Word Tattoo
I invite you to join me on a journey to explore memories of the future.
a blog by john-michael korpal
Fractured Growth
The seeds of summer begin shedding their outer shells. Revealing a tiny green sprout that is hidden just below the surface. The silence in the beginning as nothing is tangible just energy whooshing about. Washing over the feelings of heavy expectations, hurt, disappointment, shame and fear. This is what has built the outer shell; piece-by-piece, layer-by-layer; it has been reinforced, nurtured and showered with love.
It is the blackened blinders that limit the scope of vision. Stuck and afraid, not knowing what to think or how to move as the light of day steams into the fractured kernel. An opportunity to curl up and rest till the storm passes, but there are fragments of me that want to go play in the lightening. I am not sure if either of these are the correct alternatives. Observations and seeing are very different things.
What to walk away with in this moment? The calm balance, crave the sunnier, more joy. Lose my connection to what I hold dear most, being human deserving of a genuine human experience, seed expressing, expanding, evolving.
The body; tightness in the shoulders, neck, stomach feels very low in the gut, shoulder blades pushed forward. Temples tight as the eyes search for sleep and want to close, maybe to get a better idea of what is. Arms feel heavy but resting as thoughts and fear are released into print, to remove it from the minds eye, to place it before me rather than be flooded, drowned and consumed.
The light flicks off and there is silence and the seed waits in the darkness.
Laughter Makes Everything Better!
The Outdoor Studio is Complete!
Today, I took a break to play in the dirt!
The back porch is all planted up and ready for the summer festivities to start.
This little space will be where I spend most of my time creating, reading, writing, planning and dreaming.
Maybe you can join me someday for coffee or a refreshing drink while we explore the world of art!
Happy Day to you!
Kinsey Institute
I wanted to share with everyone the piece that was included in the Kinsey Institute Show last weekend.
This has expanded my personal boundaries as this is the first sexually based work that has been viewed outside of my studio.
This also personally opens new doors as to what will be in the future.
Blurred Lust consists of a wooden container that represents a calendar filled with empty amyl nitrite bottles labeled with the days and months. In the process of collecting over 265 bottles I became fascinated with how each bottle has a story to share and a history that is unknown. I chose 28 random bottles, exploring a series of anonymous stories. Each inhalation of the amyl nitrite creates a blurred reality, where all of the senses are heightened, while being numbed at the same time. The empty bottles suggest the void an individual creates as they vacate sensations and are lulled into a vacuum, encouraging sexual fantasies to consume them. This void is defined by the fragile edge of reality, quickly blurred, causing one to submit to the haze of lustful carnage explored behind closed doors and hidden darkened corners.
POP Up Art In Bloomington, Indiana
This last weekend I visited Bloomington and I came across this little ripple in time, a vortex into a unfamiliar and stimulating new world. Tempted by a sea of bubbles as I traveled below street level into a storefront of an old bank with blocked out windows ensnared me as I transported.
The project: “Free Birthday Party: Camping on Venus” hosted by The Headquarters. Presented by Cloud Preaser. I hope that the images will communicate the energy of this whimsical journey.
Pushing the door open you pierce a world filled with reflections of light and color as it dances off of the surfaces of crumpled Mylar that encases the room, you question what awaits you around the next corner?
To your left a room labeled the Birthday Party, a celebration that has been suspended in time. Streamers cover the ceiling as they reflect the cotton candy pink lights reminding us of a time in the past… or something that has been long trapped in the imagination. Venturing forward along the maze you find yourself slowly sinking into a room filled with sand… you have landed in a new world as you look down, footprints of the ones who came before you, sit a while in the oasis of green. Rest up, for your journey has just begun.
Balloons, lots of balloons “caution|peligro” maybe another party, but this one you are not alone as the eyes of another observes your every move. Maybe you will find a false comfort in that…maybe not.
The journey continues through rooms of dinosaurs and a “safe” place to have a relaxing luncheon. Your visit to this strange and wonderful space concludes with travels through more lights reflecting as you return to the here and now, you may seem the same, but are you… Perhaps your molecules have rearranged just a little bit as you experienced this vortex of time and space, only time will tell.
The artists involved in this project.
Phil Cardenas
Ben Jaggers
Nelson Kaufman
Ian Kime
Matt Lawler
Heidi Wieland
Jialin Yang
The closing reception is Saturday, May 24; starting approximately around 6pm.
Cloud Preaser currently has a Facebook Page to document the works.
Check them out and like their Page to keep up with their latest adventures. Learn more about who they are and their mission to birth fresh new art into the world.
Lessons Learned In Life
Sketch # 35
This is my 15 minutes sketch from this morning.
It was a good way to start a long day of editing my writings for future projects.
It is a wonderful reminder to always stay focused and keep returning to the question that is asked until I reach that answer that I believe in 100%.
At that moment I begin to understand
At that moment I move forward in my process.
Perception…
Chicago Mural Street Art
One of the many benefits of living in a big city is that you are constantly surrounded by art in many different forms. Architecture, music, amazing cuisine and the best is all the artwork in its many shapes and media.
I know that many of you are located in different states and even a few in other counties. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the art that I get to experience daily as I walk in the morning to get coffee and sit by the lake to read. These are all located on the same street; if I had turned right or left I would have had even more images to share. What types of Street Art do you have in your city? I would love to see them, if you could take photos and send them to me I would love to do a blog post on Street Art from around the world.
Send to johnmichaelkorpal@gmail.com
