Valkyrie. Acrylic on canvas 40 x 30 cm by Shaharee Vyaas.
Galactic Pilgrims
The title of this post is a lore that I’ve encountered first in the Star Wars series where Jedha, a small desert moon frosted by a permanent winter, was home to one of the first civilizations to explore the nature of the Force. At one time a world important to the Jedi Order, Jedha served … Continue reading Galactic Pilgrims
The Blowfish who Stole my Weekend.
Porcupinefish are also called blowfish because they have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air, thereby becoming rounder. This increase in size (almost double vertically) reduces the range of potential predators to those with much bigger mouths. A second defense mechanism is provided by the sharp spines, which radiate outwards when … Continue reading The Blowfish who Stole my Weekend.
The reality of being a writer.
In 2020, there were over 44.2 thousand writers and authors working in the United States, down very slightly from the previous year but still markedly higher than the figure recorded back in 2011. Many changes have occurred for employees in this sector over the last few years, and it is a truth universally acknowledged that … Continue reading The reality of being a writer.
The Flow
The Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole … Continue reading The Flow
Artists and the Middle Way.
Why do you have so many contemporary painters who pose with brush and pallet in their hands while most of their work consists of digitally created canvas prints? Previous generations were proud to pose with the latest tools of their craft that offered them more possibilities to increase the quality and quantity of their output. … Continue reading Artists and the Middle Way.
My Kingdom for a Comfortable Chair.
An incredibly comfortable chair. One that looks nice. I just want to be able to sit and work without having to use any muscle in my body except my fingers and maybe my brain muscle. Those who're following me for a while will probably notice that my studio became a little crammed. That's also a … Continue reading My Kingdom for a Comfortable Chair.
Balancing individual freedom, privacy and social responsibility
I’ve been long time staying out of the public debate concerning the pandemic, but lately a large group of people are starting to irritate me. Those who stubbornly refuse the vaccine and simultaneously protest the consequences of that choice. When actually 95 % of those being hospitalized in Western countries because of Covid 19 are … Continue reading Balancing individual freedom, privacy and social responsibility
The Butterfly Effect in Art
There is an iconic scene in “Jurassic Park” where Jeff Goldblum explains chaos theory. “It simply deals with unpredictability in complex systems,” he says. “The shorthand is 'the butterfly effect. ' A butterfly can flap its wings in Peking, and in Central Park, you get rain instead of sunshine.” In the visual arts world, butterfly … Continue reading The Butterfly Effect in Art
Writer’s block or completely wrong outline?
Since two years I’m trying to finish the fourth part of my pentalogy The Maharajagar. Since I’m a dedicated plotter, I started with an outline as I did with the previous parts of this series. To recapitulate, The Maharajagar is a contemporary retelling of the story line whereupon the Mahabharata rests. The fourth part of … Continue reading Writer’s block or completely wrong outline?
Just for fun: Money in Politics
Money is a necessary component of any democracy: it enables political participation, campaigning and representation. However, if not effectively regulated, it can undermine the integrity of political processes and institutions and jeopardize the quality of democracy.
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
Why would a smart New York investment banker pay $12 million for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock’s drip painting No. 5, 1948 sell for $140 million? Economist Don Thompson explores it in his book, tracing the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt … Continue reading The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
The Ethereal Sombrero of Civilization.
Although I’m reluctant to give much explanation to my art, some people complained that it was sometimes difficult to access my art. Those remarks came from people who’re familiar with my manifest and the remainder of my works. They pointed out: “And what with people who just stumble upon one of your works, didn’t read … Continue reading The Ethereal Sombrero of Civilization.
Literature, Information Technology, and the Internet.
Information technology refers to the ways most literature comes nowadays into existence while the internet refers to its most popular distribution channel. The book industry has come to the realization that they have lost their monopoly of being the sole gate keepers of the literary world, while it can still be a career boost for … Continue reading Literature, Information Technology, and the Internet.
The Ripping Blogoclowns.
This article whines about the ripping and attention seeking blogo-clowns.
Evolution
Where my music and paintings bring mostly forward the cyclic nature of human civilization, the literary facet of my art accentuates the multicultural aspect of civilization. This project will probably keep me occupied for several years more to come,
Analogies and differences between my art and that of Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934).
Holst drawn by William Rothenstein, 1920 It was inevitable that, during the research for my own artistical activities, I would stumble upon the works of British composer Gustav Holst. Just as I do, he found inspiration for his work into the planetary system and in the Mahabharata.The Planets, a seven-movement orchestral suite written by Holst … Continue reading Analogies and differences between my art and that of Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934).
Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
Let me start with the admission that most artistic projects are abandoned by their creators at a certain point. That doesn’t mean they’re unfinished projects: it just indicates that the artist moved on to other pastures of inspiration, style and interest. Everyone who’s artistically active, knows how difficult it is to resist the tsunami of … Continue reading Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
New Mystery in Utah
Yesterday I was reading up on the Utah monolith and while I checked the location on google Earth, I came up with the image that figures on top of this post. For those who need a refresher: The Utah monolith was a metal pillar that stood in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County, Utah. The pillar was 3 m … Continue reading New Mystery in Utah
Is being an artist a passion or an obsession?
The Cambridge dictionary defines the two words as follow: 1. A Passion for something: an extreme interest in or wish for doing something 2. An Obsession: something or someone that you think about all the time. While a passion is “extreme behavior” it lacks the indefinite time connotation. We all have passions but how many … Continue reading Is being an artist a passion or an obsession?
