black slime; yet the very completeness of the stillness and the homogeneity of the landscape oppressed me with a nauseating fear."

—from "Dagon" by H.P. Lovecraft.

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"Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'"

—1 Kings 19:11b-13

Friday, October 03, 2014

FROST PARK: ANNABELLE OF EBOLA


"Hide-and-Seek with Annabelle of Ebola" by Troy's Work Table . Frost Park Chalk Off 7:27. Friday 03 October 2014.

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The world is filled with horrors.

I'm pretty sure that movies about demonic dolls rank fairly low on the spectrum. I don't quite know where to place hemorrhagic fevers. Or tentacle-like plants.

But they all tumbled out of my brain and onto the wall together.

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Plus, I kept thinking about the title of Anne of Green Gables and how Annabelle and Ebola could serve the same function in a title of morbid black humor.

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View more picture of "Annabelle of Ebola" HERE.