G A L L E R Y
A R C T U R U S
The Daily News
Choir
I am learning to sculpt soap stone from a master
my first attempts are from his cut offs
small twisted bits resembling cashews
but larger
each one fitting inside the palm.
Where the saw blade severed them from the whole
that flat is now vertical
seven heads standing in a row
small twisted mouths singing their hearts out
cashews don't sing
but they are compulsively delicious
and sculpting is quite compulsive
even more than cutting one's nails
filing the rough edges and a nose appears
or a forehead bevelled on the cusp
fingertips feel the smooth countenance appear
holding three dimensions in the hand.
An Excursion
Yellow door and a tailless black cat
we enter the day
striding up the slight incline
towards the car.
A purposeful departure towards coffee.
There are still puddles after the nights rain,
all else has been blown dry.
Autumn sun shines bright and rises late,
roses are still blooming at the café garden as we park.
No one is sitting outside.
We are on a mission
to pick up stone.
(notice the journey is not of one)
A highway destination
I navigate from the passengers seat,
turning my head to examine the pattern of balconies in the clouds,
reading the bill boards as they flash by.
An undulating fleet or army or troop all moving as one,
the Roman army on wheels peacefully invading Jerusalem
or the Spanish armada crossing the channel.
A cinematic view of the expressway.
On the return
the vehicle is heavy with purchase
five unfinished sculptures in the back
carried in strong arms and laid on the floor in the gallery
waiting for hands to shape them into life.
Living Stone
by Master Sculptor Floyd Kuptana
This piece was created in the 'beneath the stair' studio at Gallery Arcturus and was finished today. It is on view for a limited time in the upstairs Kuptana Gallery which features his most recent sculptures and drawings.
Singing the Japanese Blues
A little bit happy
a little bit sad
to be back
A Patch of Sun
I am sitting in a patch of sun
the only place I found today
to stop my pacing restlessness, from moving me around.
I don't need glasses
except to read signs and headlines
the fine print and ingredients
price tags at the local second hand.
Some five dozen pairs of magnifiers
stashed on every floor
all dollar store zoom lensers.
It's a gift of age not to see the details
the shock of loose skin and spots,
which fade and tighten
when seeing hangs from a string 'round the neck.
What are we all trying to do?
Sweeping up the butts outside
picking up the shit.
Overall,
trying to clean up the mess left behind
to create some semblance of beauty
some hint of order.
A lasoo or drawstring around what matters.
Sometimes hunger is demanding and insatiable
mostly it can be forgotten
lost in boredom or enthusiam
equally displaced.
Maybe we'll get a dog
I can't imagine what that will change
fear of complacency
barks on the inside and frightens what might be different away.
We are sitting on opposite sides
of a small table
or kitti corner
or lying like spoons in the bed
one end of the couch
or the other
driving fast forward
sometimes reverse.
It's a journey we are on, together.
the five faces of Floyd
Being your apprentice
I watch
what you had finished yesterday
disappear
in your fearless hands
soft agreements disagree
dangerous spinning blades
make time move faster
a lifetime
from birth to death
in minutes
and in the aftermath
something survives
with all its struggling
visible.
Journeys
Sae will be travelling to Japan and deborah will also go on a short trip at the same time.
We will continue to post our blogs but they may be somewhat erratic due to time differences.
Introducing our resident sculptor and rock star...
Floyd Kuptana occupying his studio under the front steps of the gallery,
where he is creating a new masterpiece while teaching me, his newest student, the tricks of the trade.
The Space Calls the Show
What began last week in the gallery as 'o v e r t u r n e d' has evolved to include 'Hortense and Hernan'
and has added the important quality of seriousness.
All the exhibits which take place in the gallery are a conversation, in the space, with the space and for the space.
It is the medium of the space which allows visitors to have an experience of something other.
Wondering which end is up?
Part of a new installation in the main gallery entitled;- 'o v e r t u r n e d'
A little bit scary, a little bit risky
This image is telling the story that humans are part angel and part donkey (the horse is just pretending)
Sometimes the donkey is wild and crazy.
Sometimes there is balance and agreement between the parts.
Inspiration is a well kept secret
it just happens
Robot or Puppet?
feeling mechanical
Staying Afloat
Learning from those who went before
how to focus on what's required,
pick up the oar and paddle.
It is the engagement with practical mundane tasks
that keep us independent and grounded.
Call to Duty
What side of the bars am I on at any given day?
And why, I wonder, must I feel cornered before I can even know what skill or effort
it is possible for me to make.
Life calls us to attend to life.
Family Reunion
An interesting cast of characters, four generations meeting for lunch.
Finding Language
It seems to me that language is as personal as perception.
We can only describe what we know
and each of us must attempt to do that by whatever means we have available.
Creativity is an attempt to communicate.
tHe dePth of uNknowIng
Light and shadow create shapes
shapes create forms and landscapes
landscapes have roads that twist and curve and disappear into distances
and there is a sense that someone is watching all this
an observer who wonders and sometimes questions
what is this all about?
Three Days to Get Through
Meet you again on Tuesday.
Trying to Find the Line
Like blades of grass
to many to focus on a single one
a storm threatening but not arriving
beginnings but no completions
the line is there
but cannot be grasped
just that kind of day.
Finding a Rock
Today we went on a road trip
to the Sculpture Supply Center
To find a rock for Floyd to carve.
Stay tuned to see what emerges.
Becoming the Space Between...
...I meet the centre
Leaning Towards the Center
Side by side
each coming from the opposite direction
we come to know the centre as it is contained
in the space between.
Today's Theatre
a box
tall enough to stand inside
one open pink umbrella for the roof
a lizard, a parrot, two giraffes and a bear
and no idea!
A Different Saturday Outing
We invite you to come to the reception for this exhibit this Saturday, July 14, from 2pm to 5pm
Layers
Today was a day of many layers
laughter and tears
under a dark cloud
under a bright cloud
all of us around the table
Eron, Vivian, deborah, Sae,
sitting, standing and dropping to our knees.
The Depth of Language
Each word is shaped by the meaning that it holds.
A word has a weight and a form.
It can be obscure or transparent.
With curiosity it is possible to see into it and sense its many lifetimes.
A word rarely stands alone but reflects the context in which it is placed.
Words are vehicles of travel
carrying us towards understanding.
"I have the ball"
"Catch!"
Mood Indigo
sultry and passionate
Looking for and Finding
'C U S T O D I A N S' is the new exhibit in the Collage Gallery.
The Colour of a Question
In asking a question, with no immediate answer, we enter into a place of unknown possibility.
In asking a question, with no immediate answer, the question may lead us home.
All the World's a Stage
And all the men and women merely players...
Shakespeare
A Place to Sit
There are times when I have been given to
and there are times when I have the impulse to give
both in receiving and in giving
trust is the inspiration.
Carrying our Prayers Heavenward
This line of prayer flags had fallen from where they were strung, onto the ground beneath.
A squirrel came, stuffed the one end into its mouth and carried it through two backyards,
up into the tree where it has its home. There they are, still hanging.
Repetitive and Random
Most of what I do in my life is repetitive.
I learn from what I repeat, when I am able to observe.
And life itself supplies the random, the unexpected, even the unwelcome.
Those are the challenges I react or respond to.
Somehow it's all right here, even while I look for something more.
Asking to be with myself
...is an opening
You seeing me seeing you
a mutual regarding
Alive
A fish in a bowl is totally dependent on us for its survival.
It can endure our neglect for a surprisingly long time
but also it can revive dramatically with care and attention.
It is possible for us to have relationship with every creature
when we recognize it as living.
Between Inside and Out
there is a cloud of unknowing
and in the splitting of the tree
new life growing.
Lost on the Street
Today Sae 'n' I ventured out onto the street, far from our stomping grounds, looking to find who know's what.
We took with us a CONTACT map and gallery names but never found any.
The bus was crowded and hot and we couldn't remember where we were or why we were there.
Sometimes everything we need is right in front of us.
Returning to our familiar was a great relief.
Finding the Rabbit (today's hunt for inspiration)
...not the rabbit!
Shining a Light
...on the seriousness of work
We are calling this door Friday...
...and it opens to the weekend
An Open Handed Gesture
Ready to receive what comes
and what falls away
Now What?
After working towards the completion of a body of work
and the opening which follows
there is often a dry patch
when there seems to be no direction.
This is today.
Closing the Gap
When we close the gaps we alter the landscape.
Cropped Short Stories
Starring
Black Dog
Red Foot Pigeon Theatre
and Guernsey Cow
Coming soon to a gallery near you!
Gallery Arcturus
Show Time
Saturday May 5, 2 - 5pm
Seats still available
The Tools of the Trade
Today Sae 'n I spent all day hanging what is to be 'her show'.
It was very finicky work and exhausting.
We should finish tomorrow.
It will be beautiful!
All the Better to See You With
This is a small glimpse into the space where Marina Hashemi is exhibiting her collages:- Anatomy of a Soul
Trusting the Other
In a collaboration each participant is moved by the other,
quite literally they are each mobilized by a recognition
of potential to create something of beauty and perfection.
Collaboration requires heart and seeing.
It is always surprising and its essence is joy.
Up Coming Event
Marina writes: "'Anatomy of a Soul' was born out of solitude and self reflection.
The skeleton is a form that supports and moves me through life.
My intuition, which I rely on to be my sight and guiding light,
is felt deeply in my gut and pelvis, that is where I placed eyes.
My heart, an organ I associate with deep states of anxiety,
love, empathy - that is why I placed bursts of colour,
delicate butterfly wings and soft flower petals, in the chest.
These are my first collages.
They document an exploration and discovery
of what lives inside my soul."
Brushes in Motion
Today's conversation between Floyd Kuptana and 'that woman' aka deborah harris
Artists Together
Floyd Kuptana and deborah harris have been collaborating together for many years.
His sculptures have inspired her drawings, collages, paintings
which have in turn inspired Floyd to expand his talents into drawing and painting.
This show documents their creative conversation to the present.