"Words have meaning, and type has spirit…"

Paula Scher

Tungurahua Erupts, Patrick Taschler (2006)
(via APOD: 2012 April 2)

"The language of modern painting is thus far a secret language, and it must be learned anew for each painter."

Robertson Davies; Painting, Fiction, and Faking

Familiar Skies (by danica+karl)

Reminders of farmlands and country living

Now mix with a new generation of pioneer folk and industry

Home to big skies and the rocky prairies

We’re settling the West

And this is what it looks like

For all those who missed out on the first round of invites to view our recent work from Namibia, it’s up on Tumblr for all to enjoy.

Freedom Sound Quartet (by danica+karl)

Cramped and cluttered venues lit for wining and dining seldom allow for stunning compositions or interesting photos.  With the simple elegance of classic jazz photos in mind I’ve done a lot of heavy lifting to make something I’m proud to share.  Click thru to see this on Etpost

Freedom Sound is:

Aaron Leaney (Saxophone) 

Matt Danby (Guitar)

Rubim DeTeledo (Bass)

Afolabi Fapojuwo (Drums)

Jane Chan (Cello) 

fthedesk asked: You are amazing, Karl! I miss you and hope you're doing great. How did you get involved with the (from the sounds of it, ill-managed) travel pilot? Would like to know more. Stay well! Sarah.

Amazing?  *blush*  What a compliment.  Gee Sarah, thank you :)

I’ve oft thought fondly of our shared timespace ensemble, and miss you too.

I’ve raconted the tales of my (mis)adventures in person many a time, but seeing as how I’m in Calgary at the mome’ I’d be glad to tell it to ya if you wanna google hangout or skype while I’m far and away.

In the meantime, here’s a snippet from my time out in Africa.

xo,

Karl

"La couleur est par excellence la partie de l’art qui détient le don magique. Alors que le sujet, la forme, la ligne s’adressent d’abord à la pensée, la couleur n’a aucun sens pour l’intelligence, mais elle a tous les pouvoirs sur la sensibilité."

Eugène Delacroix

"… There’s a group of equally sensitive colorists who argue that there’s no such thing as a muddy color mixture… only muddy relationships of color in a given composition. A given color either looks right in its pictorial context or it doesn’t. The effect of drabness or dullness comes from poor value organization more than from bad mixtures or bad mixing practices."

James Gurney, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind."

Dr. Seuss (via rerylikes)

“To the very young child any block of time seems infinite.  Tell her that supper will be ready in three minutes: desperate wailing will signal her conviction that you have sentenced her to starvation.  Tell her to hurry because time is running out, and she will not know what you are talking about.  How can infinity run out?  Only two units of time exist for the small child: the now and the not-now.  The not-now is infinity.”

Gabor Maté, Scattered Minds

I’m rather fond of this concept, and have included the more of the passage for context.  In the course of my personal research on mental wellness, I’ve been exploring Maté’s writings, and appreciate the beauty, simplicity, and depth of: the now, and the not-now.  I honour my present, and take joy in all.

Last November, my good friend and fellow image maker Ryan Faubert and I were commissioned to film a luxury travel and adventure tourism pilot for American television.  With the brilliant skies and natural wonders of Namibia as our star attractions, we were full of optimism and excitement: what an opportunity to translate our experiences into something we can share with others!

I’m still processing the disappointment with our client, whose unprofessionalism has left many hardworking and trusting people holding the bag, but remind myself to be free of these ill feelings, and grow on with love and joy.

After this long silence, I’m pleased to share some supreme vibes from my journeys afar.  The above cinemagraph is a snippet from a lighting test taken while working on location at Huab Lodge :)

So my sis finished this sweet crafty bantha for her friend tonight, and we decided to give it a proper photo shoot.  The bantha we photographed on a towel with her phone, and composited it with footage from my recent assignment in Sossusvlei, Namibia with Ryan Faubert.  The piece-de-résistance is the twisted typographic gene splicing that turns a pony into a bantha ;)

This picture was recently selected as Open File’s Photo of the Day, and is making the rounds on tumblr thanks to Zoey and Gabrielle.

I’m grateful for everyone’s kindness in visiting and sharing.  Let there be love and good vibes to grow and inspire your dreams on this plane and beyond.