no words…

This piece would not have happened without hanging around with and seeing the work of Karl Ciesluk when I was in Ontario… he has a series fish reflection land art creations.. and a very brilliant mind! I decided to add a bit of Gravity Glue flavor to the idea since I’ve been in the mood to play with reflections. Made this yesterday! :) it is fun to consider this creation in relation to the following Alan Watts quote…

“Now if you get with yourself, and you find out that you are ALL of yourself, a very strange thing happens.. You find that your body knows that you’re one with the universe.. In other words, that the so called involuntary circulation of your blood is one continuous process with the stars shining. If you find out that it’s YOU who circulates your blood, You will at the same moment find out that you are shining the sun. Because your physical organism is one continuous process with everything that’s going on.”

“At any moment, you have a choice that either leads you closer to your spirit, or further away from it.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote is a very profound contemplation. The last six years have come to a point of transformation that pivots on these balances in particular. Just as Fall transforms Summer into Winter, it has opened the door of transformative possibility in my own life.  I like the idea of flowing with the seasons.  They have a much stronger gravity on our consciousness than I imagine most might believe. Point is, the voice inside, call it intuition, has been speaking to me  very strongly for almost a year now, and I finally made the choice that moves me closer to spirit. Of course there are no expectations from this recent change, but the new possibilities of every moment are extremely exciting.  It will require hard work, dedication, patience, ebbs and flows, and most of all something different and good learning experience.

For these balances, My question was how to include the Fall colors from the trees overhead as a background for my balances. I sat in this area for awhile before realizing that a time exposure would capture a relatively clear reflection off this small pool of still-water.  The inspiration happened. So my focus turned to reflections.  From the right angle, perfectly submerged base rocks would disappear in the vivid reflection of the sun-lit trees above the creek. The idea was perfect, and the balancing began. The balance session yielded these images. No photoshop, just reflections and balance.

Happy Fall to everyone. go out and play. :)

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Found a nice spot on boulder creek, up the canyon a little bit where some aspens were changing color… the reflections off the creek were quite beautiful. :)  Despite the freezing creek, my focus ignored the cold and i remained shooting pictures of this balance for about an hour. experimenting with exposures, capturing subtle light changes, etc.. Time was lost very well here.  Also, the new experience was one to add to collection of unforgettable.

I love the quote here because it is so true when it comes to the art of stone balance.  Especially the learning process.  All my experience in Boulder Creek pushed me to explore when otherwise, I would not have found this place and experience. Now, the experience sticks in my mind as stretching from the regular flow. Finding the opportunity to include the changing aspens behind one of my balances. To balance in the brilliant glow of the aspens. I bet some future balance sessions will draw on this experience for inspiration. Especially color-wise. :)

“To say the word Romanticism is to say modern art — that is, intimacy, spirituality, color, aspiration towards the infinite, expressed by every means available to the arts.”

~ Charles Baudelaire

Going out to the creek lately has been very peaceful and quiet compared to the warm busy days of summer. With Fall underway, the colors are in full swing here in Boulder.  Temperatures have also dropped considerably along with increased rain this week.  These conditions have an intimate effect on the balance experience, and just being outside in general. Normally most people like to stay inside in these conditions, but I find the atmosphere quite romantic. This sense of romance really came through yesterday in my balance session. This balance felt right through the entire build. very little hesitation, then, before I thought, it stood elegantly over a slow moving pool in the creek.  Humidity was high and colors were full after the fresh rain.  And the reflecting balance and turning trees added the final touch of comprehensive perfection to the experience.