The Art of Resilience

The Art of DeWayne Barton is heavy both literally and figuratively but He has crafted it, as the truly talented and driven Ones do, in a way that will gently guide You and help You to open UP Your mind and Your heArt.

Ami Worthen

DeWayne Barton’s “The Art of Resilience” art opening, book release and poetry reading is this Friday, November 13, starting at 7 pm at the YMI Cultural Center, 39 South Market Street. (Stop by after the Asheville High School debate if you have plans to attend that.) I hope to see you there!

As you may know, Barton’s visual art focuses on justice issues for people and the planet, as well as strategies for creating vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities. The show will feature new sculptures. In addition, the event will be a book release and poetry reading for Barton’s second book, Return to Burton Street, which just came out on Black Mountain Press.

Most importantly, “The Art of Resilience” will launch Hood Huggers International, Barton’s new initiative which o​ffers innovative strategies for building support pillars for systemically marginalized neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing…

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Happy Hallowe’en!

from the edge of the Hedgerow, where entangled vines grow, hiding doorways to Magic Realms… I made these two Hallowe’en themed prints for Jenny Fares’ Halloween Poster ART Show, now ongoing at the Pulp Gallery and private club underneath the Orange Peel: 

   

 featuring the King of all HOONs GaLoobe de Vampir and spacial guests Squeen Jellyberg, the Rocket Bull (Holy Cow) and a little dancing Skelleton and also some Pumpkin headed Goblins throwin’ strawberrys…

and WoW, the Holy Cow sparked inspiration for this straight fromanother far-away land!

WNC Black History Matters

I am thankful to have this report. Please read it if You have time.

Ami Worthen

Conference organizer Dr. Darin Waters with DeWayne Barton of Hood Huggers International.

Last week’s African Americans in WNC conference was as informative, upsetting, inspiring and energizing as I had expected. From Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr.’s educational and insightful keynote to the presentation of the incredible Isaiah Rice Photography Collection, the conference brought great value to all who attended. Luckily, David Forbes from the Asheville Blade was there live tweeting much of the event. Click here for a Storify of tweets and other coverage of the event, you can learn quite a bit from it.

The conference, with was sponsored by UNC Asheville, the YMI Cultural Center, and others, offered our community a potent antidote to the invisibility of African Americans in this region. The talks refuted myths and illuminated new perspectives. The power of this cannot be underestimated. In an area where racial disparities in economics, health, education, criminal justice…

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it’s Summertime now and I got that itch…

I wanna head North again! Jason Krekel and I will be heading to Maine two weeks from to-day to begin the Lake-a-Day-Cycle for 2105 and to join the Blue Bunny ALL-Stars UP in Maine for Our annual REunion, there. This year marks the Cicada REunion, 17 years since We first joined the Blue Bunny (Abbott Vaughn Meader) and Tim Krekel in Maine for the Blue Bunny Grass Band Maine Tour and we are gonna keep it going, for at least one more year, so join US!

the Maine Tour of 1998, July 26th – August 8th.

the Cicada REunion POster for 2105.

it’s been 17 years since Jason Krekel, Ami Worthen, Cailen Campbell, Jay Sanders, Sarah Griscom and I (among others) joined Abbott Vaughn Meader and Tim Krekel UP in Maine for the Blue Bunny Grass Band Summer Tour.

also see more of Jason Krekel’s Artwork here: www.krekelart.com

February Again!

the title borrows a bit from Regina Spektor’s song “Jessica”, which is quite lovely to hear. We are into the second calendar month of the year 2015 now and I have been busy making drawings and preparing for an Art Show in Raleigh, NC in April at the Simkin Gallery there. I have been posting these drawings on a Secret Group Page on Facebook but as that one has an even smaller viewership than this blog, I thought I’d include a few here for You to see:

so enjoy the Mid-Winter and these ARTs from me!

Mid Winter Blog

I am contemplating posting an entry in these wee hours. Here I am in the darkness, staring at the glowing screen, the almost half-full Moon having sunk into the barren hills to the west. Thoughts fill my head. I am wide awake. I believe this is my first post of the new year, almost at the end of January. I don’t like to wish time away but I don’t cherish January and while We are in the Sweet Spot of Winter, it can’t melt away into Spring soon enough. I’m riding on a fairly productive wave, anticipating an UPcoming Art Show in Raleigh, NC in March, at the tail-end of Winter, so I’ve got that to look forward to before Spring. I feel the cold sneaking into my bones and I have to keep warm and fill not only my belly with warm food and liquids but my heArt and mind with warm thoughts and feelings, too. Feel Your mind filling up with warmth, I repeat it into the void, that darkness that goes from the backside of this tiny remote device on into forever, I whisper it a third time just for luck… Outside my window, Stars twinkle in the clear, black night, the jewel-like indicators of unbelievable brightness from Eons away. What more can be written about the Stars or the Moon, lights in the darkness are Our salvation, at least I know they are mine. How many Winters have I endured? Forty-four and a half, so far. How many more will I endure, before I finally make my way permanently to some warmer zone? Who knows. Good night to You out there. Good luck staying warm and safe and happy.

Walrus Mandala!

I just completed this commissioned work for a Long-time Friend and Collector, to His specifications. It is one of the more unusual Paintings I’ve ever done and goes into the series of Marine Mammals, which I dearly Love!

All of these elements went into making the painting, which begins as pen and ink drawings and then I organize them and make a color-study on my computer. Usually those beginning colors are just suggestions and new colors are added before the painting is complete.

Sometimes even an incidental Art-piece is created. In this case it figured heavily in “the Earliest Days of the Miracle Wave” painting.