Friday, April 24, 2020

SCRAPS of HOPE



I'm just placing some "scraps of hope" here on Troy's Work Table for future reference.

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For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.

—PSALM 62:5

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"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet—never—in Eternity,
It asked a crumb—of me.

—Emily Dickinson, 1862

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But faith differs from hope because faith receives in the present the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation, of God's acceptance of us, on account of Christ. But hope is directed toward future good and future deliverance.

—from "Article IV: Justification," Apology of the Augsburg Confession, by Philip Melanchthon, 1531

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But Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope.

—from "The Chapel," chapter seven of Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville, 1851

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Oh, Hope! thou soother sweet of human woes!
How shall I lure thee to my haunts forlorn!

—from "Untitled," Elegiac Sonnets, by Charlotte Smith, 1783




Wednesday, April 22, 2020

CREATE YOUR OWN EMOTION SCULPTURE



"Lamentation," recycled/reused items sculpture, by Troy's Work Table.

Cherry Vanilla Coke can, wire, red bond paper, Stikfas figure hands, bottle cap, masking tape, strips of recycled paper, India ink, candy box lid.

"Create your own Emotion Sculpture!" with Tacoma Art Museum at home.

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It felt good to just "get an assignment" and work on it rather quickly. It was a time to stretch the imagination and to express emotion and partake in catharsis.

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You can play too: www.tacomaartmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tam_tam-at-home_sculpture-emotion_master_v200408.pdf

View other TAM at home projects and resources: www.tacomaartmuseum.org/tam-at-home

Saturday, April 18, 2020

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

This weekend would have been the Washington State Spring Fair. Instead, the fairgrounds are empty, the parking lots are locked up, the rides still. This is another huge source of income for the City of Puyallup and surrounding communities that has been lost.

There is a sign in the left center over Sillyville that reads "Have a Great Day!"

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

Today would have been the start of the Puyallup Farmers Market, a source of customers and income for many small businesses and artisans and local farmers, as well as revenue for the City of Puyallup and other nearby businesses. But Pioneer Park, the playground, and the Library are empty and quiet.
 
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The City of Puyallup messaged me after I posted the above on social media to let me know that the Puyallup Farmers Market was open! Online!

Shop for/from your favorite flowers, farmers, crafters, specialty goods, baked goods, and food trucks.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

An evening walk with The Family. Apparently many people are numbing themselves with recreational drugs and alcohol. People are out drinking on porches, patios, decks, and driveways. The dank aroma of marijuana fills the dusk air. Party on, Puyallup.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Saturday, April 11, 2020

WHAT IS "ESSENTIAL"?



"Kenosis," multi-media collage, 2019, by Troy Kehm-Goins. Copyright © 2019 Troy Kehm-Goins. 



WHAT IS “ESSENTIAL”?

Kenosis is the process of emptying out, of one’s essence departing, leaving nothing. Ex nihilo, “out of nothing,” becomes something, fit aliquid (“a thing is made”), and redit, ut nihil, “returns to nothing.”

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

The kenotic moment is without essence, yet something must remain to define what once was. An outline. An emptying out implies a prior fullness.

Discontinuity married to continuity. There must be a break. There must be a recognition. Funereal clothes. Linen cloths. A spider’s web of sheer fabric and the scent of embalming spices. Frankincense, myrrh, aloe.

Where have you taken him? Where is the body?

Darkness begets light. A split twin.

Light spills forth into flesh. Particle and wave are knitted into the fabric of sinew and muscle and cartilage, built upon a foundation of hard bone.

And then a word. A breath. A name. A term of endearment. A flutter of the hand. A breaking of bread. A welcoming with open arms.

04/11/2020 • Easter Vigil

Copyright © 2020 Troy Kehm-Goins.

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

I delivered chunks of wood from a hazelnut tree I cut down yesterday to my Dad. (We stayed 20 feet from one another.) He'll perform his woodworking magic and transform the tree into vases and bowls.

After the delivery, I stopped by the public docks of the Brownsville Marina to walk out on the water. I had the docks to myself. It was wonderful.

I needed time to myself. The drive back and forth to my father's house, plus the walk out on the docks, was splendid. Refreshing.

Tuesday, April 07, 2020

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

Tracks to nowhere, Ghosttown, USA.

#sunset #nofilter

This photo in no way captures the beauty and brilliance of the sunset as I experienced it in real life. It was spectacular! I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Friday, April 03, 2020

HOLY ICON of the DENIAL



"Holy Icon of the Denial," watercolor, India ink, and iridescent calligraphy ink on 8" x 10" watercolor paper.

Should I experience joy in creating an icon for Good Friday?

I tried to capture the essence of the Passion without resorting to some of the typical tropes of the narrative. I imagined what an icon of the rooster that crows after Peter denies Jesus three times might entail.

The rooster that was my model was one that I encountered at the Washington State Fair. I wanted the purple of Lent and Maundy Thursday to bleed into the black and darkness of Good Friday. I imagined a silver full moon in the background as the halo of the rooster icon. The barbed wire that surrounds the halo is to echo both the crown of thorns that Jesus will wear when his kingship is being mocked and the fencing that will keep the rooster itself contained and corralled. There are twelve barbs on the wire, one for each hour of the clock, one for each of the disciples, one for each of the tribes of Israel.

Thursday, April 02, 2020

REPORT from PLAGUELAND



Report from Plagueland.

I leveled up while playing RUN THROUGH PLAGUELAND. 

Badge collected: Caution Tape Swings.