illustration

Provision

I have been printing an edition of Flying Fish, a copper-plate engraving about the miracle of provision experienced by Thor Heyerdahl and his crew in the Pacific Ocean on their balsa log raft, the Kon Tiki. This print is for sale at the Baumwerk Etsy store.

…a Walking Man drawing for my friend Steven.

Place

“Rootrill” I hope that you will forgive me for posting an eleven minute song in the twenty first century. Mostly, I hope that you enjoy it.

arc contain glow

seen through scene

bois d arc meteorite

slanting even evening light

ancient bone star dust

deere ghost sheep goat add straw and mix well

cross turn

years unfurl in the eternal present

young hands dextrous

core sample of stored solar energy

made vacant for gold

quince roots herbs leg

reamed tapered tapped turned twisted sunk fitted formed around

concentrate earth line essence

absorb the sun and use it for life

pull transfer motion

dividing even unto cambium and xylem

layers and layers

learn purpose practicing discipline

stop motion

frozen movement osage root as it once reached

three forms of light

hand in hand you who once swayed

ancient releasing story

the turning of light upon the solar bank countless voices scratch and turn

golden hands once full wait for wisdom

new moon forest window

tall down cut stack turn stack down

erth-maker here we bend here we grow

establish converge into order dust scratcher

welcome the new bird and fare thee well

Walking Man of the Roots

Walkning Man of the Roots, detail

Carving Mr. Edom… Still

Slowly carving away at a block of linoleum featuring Obed Edom and the Ark of God’s covenant with Israel.

A Vessel, Strange and Unknown Finds Walking Man

A vessel from the earth, strange and unknown, baring forth both blood and fire, finds Walking Man

When You Spoke, guitar, accordion, banjo, and voice.

Walking Man, Root

A new drawing of Walking Man with some contextual review. And a traditional tune called The Gobby-O, played by the skin of my teeth on the tenor banjo, with spoons and guitar.

Walking Man Works At Becoming a Tree

The Unmixing of Walking Man

Walking Man on a boat in the mist

Walking Man in the Sea

The Comissioning of Walking Man into a Mystery and Problem

Walking Man and the Miracle of the Flying Fish

Walking Man in the Tunnel of the Ancient

Walking Man Recovering that which was Lost

The Legend of Walking Man

Adamant

Walking Man of the Woods and City

Everything, Everything

The Sign of Jonah, guitar and voice

The ocean of images from the deluge of early February

If you like Jonah, check out my friend Robbie Pruitt’s opus.

Small History of Flying Fish

sandstone, guitar flying fish5

…If we set the little paraffin lamp out at night, flying fish were attracted by the light and large and small, shot over the raft… flying fish7

…It sometimes happened that we heard an outburst of strong language from a man on deck when a cold flying fish came unexpectedly, at a good speed, slap into his face…

…They always came at a good pace and snout first, and if they caught one full in the face they made it burn and tingle…

…But the unprovoked attack was quickly forgiven by the injured party, for with all its drawbacks, we were in a maritime land of enchantment where delicious fish dishes came hurling through the air…

…We used to fry them for breakfast, and wether it was the fish, the cook or our appetites, they reminded us of fried troutlings once we had scraped the scales off… Thor Heyerdahl, Kon Tiki, 1950

…There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?……Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all… …Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted… …When they were satisfied, he told, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”

…So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets… John 6, 9-13 NRSV

In the dark and unlit ceiling of the Loretta Chapel there is a lonely painting of a chunky fish atop a heavy slab of bread. At the moment Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa log raft was colliding with a dusty man breaking bread in the grass of Palestine. The long pilgrim road leading through elder drifts, slabs of rock, mountains of hailstones, unearthly fish with a mouth like a grave. The sign of Jonah. Provision comes unlooked for, and fear is weathered away.