Speed of Life

Breaking News: California State Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 8 But Does Allow 18,000 Existing Gay Marriages to Stand For all of us dedicated to equality this is a momentary setback for we have only just begun! More at: Courage Campaign California Supreme Court Upholds Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times From the Los Angeles Times - "Marine Staff Sgt. Ryan Gray and his wife, Alexsia, share a moment at Camp Pendleton before his recent deployment to Afghanistan. He wants her to make “what if” plans in case something happens to him." A must read from the Los Angeles Times: Must Read ~ At Camp Pendleton Every Day is Memorial Day

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band Something In the Night May 23, 2009, 50 Rte 120 East Rutherford, NJ 07073 As a Jersey boy, when life gets rough I tend to "turn the radio way up loud, so I don't have to think." And I tend to turn to my (slightly) older brother for his wisdom and comfort. Now it's my turn to offer a strong back and a shoulder to lean on. Life can seem cruel, unfair and oh so brief. I deeply understand the pathos when Bruce sings, "As soon as you got something, they send someone to try and take it away." Kent, maybe because he was born in Virginia, rather than in the state that became known as much for its factories and boarded up cities, would reject the cynicism in that line. Kent having learned much from our Marine Corps dad, instead, finds hope no matter what life throws his way and Kent knows how to soldier on. Luke Chadwick Gestures Against the Fading Light Kent's son Luke received a double lung transplant a year ago and has ...

Gregg Chadwick The Source of Words 48"x38" oil on linen 2009

Gregg Chadwick Sea of Spring 春の海 (Haru no umi) 36"x48" oil on linen 2009 Japan has been a continual theme in my life and artwork. At age 10, I began my artistic dialogue with Japan before I even exited our arriving plane in Okinawa. On that journey I sketched the new world around me and have continued to do so over the years. My latest body of work was inspired by an artistic pilgrimage to Tokyo and Kyoto in March and April 2009. At that time, I was privileged to be in Kyoto at the height of the cherry blossom season. Young geisha in training (maiko) and full geisha brought their own color and timeless beauty to the city. The word geisha in Japanese means arts - person ( gei - sha). The flower and willow world of these caretakers of Japan's traditional arts seems to be as fragile and impermanent as the cherry blossoms that bloom so quickly then fall each year. Gregg Chadwick Gion Night 85"x37" oil on linen 2009 Gregg Chadwick Karyūkai ( 花柳界) 85"x...

One of a series of four new pennies honoring the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth was released today. The design was sculpted by artist Charles L. Vickers for the United States Mint. On the reverse side of Vicker's new penny is a low relief of a young Abraham Lincoln sitting on a log reading a large book. It seems that Lincoln has found his true calling in the realm of words as he takes a break from his rail splitting duties in Indiana. Vickers has created an inspiring image that speaks as much of our time as Lincoln's. With high school drop out rates at 20% in California it is nice to be reminded daily that the mind needs to be exercised as much as the body. Lincoln's story is inspiring and as a nation we are fortunate that President Obama understands Lincoln's legacy. Sculptor Charles L. Vickers' story is inspiring as well. Vickers served with the 101st Airborne Division before heading off to New York in pursuit of his dream to become a professional art...

This weekend! Sunday, May 17, 2009 Now in its 30th year, the Venice Art Walk & Auctions has raised millions of dollars for Venice Family Clinic – largely through the Silent Art Auction, which offers great deals on original and limited-edition works by the biggest names in the Southern California art scene. Gregg Chadwick American Memory (Bobby and Teddy Kennedy) 10"x16" oil on linen 2009 (Larger View at: American Memory ) My painting is up for bidding on Sunday, May 17, at Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., in Venice. More at: 30th Anniversary Venice Artwalk 2009 Venice Art Walk & Auctions

Update; January 26, 2010 The statue is of Tawaret the goddess of protection during pregnancy and childbirth. Temple of Haroeris and Sobek, Kom Ombo , copyright by Gary Jones . The Egyptian god Sobek seems to be the inspiration for the giant statue on LOST. I was leaning towards Anubis but the crocodilian snout gives it away. (Anubis was probably a bit too close to Stargate anyway.) Gary Jones' masterful photo of the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek in Egypt shows Sobek in detail. The light in Jones' photo is stunning - mysterious and beckoning. Caroline Seawright writes of Sobek: "Having the form of a crocodile, the Egyptians believed that he also had the nature of a crocodile. He could be the strong, powerful symbol of the pharaoh, showing the ruler's might. He could use this force to protect the justified dead in their after life, and be the protector and rescuer of the other gods... yet he could also use that power to savage his enemies and the sinful decease...

Is this painting of Saint Anthony tormented by demons the earliest extant painting by Michelangelo ? Keith Christiansen, a curator of European painting at the Metropolitan Museum in New York is convinced the work is indeed a Michelangelo. The painting in question would have been painted when Michelangelo was a young (12 0r 13 year old) apprentice in the established Florentine painter Ghirlandaio's workshop. Michelangelo's earliest biographers including Giorgio Vasari and his former student Ascanio Condivi describe how a young Michelangelo was inspired by an engraving of Saint Anthony tormented by demons by the 15th century German artist Martin Schongauer. Michelangelo freely created his own version of the composition providing richly invented colors and a Tuscan landscape in which the action takes place. Carol Vogel in the New York times describes how Met curator Christansen's detailed examination of the painting convinced him that the work was Michelangelo's earlie...

And what they sing so lovely and so meaningless may urge itself upon you with the ache of something just beyond the point of being remembered the trace of a brave thought in the face of sadness. - Craig Arnold, from The Singer Gregg Chadwick A Balance of Shadows 72"x96" oil on linen On the small volcanic island of Kuchino-erabu off the coast of Japan, American poet Craig Arnold became lost and searchers have now concluded that Craig vanished over the side of a cliff into the unknown. It is sad whenever a life is lost but even more so when an artist in his youth leaves so much undone for us to only guess at. We are left to carry on in Craig's artistic spirit. More at: Craig Arnold - Facebook Tribute