Carl B Johnson – CBJ Art dot com
Nothing quiet on the Western Front
Plane wasted
oil on canvas
One of my larger paintings done at 3AM.
Sometimes a painting does not have to have a meaning. I paint because I have a compulsion to paint. I use whatever is laying around the house… in this case a bottle of bourbon I was drinking and an antique plane from my collection of old tools. I am an old tool, so it is only fitting I collect old tools.
Crucifiedix
mixed media assemblage
No matter what I do, I can’t get a good photo of this piece.
It is a cigar box, painted black. Inside is a panting of the crucifixion. In front is a glass with an X-ray of a skull.
Sort of like the ultimate skull fuck.
TAPS
When I was young I used to go to church.
Church is the house of god. But the bible says you are a temple… so any time I am with myself, then I am at church. Continue reading “Taps”
Captain Tony’s
oil on canvas
In Key West, I have three favorite bars. The Green Parrot is number one, when I am there they charge me local’s prices, because I act like a local, not a tourist. If I could live anywhere in the world, Key West would be my first choice. My liver would not survive.
The Smallest Bar
oil on canvas
The Smallest Bar in Key West is a garage on Duval St.
I like the place because it is so small, you cannot but help to get in conversations with others. I always meet people from other countries. Even with language barriers we have great conversations. Continue reading “The Smallest Bar in Key West”
Yesterday was the National Gallery Free Museum Day. All museums are open for no admission. The larger museums require advance registration.
The Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ has a large collection of ancient and modern American Indian art. Continue reading “The Heard Museum”
God doesn’t play dice with the Universe
Albert Einstein said that. I believe it may have been in reference to Schroedinger and his cat.
One of my pastimes is reading about quantum mechanics, particle physics and philosophy. Einstein believed in a set order of the universe, Schroedinger believed in the universe changing depending on observation. Nothing happens unless it is observed. The cat is both alive and dead, and neither dead nor alive, until observed.
Light is both particles and waves. It reacts differently depending on the observer. Light is a wave if you are looking for waves, but it is comprised of particles if that is what you are seeking to observe.
I still can’t wrap my head around that, but it has been proved experimentally.
One of my favorite books is out of print, “The Dancing WuLi Masters” by Gary Zukov. It explains quantum mechanics in layman’s language, without all the mind-boggling math at which I am barely sufficient.
Faces in the Window
Mixed media found object
Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia had a group exhibit. One of the members had all of the windows in his South Philly row house replaced, and offered the old windows to the gallery for a challenge.
Every member was allowed to select a frame, and use it in an art piece.
The faces on my window were made with hot glue over a glass head. I then added found objects from my neighborhood, including used syringes, spent bullet casings, an old cassette tape, and other detritus. I think I was selected for an award on this, but it was so long ago, I sort of forget.
Emery is full Apache. He lives on the San Carlos reservation, and has a peridot mine.
The San Carlos reservation is home to the largest peridot deposit on earth. Dig just a few feet into the earth and you will strike a vein.
Peridot is a semi-precious stone. It id not native to this planet, but is residual from meteorite strikes.
All property on the rez is owned by the tribe. There is no real private property. You can own your house or trailer, just not the land underneath. Emery had to approach the tribal elders to be approved to stake his claim on his mine. At any time, the elders can revoke his privilege.
Emery mines the peridot, which is a frangible stone. While not rare, larger stones are infrequent.
Peridot is vivid green. The mining is done with sledges and picks. Hard work. The choice stones are then sold to gemstone merchants who then cut the stones. Emery buys the cut stones back, and his wife and daughters create jewelry that they sell.
It was an honor to be invited to his mine. The last white eyes he invited were NASA scientists seeking information on the San Carlos peridot. It is very difficult to be allowed to roam uninvited on the Rez if you are not Apache.
Looking north on the San Carlos rez, you can see the southern border of the White Mountain Apache tribe.
Emery’s hair is short in these photos. He suffered a loss in his family, and in Apache tradition had his hair shorn. Otherwise, the traditional Apache men do not cut their hair.
Emery insisted we take any rocks we wanted as souvenirs. I picked up a few small specimens. I think he may have been insulted, because he gave me several very large rocks when we left.
Of all of the great places to visit in Arizona, most of them open to the public, I have had the pleasure to see first hand the places that are not open to tourists. And I have people such as Emery to thank for that.
Young Love
Oil on canvas
Yeah, a few too many martinis that night, I am sure.