Worthy Prize At The Top

At The Museum Of Modern And Contemporary Art (MMCA)

I tawt I taw the ghost of Escher!

(If you got that pun you're probably "aging", like me;  for the source check out this cartoon, courtesy of Warner Bros.)

 

Super-Duper Tadpole Of The Sky

Coming out of hiding to go after some unseen prey.  Yet more proof that the heavens really are filled with living things born to the atmosphere.  Normally invisible to human eyes, they nevertheless manifest themselves to us now and then, and when they do, they resemble clouds.

Beatific Boy Monk

He is beating on his moktak to keep rhythm as he mentally recites a mantra -- probably the usual 108 times, the symbolic number of distracting thoughts and sensations that can keep a person from concentrating on the path to enlightenment.

 

Quick Follow-Up To "Off With Their Heads" (May 16)

 

Just thought it was a fairly remarkable coincidence that three totally unrelated horizontal elements should parallel each other as if by design.  Plus the 'heads" look kind of like they've been placed in a box in readiness for a pikestaff display.

My Untitled Tragic Short Story About The Sad Downfall Of A Sorcerer's Apprentice

A long time ago, I wrote a short story about a modern day disciple of a real-life sorcerer.  I never submitted it for publication and the original draft has been lost, but here is the gist:  the guy manages to hack his master's computer (but of course -- think Micky Mouse in Fantasia putting on his master's hat) to obtain secret knowledge of methods for summoning spirits from other dimensions, which, of course, he dares to do, even though "he wasn't ready".  Well, as you might well imagine, something goes terribly wrong, and he ends up being "infected", or should I say "infested", by uncounted sub-human spirits from a lower realm that visibly take him over, in effect turning him into a monster whose entire body is made of stupid, animalistic and demanding faces of the spirits.  In despair he goes to a hammermill shredder and throws himself into it, thereby ensuring that no one will ever know what happened to him.

Compared to all those other sad stories about interactions with spirits or elves or whatever, where the human almost invariably ends up being shortchanged by superior beings who promise wealth or longevity, etc., I think my story stands out for featuring spirits that are actually less intelligent and less capable than humans.  Pretty positive, no?^^

Worm Rescue Update Of The Day

Today it rained.  Walking home from a short walk in the rain, I spotted this worm on the path just in front of my apartment.  It seemed rather sluggish and weak, but when I picked it up it resisted with surprising vigor and tried to wriggle out of my grasp, and I had to take a quick shot while having my phone rained on (I had to put down the umbrella) and getting my hand covered in slippery slime, which is why the photo quality is out the window.  Here the closeup actually makes the worm look almost like an elver^^ 

Number of worms rescued:  71

Moon Over SeokChon Lake

At last, at last!

Moon Over Miami: 

Untitled IV

Worm Rescue Update

Today on the way home from grocery shopping I came across this worm drying out on the sidewalk.  It was a bit of a surprise, because the day had been sunny and warm, with not a hint of wet.  Anyway, I picked it up and placed it on shaded soil under some shrubbery.

Number of worms rescued:  70

Where To Put The Moon

After Love Has Gone

Memory is all that remains.

2 More Angels

The moment I sighted these paired clouds I thought of this image I photographed on Jeju island years ago, on my first visit to Korea.

Giant Crabs In Seoul

I do realize that, with North Korea blocking the way to the Asian continent, South Korea is de facto an island nation and the fishing industry must constitute a significant part of the economy.  But what I find odd is, why no seafood restaurants with giant models honoring mackerel, bream, eels or skates, and especially no corvina or pollack, the two most popular fish enjoyed by the populace?  Why just giant crabs all over the place?  It's not as if model crabs with their many legs are easier to make than streamlined fish...

"Off With Their Heads!"

OCD guy with a camera was reminded of both the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland and the Japanese horror movie Audition.  The bird is a bonus.

 

"Kiri, kiri, kiriii..."

"Left To The Moon"

 

Just What It Says

For some reason she kept staring at me during the whole subway ride, so I couldn't draw her openly.  I only drew this quick sketch from memory, which is why the quality stinks.  Nevertheless, I think it's pretty close to the model;  she really did have an extreme face like this.

Sorry lady, you're probably a very nice person.

The Pub Named Lethe

Lethe, the river of forgetfulness.  In classical mythology it was the river in the underworld whose waters made you forget your former earthly life.  Then you were ready for paradise or reincarnation.  It would have been nice to be able to forget just specific memories, but that wasn't allowed.  You drink, you forget everything including your identity, that was the deal.  You couldn't pick and choose.

There have been times when I almost wished I could drink of its waters and forget.  Almost.

Just as well.  I wouldn't really want to have my memories erased -- not even the unpleasant, sad and disturbing ones.  If I can't partake of the joys, I'll at least keep the regrets.

Anyway, I can experience temporary oblivion from the bottle whenever I want -- and that's enough for me.

COME IN AND FORGET

By the way, my compliments to whomever chose to have the door of the establishment painted that forbidding grey.  It's perfect.

More Trashed Dudes

According to an article I read the most-consumed spirit in the world, by sheer volume, is not vodka, not whisk(e)y, not tequila or rum.  Liter by liter, the rather unexpected winner of that honor, is... soju! -- the  overwhelming favorite drink of Koreans for meals, snacks and excuses.

Related post:  Trashed Dude

Martial Cloud

I've named this cloud "St. Michael".  It reminds me of the Archangel Michael, that most martial of the angels, who led God's hosts with drawn sword against the rebel angels.

Related posts:  Speaking of Dragons...

                         Devil On The Floor

The Temptation Of Eve

For a guy who isn't Christian, I sure like me some Christian imagery.  This is another tiny panel (5 inches high and 3.75 inches across) that I started a long time ago, got distracted by other things and never followed up on.

I once was in a relationship with someone else's wife (actually it was the first of two such affairs in my life, where I was "the other man", but anyway).  She was unhappy in her marriage.  She was bored and frustrated with her strait-laced, hidebound husband and feeling trapped.  I guess she found my somewhat unconventional style fresh and interesting, a kind of escape valve from her stifling situation.  As for me, I found her beautiful and sexy, and maybe I was just a little flattered that someone so attractive would be attracted to me as well.

And it's true what they say about creative artists and their muses.  Her beauty has since informed all my subsequent imagery of nude female figures, be they Eves, Venuses, or just anonymous ideals.

[An amusing side note:  Some time after we started our relationship, I gave her a handmade card with the image of myself as the Serpent, offering the Fruit of Knowledge to her (the Serpent finally had arms!).  She loved it, and was particularly tickled by the fact that I made a point of coloring us with slightly different complexions (she was of a different race)^.  She gave it to a friend to keep though, as she was afraid her hubby might find it]

Related post:  And Some More... Old Art

Monster Eyes In The Sidewalk

A winking monster, at that.

Not many people would have noticed it, but I did.

Because I'm always on the lookout for monsters, especially ones that are "hiding in plain sight", like this one.

"Composition With Cherry Bowl"

An accidental arrangement of lowly, random objects -- invested with new significance, simply because they made up this photograph.  The 2-D analog of objet trouvé ("found object").

A Drizzly Day In Hongdae

I took this photo this afternoon in the Hong-Ik University neighborhood (the origin of the name Hongdae).  When I looked at the downloaded image I was immediately struck by its visual similarity to another shot that I took a few years ago.  But that earlier image was quite different in feel;  while it was intended to exploit the ominous, dystopian anxiety of being alone in the midst of an anomalously empty urban environment (wow, I so can wax poetic sometimes), this new image was definitely in a different category.  So I decided to emphasize that difference by modifying it with various editing tools, running it through filters, etc.  The result is a page out of an imaginary picture book dedicated to nostalgia, longing, and faded memories that will die with me.

Related posts:  A Bit Eerie,  Nostalgia,  Two Skies

Red Flyer II

 

Related post:  Red Flyer

Another Worm Rescued

Just came back from a short walk in the rain.  While on the way out I came across a worm slowly inching along, right in the middle of the sidewalk.  Overcoming a certain apprehension -- this guy was Really big -- I tried to pick it up, but as I did so it violently writhed and wriggled out of my fingers and fell back onto the sidewalk.  This happened several times but I finally managed to pick up the slippery, slimy creature and put it down on the rain-softened earth over the adjacent retaining wall.  Before resuming my walk I waited until I saw it start to dig its way into the soil.  This was my first worm rescue since moving to Korea.

Number of worms rescued:  68

EDIT:  I just came back from a quick trip to the supermarket, and on the way back I found another (not nearly so large) worm on the sidewalk.  I removed it onto soil as well.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo.

Number of worms rescued:  69

Waiting

Or "Patience"

Or maybe "Like vs Like"

"Berthe Aux Grands Pieds"

I found these big (for Barbie, that is) feet at a second-hand store and just couldn't resist.

The "Big Apple"

Or,

"How To Make Sure Delivery Drivers Remember Your House In A Maze Of Anonymous Lookalike Buildings".

A Rogues' Gallery / "Novelty Cakes"

When I was in weekly therapy I used to carry the week's production of these masks on a board to show my therapist.  It was sort of like a gauge of my mental states.  As I would walk down to her office from the car I've actually had people ask me if they were edible.  I guess they thought these were made of marzipan or something.

Earthshine