Friday, September 25, 2015

THE LAMENT OF SAMUEL


"The Lament of Samuel (144,000)" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Friday 25 September 2015.

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King Saul seeks out a witch to conjure forth his deceased prophet and confidant from the shadows of Sheol, against the laws that he himself declared. Some Christian denominations, with  unable to understand the symbolic significance of the number, literally believe that 144,000 people will be sealed and taken to the throne of God. People raised from the dead.

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Samuel laments being pulled (temporarily) from darkness to light. Samuel moans and asks to be left alone.

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View more pictures of "The Lament of Samuel (144,000)" HERE.

Friday, September 18, 2015

LION OF JUDAH


"Lion of Judah" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Friday 18 September 2015.

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Three colors of white light—red, blue, green. Three persons of the Lion of Judah. Three-in-One.

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View more pictures of "The Lion of Judah" HERE.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

PHOENIX


"Phoenix" by Troy's Work Table. Carport chalking for Saturday 12 September 2015.

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I had to get a chalk drawing of one of my chicken friends out of my head and onto the concrete, so I did. It's a Golden Phoenix rooster.

CHRIST PANTOCRATOR


"Christ Pantocrator" by Troy's Work Table. Commissioned chalk art for Mountain View Lutheran Church. Saturday 12 September 2015.

Friday, September 11, 2015

CHICKENS GALORE!

I visited chicken friends at the Washington State Fair today. The great thing about the first day's admission being free before noon, my having the day off, and my family being unable to attend with me is that I can spend an hour in the poultry barn and just hang out with the various roosters and hens without any pressure to move along to another barn or another exhibit.

These were my ten favorite friends.


[1] Black Old English rooster.


[2] Brown-red Old English rooster.


[3] Barred Plymouth Rock rooster.


[4] Single-comb Rhode Island Red hen.


[5] White Orpington rooster.


[6] Silver spangled Hamburg rooster.


[7] Golden Phoenix rooster.


[8] Golden Sebright rooster.


[9] Silver Sebright rooster.


[10] Black-breasted red Modern Game hen.

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My friend Dave reminded me of a quote by Warner Herzog: "Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity. It is a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic, and nightmarish creatures in the world."

I have to respectfully disagree, however, for I would rather hang out with a chicken than many members of my own species.

Monday, September 07, 2015

MORE MAD MAX

Is Mad Max a zombie film? It feels like it with some of the relentless pursuit.

Immortan Joe as lich-king. War Boys as undead minions.

The ghosts that haunt Max.

"Birth, death, rebirth."

"Survive."

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Tree of Life.

We killed off the tree of life. It's dead out in the "Green Place." And Nux can't even identify it as a tree; the Fall has been that far.

The heirloom seeds of the "Johnny Appleseed" member of the Vuvalini. Passed along to her mirror Breeder.

New crops for the Citadel.

"Hope."


MAD MAX

I just watched Mad Max: Fury Road for the third time. Thoughts are taking shape.

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It's Mad Max through the Looking Glass.

Binoculars. Telescopes. Rifle sights. Windows. (Figurative mirrors.)

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Mirrors.

Max and Furiosa. Furiosa and Immortan Joe. Nux and Slit.

The Breeders and their Vuvalini counterparts. (In fact, one of my favorite scenes is when they first meet each other. There is joy on the faces of the Vuvalini as they recognize "themselves.")

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Symmetry. (Itself a form of mirroring.)

Max as involuntary blood bag at the open of the film. Max as voluntary blood bag at the end of the film.

Immortan Joe and Furiosa both stripped of their mechanical/metal pieces at the same time. (Fatal for Joe, wounding for Furiosa.)

The same actor playing the Toe Cutter in Mad Max and Immortan Joe in Fury Road.

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Echoes/references to the other Mad Max films.

The vehicle. The outfit.

The long hair at the beginning that reminds me of the Feral Kid of The Road Warrior and the Max of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

The Warboys referring to Max as one of the feral people (Feral Kid!).

The doll's head on the back of one of the attackers of the War Rig at the end of the movie—like that worn by Ironbar in Thunderdome.

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The colors.

The rich oranges and reds. (And being mirrored in the massive dust storm.)

The blue of night/dark, with highlights/spotlights of yellow and orange.

That which is chrome and shiny.

The red and black "battle flags" on the back of Immortan Joe's car.

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Immortan Joe, the War Boys, and the promise of Valhalla. A critique of religion? Cults? Society? Power?

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The dependent masses depicted like the inhabitants of Brueghel and Bosch paintings.

Sunday, September 06, 2015

MAKING CHALK


[1] The Child and TWT are making our own sidewalk chalk. 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid tempera paint + 1/2 cup of water + 1 cup of plaster of Paris = our base.


[2] Each bowl of base we make allows us to fill three soap molds (white on left) or two toilet paper tubes or homemade cardboard molds (colors).


[3] Finished chalk, dried for 24 hours, on one of my small lap chalkboards. It's waiting for concrete!

Friday, September 04, 2015

FROST PARK: GOD of RAIN


"God of Rain" by Troy's Work Table. Frost Park Chalk Off. Friday 06 September 2015.

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A few days before the start of meteorological fall (01 September) the weather changed. The heat and dryness became cooler temperatures and rain. The overcast skies were welcomed for chalking, while the precipitation was more problematic. But Friday was a perfect chalking day—partly cloudy, partly sunny, damp, but not wet, warm, but not hot.

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The change also inspired this piece.

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A street person wandered up to the piece when it was about 75% complete and began to mutter something to me, but it was so quiet that I had to lean in to hear her.

HER: "I feel so bad for him, he seems to be in so much pain."

TWT: "He's not in pain. He's filled with rage."

[pause]

HER: "What's his name?"

TWT: "His name? He's the god of rain."

HER: [with a bit of incredulity] "The god of rain?"

TWT: "Yes."

HER: "Okay. I'm going to pray for him."

And off she went.

She circled around the block a few times, passing by about every 7 to 10 minutes, but never commenting again. I assume she was praying for him.

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View more pictures of "God of Rain" HERE.