One of
the big pendejadas of life in the twenty-first century is that you
end up spending so much time frying your eyes, staring into a glowing
screen. The drawing board and sketchbook provide some relief, but
what do you do when it's been hours, and you need a break? And if
you're like me, so visually oriented that your idea of a good time is
looking at stuff?
Luckily,
I'm married to the fabulous Emily, and our house is surrounded by an
incredible Venusian garden – that is, Venusian for the time being,
during this cooler part of the year. Summer will be here soon, early
again, and the heat and radiation levels will burn it into its
Martian aspect. But for now, it has the look of Venusian jungle out
of 1930s pulp sci-fi, or if you prefer a more high brow metaphor, a
Max Ernst composition. A few steps out either the front or back
doors, and I'm surrounded by strange lifeforms, struggling to survive
in a harsh environment. If I'm not careful, they'll attack me and
draw blood.
It takes
me out of whatever writing or drawing I've been working on and
derails my imagination into someplace different. Also forces me to
focus my eyes a variety of distances. Sometimes I just enjoy the
abstract beauty of the ever-changing light and color on jagged
shapes. Sometimes it starts looking like art to me.
Must be
my training. Sooner or later, everything starts looking like art to
me.
So I
take pictures. I never liked photography. It was too mechanical. Too
much fiddling around to get everything perfect. I prefer my art to be
an immediate confrontation, like a bullfight.
Then,
Emily bought me a iTouch with a camera and encouraged me to use it.
Since I have so little experience with photography, I'm not hampered
by thinking of it as art or craft. I point and shoot, and if it
doesn't come out right – delete it!
I have
fun. It gives me something to post online. Who knows, it may actually
come in handy with my wacko career, but I'm not worrying about that
now. I'm getting distracted.
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