Speed of Life

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Fade Away, full band version, Live in Stockholm, Sweden @ Stockholm Stadion June 7th 2009 "We were always serious about Our Fun " - Bruce Springsteen, interviewed by Expressen TV, Stockholm Before launching into the first full band version (since 1981) of his song "Fade Away", which originally appeared on "The River" album, Bruce gets down on his knees and begs: "Is there anybody out there that’s ever felt the love they were having slipping away? I mean it’s not gone yet, but you can tell that it’s going… Have you ever felt a love that you had, slipping away? That’s right. That is an ugly feeling. You don’t know what you can do to fix it - probably nothing - you fucked up already! And so, it’s slipping away… And so it comes down to this: Is there any man out there with too much pride to beg to his woman?! I don’t have that much power; when it comes down to it - I beg! I get on my knees, and I beg to my woman...

Full Text: President Obama’s Speech to the Muslim World, delivered on June 4, 2009 in Cairo, Egypt (The phrases in bold type have been marked as areas of emphasis or discussion.) I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress . I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum . We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world – tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and coo...

Thought you would like to know that my painting of Barack Obama: "American Dreams" is up on the New York Times website. More at: Obama in Art

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

In Alex Eliot's marvelous essay in Frederick Franck's book, What Does it Mean to be Human? , Alex recounts his journey to the Greek region of Karoulia and his encounter with the "very holy fellow" Simon. Like many of his fellow Orthodox monks from Mount Athos, Simon retired to a cliff side residence in Karoulia. Perched high above the water, these monks spend their later years in solitude with the meeting of the sea and sky as their constant companion. Alex was invited by a fisherman from Mount Athos, who spoke of Simon as a holy fellow, to make the journey with him by sea to visit the monk. With the fisherman's boat bobbing in the waves below, Alex climbed a series of steps carved into the rock face with only a series of chains spiked into the cliff to hold onto. The fisherman had said, "If those chains will hold you, it is as God wills" for Alex to meet with Simon. At the end of his climb, Alex explains that he lay drenched in sweat gasping like a be...

Author Wil Wheaton talks about writing, the sweet smell of bookstores and his Star Trek days as well as his excitement about the upcoming Star Trek film. See Wil Wheaton at UCLA today. General Info Dates Saturday, April 25 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday, April 26 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Location UCLA 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Tickets Tickets are free! Tickets will be available on April 19 through ticketmaster.com. They are needed for indoor panels and speaker sessions. More... Parking Parking on the UCLA campus is $9. Free shuttle bus services will connect the outlying UCLA parking lots with the main festival entrances. More at: L.A.Times Festival of Books Website

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Springsteen and the E-Street Band cover the Ramones' "I Want to be Sedated" - Boston, April 22, 2009 Springsteen and the E-Street Band cover the Ramones' "I Want to be Sedated" - Boston, April 22, 2009 (full song - another view) On their current tour Springsteen and the E-Street Band are showing off their punk side. Last night in Boston, with a giddy Steve Van Zandt orchestrating the song, Springsteen and the E-Street Band covered the Ramones' "I Want to be Sedated". The video is a bit rough but in true punk form a manic energy is present. Enjoy! Mike Ness, Springsteen and the E-Street band perform Social Distortion's "Bad Luck" - Los Angeles, April 16, 2009

Art writer Holland Cotter has been awarded 2009's Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. From the Pulitzer site: The 2009 Pulitzer Prize for criticism has been "awarded to Holland Cotter of The New York Times for his wide ranging reviews of art, from Manhattan to China, marked by acute observation, luminous writing and dramatic storytelling." Sun Zhijun/Dunhuang Academy "Inside Mogaoku’s caves: A fifth-century painted Buddha, sprinkled with desert dust." Holland Cotter's article from July 2008, entitled Buddha's Caves , is a nice introduction to his writing: "Mogaoku is charmed ground. In late spring and early summer the air is fragrant, the sky a lambent blue, the desert oceanically serene. And there is the art and the soaked-in atmosphere of devotion. The place leaves strong and alluring memories in the memories of visitors; in its caretakers it inspires lifelong loyalty." Gregg Chadwick Sketchbook Image of "Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Port...

Gregg Chadwick Karyūkai ( 花柳界) 85"x54" oil on linen 2009