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This is from a 35mm slide on my first of two hikes up to Mt Whitney, highest peak in the lower 48 states, in July 1985.
Here it is Labor Day and I didn't make it up into the Sierras this summer. Oh well, I did get some good experiences elsewhere, but it doesn't seem right to see summer go by without a Sierra backpack or at least a camping trip up in the tall timber.
Typical game in every Independence Day, we call it "Panjat Pinang", climbing Pinang.
This year around 363 poles of Pinang trees has been set up and ready to beat. The rewards are attractive, mostly vouchers, backpack, gifts and bicycles. The trees has been set so that not very easy to climb, since it has been greasing with black color... You can imagine how difficult can be...
Title: Spring rewards
Year : 2016
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To reach the shore of this fantastic mountain lake on the Lofoten islands was a real scramble through dense forest, steep slopes and large boulders. But the reward was huge with this peaceful Autumn lake just after sunrise...
Gift Group of the Week is a great opportunity for Second Life residents to discover free gifts and exclusive rewards offered by various in-world groups. Each week highlights a special group where members can claim unique items such as fashion, accessories, décor, and other creative goodies. It’s the perfect way to explore new creators, expand […]
Check it out: media-sl.com/gift-group-of-the-week-free-second-life-gift...
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Harvest season is upon us now, though it was still a little ways out when I visited the DREI a few weeks ago. The fields have once again gone gold, signifying an incoming increase in rail traffic as they're harvested, which also means a hell of a lot more work for the employees on the DREI. I'm sure it's a "fun" time over there at this time of year.
You know, Watcos scheme is a little on the controversial side - and for good reason, it's boring as hell and uninspired. Really most of these corporate schemes are, but I never see praise for Watco, which is fair. I'll give them one thing though, they at least picked a nice shade of yellow. It pairs nicely with the fields around this time of year. Especially if you only look at the front...
Just east of Tuscola, Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroads 101 job puts down some power after slow going through Tuscola. A healthy combo of being in the middle of town and the former owners of the line, CSX, having let the track condition diminish creates a bit of a rollercoaster of speeds in the area, and on the railroad as a whole. Slow through the UP/CN-IC/DREI diamond and town, fast east of town, and slowing once they reach the nearby town of Camargo - it's quite the adventure following 101 and its ups and downs!
The flowers of the Ceropegias are, in my opinion, among the most bizarre and highly specialized of any in the plant kingdom. The flowers are characterized by very long floral tubes, ending in a markedly bulbous base, intricately folded petals which are frequently united at the tips to produce a distinctive bird cage, or egg beater shaped flower (as in C. linearis v woodii, or C. bosserii). The interior of the floral tube is often lined with backward pointing pointing hairs, and many species produce distinctive scents. All of these adaptations insure that only very specific insects are attracted to the flowers, and only these can actually penetrate into the deep interiors of the flowers where pollination will actually occur. Unlike the flowers of many plants, the flowers of the Ceropegias do not offer the pollinators any rewards - the flowers are not known to produce significant (if any) nectar, and the pollen is concentrated into compact pollinia, and is seldom (if ever) consumed by the pollinators. As a rule, only a few species of insects can successfully pollinate the flowers of any given species of Ceropegia - the scents produced by the flowers, flower colors, and other visual cues will only attract a fairly specific group of insects, and the shape and size of the flowers will screen out all insects which are not of the proper size - I would not be surprised to discover that some plants may only be pollinated by a single species of insect in habitat.
The Ceropegias are a members of the milkweed family: Approximately 200 species are recognized, virtually all are native to tropical and sub tropical regions of the old world, with a majority of species originating from southern Africa and Madagascar. Most species are vining perennials, with a good number of succulent species - many produce tuberous roots, while some are stem, and occasionally, leaf succulents; a few species are shrubby perennials.
Ceropegia cimiciodora is native to South Africa: the stems are dimorphic - producing thick, very succulent scrambling stems during its vegetative phase; these stems are cryptically colored, and may grow to several feet in length. Minute, ephemeral leaves are produced on widely spaced nodes on the stems. As the flowering season approaches, the stems transition into extremely long, thin, twining stems which produce multiple racemes of flower buds during its flowering phase. Stem growth at this time can be remarkably rapid - my plant produced a vining stem in excess of 6 feet in a period of about 4 months.
The flowers are somewhat atypical for the Ceropegias, with spreading petals instead of petals which are united at their tips, but exhibit other traits which are typical of the Ceropegias. The flowers are comparatively large, with floral tubes in excess of 2 inches, and petals spreading to about 1.5 inches across. The inside petal surfaces are covered with fine purple to magenta hairs. The flower colors are variable in this species: on my plant, the inside petals are a greenish beige with minute purplish spots, the floral tube and outside petals are beige with purplish splotches, but in the photographs of other plants, the flowers may also be chartreuse. This species was named for the unusual scent emitted by the flowers - "cimiciodora" translates "smelling like a bed bug". I am able to say that the flowers do in fact emit a scent reminiscent of a crushed bedbug (please do not ask me how I would know), however, this scent is not especially strong, and I have only detected it on a few occasions on my plant. The scent appears to be emitted only at certain times of the day, and temperature and light intensity may also play a factor on when or even if this plant will produce a noticeable scent on any given day. I wasn't sure what sort of insect would be attracted to the flowers of this plant - I can report that I have never seen any bedbugs on this plant, and none of the literature has cited any evidence that this plant can attract these pests. While taking a close-up of one of flowers, I noticed some activity deep in the floral tube, and eventually captured this image of a gnat sized fly that was attracted into the flower:
www.flickr.com/photos/glochidman/21937422609/in/album-721...
This fly showed no difficulty in negotiating its way into the deep interior of the flower, and back again, (some authorities suggest that some insects may become trapped inside of Ceropegia flowers for hours and even days). I was hopeful that this fly (and several others which I observed) would have succeeded in pollinating the flowers of this plant, but to date, I have not seen any evidence of developing fruits.
This plant is easy to grow: It responds well to my general guidelines on growing cacti and other succulents, with a few considerations. This plant needs full sun to thrive, and should be grown outdoors whenever temperatures permit to benefit from exposure to direct sunlight and higher growing temperatures. Flowering seems to be initiated by changes in the daylength; flower buds begin to appear in late summer, and flowers are produced from late summer through fall. Without a significant change in day length, this plant may never produce flowers - which may be important information if you intend to grow plants under artificial lights. While this plant will take very cool temperatures, and will survive brief exposure to nearly freezing temperatures, I do not believe that it will survive even brief exposure to freezing conditions. Extended cold conditions will probably weaken this plant, even during its winter dormancy, I would recommend maintaining somewhat warmer conditions in winter; above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Plants are easily propagated from cuttings taken while the plant is actively growing - it can probably be propagated by some variation of air layering. To date, I have not seen any seed production on any of the plants which I have observed, so I cannot report on how easy it is to grow this plant from seed.
This plant is not for most growers, the plant itself is not particularly attractive; the stems are typically scrambling, and will spread some distance from its pot. Grown in a hanging basket, the succulent stems will hang to a length of several feet. During its flowering phase, the twining stems will grow upright many feet, and will insinuate themselves through anything that will provide any support. While some people will appreciate the curious flowers of this plant, those persons who prefer flowers with more classical beauty, and more flamboyant colors will probably be unimpressed with these. This a great plant however for those growers who seek out the great oddities of the plant kingdom, and who can appreciate this plant for its curious traits - I'm sure that it will have an appeal to those growers who's tastes are on the gothic side (imagine the Adams Family), for everyone else, it may be best to appreciate this plant vicariously through photos.
There are times as a transvestite that I really wish I could pass myself off as an actual female, in fact I dream of having the looks and ability to achieve a convincing illusion of being a woman. I acknowledge that despite harbouring the desire to do this I simply don't have what it takes to ever succeed in with this aspiration.
Despite my obvious failures to look and behave like a woman I still have a wonderful time on each occasion I indulge in my love of male to female cross-dressing. It is always a thrill and I feel incredibly happy engaging in gender illusion and imagining I am a woman. It's a powerful emotional experience that I know I have a need to experience, I simply cannot resist the inner urge within me to dress and attempt to look female.
This photo taken in early June captures me in a rather joyous moment of delight. I fail to look female but I truly enjoyed being outside dressed as one and loved having the make-up on my face and wearing the wig. My dream will remain elusive but the inner delight of actually doing this for real is rewarding and as ever for me, very exciting.
I experienced an increase in confidence by wearing make-up, I enjoyed having a female hair style and I was euphoric to be wearing a dress and high heels having had my legs waxed the previous day. To feel the soft summer breeze caressing my smooth hairless legs and the hem of my dress while catching the scent of the perfume I had dabbed on and the glimpses of my painted nails, the feel of the feminine fabrics and delight of my feet being in high heels which are uncomfortable but so fabulously feminine, yes indeed, I just love being a transvestite!
Being outside in the garden is the furthest I will ever venture while cross-dressed as I know I will never pass publicly as this picture shows all too clearly, it is very obvious I am a man dressed up as a woman so I need to be realistic about my abilities. I love cross-dressing but I also know where to draw the line with my limited skills and physicality.
I do receive compliments on my appearance and I'm grateful people are so nice to me as their words are encouraging but I know in reality I don't really look like a woman and no matter how hard I try I never will, that's just how it is.
This obvious limitation in my skills and physical abilities does not diminish the fun and joy I gain from cross-dressing, I still adore my time as Helene. I'm am sure I am not alone in recognising one's limitations but knowing one can still enjoy themselves despite this and gain fulfilment from the act of attempting to look like a woman, it is a amazing thing to do and as I mentioned earlier, I love it :-)
He climbed the monumental statue of Athena, a feat as arduous as the gigantic bronze figure itself. He has reached a new height, both figuratively and literally. He gazes upon the world around him, relishing in his newly acquired wisdom and knowledge. The brilliant light of the moon breaks through the clouds, bathing the scene in a divine, ethereal glow. A moment of peace, reflection, and awe ensues. “What an Almighty Creator that painted such a heavenly canvas,” He realizes. The greatest rewards of a difficult journey are not just in the struggle, but in the quiet moments of triumph where one can stop and appreciate the new heights they have reached.
(Screenshot taken on Xbox One S)
Waseley Hills.
The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Charles Wysocki, 2002
Photographed at the Willapa Seaport Museum, Raymond, Washington
This richly detailed print by American folk artist Charles Wysocki rewards slow looking. The fictional vessel "Ezra Farrington Snipe, Bouymaker" -- note the painter's deliberate misspelling, a wink embedded in the sign -- sits beached and retired, her hull festooned with buoys of every description.
Snipe himself dozes in a rocking chair amid the glorious clutter of a life's work: anchors, driftwood, a black cat, a wheelbarrow of glass floats, and gulls who have long since claimed everything as their own. A long garland of red buoys loops like bunting across the foreground, and a channel marker lists in the shallows to the left.
The whole scene is suffused with Wysocki's characteristic pleasure in American coastal vernacular -- the accumulated gear, the hand-lettered signs, the sense that this particular backwater has been arranging itself into art for decades without anyone's permission.
About the Artist
Charles Wysocki (1928-2002) was born in Detroit, Michigan, and studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He spent years working as a commercial illustrator before finding his true subject matter in an idealized, nostalgic vision of early American life -- village greens, harvest festivals, harbors, and the quietly heroic ordinariness of working people and their tools.
His style drew on the American folk art tradition while remaining technically accomplished in ways that pure folk art rarely is: his spatial compositions are ambitious, his light carefully observed, and his humor dry and consistent.
Wysocki's prints became enormously popular beginning in the late 1970s through the AMCAL publishing company, and he developed a devoted following among collectors who responded to the warmth and specificity of his invented worlds.
He had a gift for naming things -- his paintings carried titles and inscriptions that functioned as small stories in themselves -- and for populating his scenes with details that rewarded repeated visits.
He died in 2002, the same year this print was completed, making "Where the Buoys Are" among his final works.
The Willapa Seaport Museum's display of it is fitting: Wysocki spent much of his later career celebrating exactly the kind of working waterfront heritage that the museum preserves.
On the Word "Buoy"
Few words in the English maritime vocabulary carry as tangled a history as "buoy," and fewer still inspire such ongoing disagreement about how to pronounce it.
Americans say "BOO-ee," the British say "boy," and both camps regard the other with quiet nautical contempt.
The word entered English in the late 13th or early 14th century from either Old French "boie" or Middle Dutch "boeye," both meaning a chain or fetter -- the idea being not the floating marker itself but the thing that held it in place, tethered to the bottom.
Those roots trace back further to a Latin root related to binding and restraint. The float, in other words, was originally named for its anchor, not its buoyancy -- defined by what it was held by rather than what it did. It is a small etymological irony that a word now synonymous with floating began life meaning chained down.
The spelling stabilized in English around the 16th century, but the pronunciation never did, which is why the word still sits uneasily between its French past and its Anglo-American present -- bobbing, appropriately enough, between two worlds.was he well regarded.
Wysocki occupies an interesting and somewhat contested place in American art history -- beloved by the public, largely ignored by the critical establishment, and probably fine with that arrangement.
Within his chosen genre he was genuinely accomplished. His draftsmanship was strong, his compositional instincts were sophisticated, and his ability to build a coherent fictional world with internally consistent rules -- its own architecture, typography, humor, and seasonal light -- went well beyond what most illustrators attempt.
Collectors responded to something real in the work, not just to sentimentality. He had an eye.
The art world's indifference to him was less a judgment on his skill than on his subject matter and his commercial success. Folk art nostalgia, Americana, prints sold through gift catalogs -- these are not categories that attract serious critical attention regardless of how well executed the work is.
The same fate befell Norman Rockwell for decades, until scholars eventually circled back and made a more honest accounting of what Rockwell had actually achieved.
Something similar may yet happen with Wysocki, though it has not happened yet in any significant way.
Among illustrators and narrative painters he is well regarded. Among collectors of American prints he remains highly sought after. Among museum curators and art critics he is essentially invisible.
The honest answer is that he was very good at something that the gatekeepers of reputation have decided not to care about -- which is a different thing from not being good.
When I left this for the gym this morning there was no light,
On the way home it was quite bright.
From my backyard I was given this gift,
So obviously my camera I did lift.
This is evidence that God is great,
A wonderful sky... thanks to my best mate!
This image is part of my Rhyming Captures Set
White Oak (Quercus alba) above our driveway, Faircrest Neighborhood, Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA, October 23, 2025
Islambag, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Leading a life has its difficulties.
It has toil, tension and sorrow.
Leading a life has its rewards, too.
It has success, amazement and exhilaration....
It has little yet wonderful gifts of happiness....for everyone rich and poor, it has a gift of smile.
Captured from Islambag, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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For permission, mail me at:
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A drink and snack at the end of a long day 😄
Taken on a Nikon D750 with the Nikon AIS 55mm f/2.8 macro lens. The scene was lit to the right by a Godox SL-150W LED light in a softbox. The left side was lit by an Ulanzi VL110 LED light in RGB mode simulating candle light.
Colorado Springs, CO - It was a Friday, after a week of crazy the wife and I went to one of our favorite spots (Dos Santos) and had a few margaritas with some properly named 'OMFG' Tacos.
What was envisioned to be a 12 exposure sequence of the full moon eclipse composited in Photoshop turned out to be far less, actually about 5 images....but the end result turned out to be so much more rewarding.
While at Wyatt Park in Lake Stevens I ran into countless people (at least 50, probably more) all watching the eclipse from the banks of the lake. The show did not disappoint. Everyone was armed with their cameras and cell phones, trying their best to get a shot of the moon in it's blood red state. I ran into a high school student who was taking photography class with a school camera, a 70-300mm lens and no tripod. While I couldn't help him set the camera up (I have no idea how to use a Canon so I was clueless) I was able to help with suggested setting on the camera, give him my tripod clip and let him get a few captures that looked as if they were pretty sharp. I was able to give a few simple pointers as well. Two other ladies had their Costco-kit D3100 and a D5100 Nikon cameras both with the base 18-55mm lenses and I did the same thing for both of them but I was able to mount my 70-200mm f/2.8 and 150-600mm lenses on their cameras giving them a much larger image and they were extremely happy! I was able to loan two more people the bracket and tripod and suggest settings and adjustments shortly after that.
While I was doing this I was next to a gentleman with a nice looking setup yelling at the people standing on the dock asking them kindly to stand still while he did his exposures. He didn't get compliance and huffed off for a different vantage point. However, he did thank everyone for trying so I'll give him that.
In the end I left the park a lot happier than I would have with 12 great sequenced exposures. Besides, trying to learn how to layer and mask them in Photoshop probably would have just frustrated me. Maybe I'll try that someday soon.
Tomatoes, Peppers, Garlic & Herbs - my favourite summer flavours - fresh from the garden. What's your favourite - homegrown or from the farmers market? Edit - that tiny jalapeno on the board - hottest yet... I'm thinking it cross pollinated with another hot variety - Hot Thai Chili's have started producing...
Wellsville, NY. August 2017.
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If you would like to use THIS picture in any sort of media elsewhere (such as newspaper or article), please send me a Flickrmail or send me an email at natehenderson6@gmail.com
A woman beneficiary from the Molai IDP camp harvesting cowpea on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno State.
Read more about FAO and the Northeast Nigeria crisis.
Photo credit must be given: ©FAO/Sonia Nguyen. Editorial use only. Copyright FAO
I had the opportunity to hang out with Cameron and our friend Jackson who was visiting from Kenya and decided to show him Matador State Beach down towards Malibu. Our intent was to wait for a glorious sunset and get some great long exposure captures... only the tide came in and the sun set behind the hill. We still got some like this of an ordinary boring Cali beach though... ;)
Looking forward to seeing some of your firework pictures after tomorrow... :)
I just realized I could share this since it is one of my rewards for my Kickstarter backers (for those just joining, I held a Kickstarter.com fundraiser in order to have the money to put on my solo show that is coming up in September). The rewards for certain levels were choosing either 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 from a set of 5 self-portraits I took exclusively for Kickstarter backers. These images will be numbered and signed and only printed one extra time for my show (but not for sale).
This is Image Number 1 of the five. I will show the set together in another post because three of them would have to be marked 'restricted' here. Since I gave backers their choice of these images, it was fun for me to see who picked what. The 4th image shows just my ankle and foot. :)
Macro Mondays: 25/04/2016
Theme: "One of These Things (is not like the others)".
Belts earned, lay over the Gi - worn during the Martial art of Genbu Kai Shito Ryu Karate Do.
So satisfying to harvest my own veggies at home. Garlic was a success, so I'll have to plant a lot more this fall for next year. I planted potatoes in bags again, seeding Chieftain, Warba and Yukon Gold varieties early in spring. All harvested July 28, 2019.
A small waterfall I discovered yesterday by hiking up a creek I drove by. You just never know what will be around the next bend. Willamette National Forest, Oregon.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MANIFESTO GLEITZEIT 2015
BY STELLY RIESLING
Featured below is another original art work of mine in homage to THE PIONEER OF INVISIBLE ART — PAUL JAISINI. Forget all the copycats that came after him — Master Paul Jaisini was the *FIRST* of a totally original concept and the *BEST*. My favorite thing about him is that he’s a voice, not an echo, which is quite rare.
DISCLAIMER: This is for anyone who is a hater OR wishes to better understand me, what I’m all about, so you can decide whether I’m weird or normal enough for you — a kind of very loose manifesto, rushed and unrevised, full of raw uncut emotion that I don’t like to be evident in my writing as lately I prefer a more professional, formal style, so we can consider this a rough draft of the more polished writing to come when I have extra time. I might return to this text later and clean it up or break it into separate parts. Right now it’s a long-winded hot mess, so if you manage to make any sense of it, BIG PROPS TO YOU. lol …and if you manage to read it ALL, you have my solemn respect!!! in a day when reading has been reduced to just catchy headliners and short captions of images once in a while. The consequence of this one-liner internet culture is non-linear, tunnel thinking, which is baaaaaad.
There lives among us a most enigmatic and charismatic creature named Paul Jaisini who led me into the wonderful world of art, not personally, but through descriptions of his artworks in essays written and published online by his friend, which painted the most fascinating images in my mind. Early on as a kiddo, I experimented with photography, simple point and shoot whatever looked attractive to me. Digital manipulation of my photographs with computer software followed… and somehow I learned useful drawing techniques along the way to combine existing elements with nonexistent ones, which allowed me to elevate the context for my ideas. Later, I started creating my own digital art from scratch for my friends and family as a favorite pastime. They would shower me with praise and repeatedly encouraged me to share my “different” vision with the rest of the world… it took a while and wasn’t easy to overcome the insecurity of not being good enough along with a gripping fear of being harshly criticized, but one day I woman-ed up and started publishing my work on the web, reminding myself that my livelihood didn’t depend on a positive reception.
Paul Jaisini’s role in all this has been to not disgrace myself, even if what I do is just a hobby. And I would never do him and other genius artists the disservice of calling myself a professional because I know I’ll never be as good as any of the GIANTS of pre-modern history. Be the best or be nothing, no middle ground.
People’s jealousy in the past, future and present over my obsessive love of Paul Jaisini, which they are well aware is purely plutonic, has caused them to despise the man and has made many relationships/friendships impossible for me. I refuse to have such people in my life because by harboring any negativity towards Paul, they unknowingly feel that way about me and express it to me. It’s their own problem for not realizing this. Paul’s new art movement, Gleitzeit, shaped me into the allegedly awesome girl I am today, giving my art more edge, more “sexy” because it refined my vision of the world and propelled me to attain the skills necessary to not dishonor my family name through tenacious pursuit of perfection. Since the beginning of my life, I attempted to depict what I saw in visual, musical and literal forms, but continuously failed without adequate training and determination. Paul Jaisini’s Gleitzeit was the answer to my prayers. Who I am today I owe mostly to him and his selfless ideals of the artverse that I’ve given unconditional loyalty to (he has this cool ability for hyper-vision to see whole universes, not itty bitty worlds, hence I call it an artverse instead of art world, with him in mind). So again, anyone who hates Paul Jaisini hates ME because, regardless of what he means to you, he is the most important person in my life for making me ME. The way a famous actor, dancer or singer inspires others to act, dance or sing, Paul inspired me to become a better artist, better writer, better everything. More people would understand if he was a household name because they’re wired to in society. But we’re inspiring each other all the time in our own little communities without being famous, so if someone has the ability to change even ONE person’s life immensely with creativity, it is a massive achievement. And passionate folks like myself are compelled to scream it from the cyber rooftops. So here I am. It’s whatever.
Furthermore, I’d like to address here a few pressing matters in light of some recent drama brought on by both strangers and former friends. To start, I never judge the passions, interests or likes of others, which are often in my face all over the place, so likewise they have no right to judge any of mine. It is quite unfortunate and frustrating how very little understanding and education the majority of people have or want to have. Their logic is as primitive as a chipmunk when it comes to promotion of fine art on the web: “spamming, advertising, report!” It’s their own problem that they fail to understand what it’s about due to the distorted lens through which they see the world or inability to think for themselves; an inherent lack of perception or inquisitiveness. Well, guess what? Every single image, every animation, every video, every post dedicated to Mr. Paul Jaisini and “Gleitziet” (to elaborate: a revolutionary new art movement Paul founded with his partner in crime and personal friend, EYKG, who discovered him and believed in him more than anyone) has an important purpose. Every one of those things you run across is a piece of a puzzle, a move in a game, an inch down a rabbit hole; the deeper you go, the more interesting it gets; the more levels you pass, the more clues unfold, the greater the suspense and nearer the conclusion (yet further). You earn awesome rewards like enlightenment, spiritual revelations, truths, knowledge, wisdom and the most profound reward of all: the drive to improve yourself to the absolute maximum, so an unending, unshakable drive. People often make a wrong turn in this cyber game and go back a few levels or get stuck. Those that keep on pushing, however, will come to find the effort has been worth it. And what awaits you in the end of it all? The greatest challenge to beating the game: YOUR OWN MIND. You will be forced to let go of every belief you held before you had reached the last level, to completely alter your mindset and perception of the world, of life, of yourself. But by the time you’ve gotten to that point, it will be as easy as falling off a cliff! (It is a kind of suicide after all — death and rebirth of spirit.)
Paul Jaisini does NOT, *I repeat* does NOT use mystery and obscurity to his advantage as a clever marketing ploy, no, he’s too next level for that with a consciousness so rich, he should wear a radioactive warning sign (he’ll melt your brain, best wear a tinfoil hat in his presence as I certainly would.) The statement he makes is loud and clear, hidden in plain site for those who take the time to connect the dots and have enough curiosity to fuel their journey into unknown territory (an open mind and flexible perception helps a lot). Actually, anyone with an IQ above 90 is sure to figure it out sooner or later. Hint: You don’t have to SEE an extraordinary thing with your eyes to know it exists, to understand it and realize its greatness — you can only feel it in your bone marrow, your spinal fluid, your heart and soul. The moment you do figure it out, as the skeleton key of the human soul, it will unlock the greatness and massive potential buried deep within, changing the doomed direction humanity is undoubtedly headed. I don’t speak in riddles, I speak in a clear direct way that intelligent humans will understand, so I’m counting on them.
GIG is an international group of artists and writers that support Paul Jaisini’s Gleitzeit. We started off as an unofficial fan club of Jaisini in 1996, comprised of only 6 individuals spanning 3 countries, and eventually escalated in status to an official fan group across the entire globe. A decade later it had grown to hundreds of fans. Nearly another decade later, there are thousands. Let’s not leave out another delightful group of vicious haters that have been around for nearly as long as us since the late 90s and have also grown in impressive numbers. Now, for the record (and please write this one down because I’m sick of repeating myself), Paul Jaisini himself is not part of our group and has nothing to do with us. He loves and hates us equally for butchering his name and making him appear as a narcissistic nut-job in his own words. He casts hexes on us for the blinding flash we layer over the art that members contribute to GIG — “disgusting-police-lights, seizure-inducing-laser-lightshow, bourgeois-myspace-effects retarded-raver shit” in Paul’s words. Ahh, how we love his sweet-talking us. In a desperate attempt to please him, those among us who make the art and animations have spent countless hours and sleepless nights trying to solve a crazy-complex quantum-physics type of equation = how to not create tacky or tasteless content. He does fancy some of it now, we got better, that’s something! In the reason stated below, our mission just got out of hand at some point.
What little is known about Paul Jaisini, even in all this time, is he’s a horrible perfectionist who slaughtered hundreds of innocent babies — I mean — artworks of remarkable beauty created by his own right hand (mostly paintings, some watercolors and drawings). He’s a fierce recluse who wants nothing to do with anyone or anything in life. But those few of us who know of an incredible talent he possesses (one could go as far as calling it a superpower), could not allow him to live his life without the recognition he FUCKING DESERVES more than any artist out there living today and, arguably, yesterday. We use whatever means necessary to reach more people, lots of flash and razzle-dazzle to lure them into our sinister trap of a higher awareness. Mwahaha! The visual boom you’ve witnessed in both cyber and real worlds, that is GIG’s doing — two damn decades of spreading an art virus — IVA. InVisibleArtitis… or a drug as in Intravenous Art. It’s whatever you want it to be, honey.
Our Gleitzeit International Group (GIG) started off innocently enough and gradually spiraled out of control to fight the haters, annoying the hell out of them as much as humanly possible. They don’t like what we do? WE DO MORE AND MORE OF IT. But never without purpose, without a carefully executed plan in mind collectively. If we have to tolerate an endless tidal wave of everyone’s vomit — e.g., idiotic memes and comics; dumbed-down one-liner quotes; selfies; so-called “art photography” passed through one-click app filters; mindless scribbles or random splatters by regular folks who have the nerve to call themselves serious/pro artists; primitive images of pets, babies, landscapes, random objects, etc… then people sure as shit are gonna tolerate what we put out, our animated and non-animated visual art designed for our beloved master, Paul Jaisini, who has shown us the light, the right path to follow, taught us great things and done so much for us — and so in our appreciation of him, we stamp his name on everything, for the sacrifices he has made in the name of art, to save our art verse, he’s a goddamn hero. There’s a book being written in his dedication where little will be left to the imagination about him.
If Paul Jaisini was as famous as Koons or Hirst, for example, people would know it’s not him posting stuff online with his name on it but fans creating fanart like myself among others. But noooooo, such a thing is unfathomable to most people - the promotion of another artist. Like, what’s in it for us? Uhh, nothing?? This is all NON-PROFIT bitches, the way art should be. It’s a passion FIRST, a commodity/commercial product/marketable item LAST and least. Its been that way for us since the early 90s to this day. Not a single member of GIG has sold an art work (neither has Paul Jaisini who’s a true professional) and we want to keep it that way. We do it for reasons far beyond ego. So advertising? Really? How the hell do you advertise or sell thin air, you know, invisible paintings, invisible anything? Ha ha, very funny indeed. The idea here is so simple, your neighbor’s dog can grasp it. Our motives: replace fast food for the mind with fine art, actual fine art. You know, creativity? Conscious thought? Talent? Skill? Knowledge? All that good stuff rolled into one to bring viewers more than a momentary ooohand aaahh reaction. Replace the recycled images ad nauseum; repetitious, worn-out ideas; disposable, gimmicky, money-driven fast art for simpletons. Stick with the highest of ideals and save the whole bloody planet.
Fine art is often confused with craft-making. This often creates bad blood between classically trained artists who put out paintings that leave a lasting impression, that make strong conversation pieces, that are thought-provoking and deep… and trained craftspeople whose skills are adequate to create decorative pieces for homely environments — landscapes, still lifes, animals, pretty fairies, common things of fantasy, and other simplicity. Skills alone are not enough for high art, you need a vision, a purpose, the ability to tell a story with every stroke of your brush that will both fascinate and terrify the viewers, arousing powerful emotions, illuminating. I have yet to see a visible painting in my generation that does anything at all for me, other than evoke sheer outrage and disgust. What a terrible waste of space and valuable resources it all is.
Paul Jaisini leads, we follow. He wishes to remain unknown - so do most of us. I’m next in line, slipping into recluse mode, no longer wanting to attach my face, my human image to my art stuff. I wish to be a nameless, faceless artist as well, invisible like P.J., and in his footsteps I too have destroyed thousands of my own artistic photography and digital art made with tedious, labor-intensive handwork. The whole point of this destruction is achieving the finest results possible by letting go of the imperfect, purging it on a regular basis, to make way for the perfect. I love what I do so it doesn’t matter, I know I’ll keep producing as much as I’m discarding, keeping the balance. Hoarding is an enemy of progress, especially the digital kind as there’s absolutely no limit to it. It’s like carrying a load of bricks on your back you’ll never use or need.
The watering down of creativity that digital pack ratting has caused as observed over the years is most tragic. For the creative individual, relying on terabytes of stock photos or OSFAP as I call them (Once Size Fits All Photos) instead of making your own as you used to when you had no choice, being 100% original, is a splinter in the conscience. It’s not evil to use stock of, say, things you don’t have access to (outer space, deep sea, Antarctica, etc.), but many digital artists I know today can’t take their own shot of a pencil ‘cause they “ain’t got no time for that!” How did they have time before? Did time get so compressed in only a decade?
Ohhhhh, and the edits, textures, filters, plug-ins and what-have-you available out there to everyone and their cats… are responsible for the tidal wave of rubbish that eclipses the magnificent light of the real talents.
I can tell you with utmost sincerity there is no better feeling on earth than knowing your creation is ALL yours, every pixel and dot, from the first to the last. It’s not always possible to make it so, but definitely the most rewarding endeavor. I’m most proud of myself when I can accomplish that.
Back to Paul Jaisini, from the start there have been a number of theories floating around on what his real story is. One of my own theories is that he stands for the unknowns of the world who can’t get representation, can’t get exhibited at a decent gallery because highly gifted/trained artists aren’t good enough - those kind of establishments prefer bananas, balloon dogs, feces, gigantic dicks/cunts, and all kinds of what-the-fucks…
So again, you don’t get the Paul Jaisini thing? That’s your problem. Don’t hate others for getting it. People are good, very good, at making baseless assumptions and impulsively spewing it as truth. They criticize and judge as if they’re high authorities on the subject yet they clearly lack education in fine art or art history and possess little to no talent or skill to back up their bullshit. My little “credibility radar” never fails. When they say I know this or I know that, I reply don’t say “I know” or state things as fact as a general rule of thumb - instead say “I assume/believe” and state the reasons you feel thus to appear less immature, especially about a controversial topic like invisible art. I have zero respect or tolerance for egomaniacs who think they know it all and act accordingly like arrogant pricks. Who can stand those, right? Once again, a good example would be: I, Stelly Riesling, believe everything I’ve written in this little manifesto to be correct based on personal experience and observation from multiple angles, thorough research and sufficient data collected from verifiable sources (and don’t go copying-pasting my own words back at me, be original). Just because you or I say so doesn’t make it so. Just because you or me think or believe so doesn’t make it true or right. I only ask that my opinions are regarded respectfully and whoever opposes them does so in a mature, civilized manner. We should only be entitled to opinions that don’t bring out the worst in us.
I don’t normally take such a position, but the time has come to stand up for what I believe in! It’s quite amusing and comical how haters think calling me names, attacking me or my interests or members of the project I’m part of for years is going to change something. It only makes more evident the importance of what I’m doing so I push on harder still.
Words of advise to those who can identify with me, with my frustrations over people’s reluctance to change their miserable ways, with our declining art world…
DON’T waste time on people who sweat the small stuff, whose actions are consistently inconsistent with their words. DO waste time on people who always keep their eye on the ball—the bigger picture of life.
Paul Jaisini’s invisible paintings are more than hype, more than your lame assumptions. Here’s one I got that’s pure gold: a cult! It started out as A JOKE OF MINE that was used against me. I told a then-good friend that he should come join our little “art cult” in a clearly lighthearted manner, and later he takes this idea I put in his head first and accuses me of being in an (imaginary) cult—the jokes on me eh?. But wait, aren’t cults religious? Our group consists of people around the world of different faiths (or none at all) so how could that ever work? If religion was about making fine (non-pop) art mainstream and bringing awesome, fresh, futuristic concepts to the collective consciousness, the world would not be so fucked up today because talent, creativity, originality and individuality would be the main focus, not superficial poppycock; those things would be praised and encouraged and supported in society by all institutions, not demonized and stigmatized.
Here is one thing I CAN state as solid fact: only one person close to Paul Jaisini knows the TRUE story, or at least some of it: EYKG. Everything else that has ever been said about him is myth, legend, gossip, speculation, the worst of which is said by jealous non-artists (wannabes, clones, posers, hang-ons, unoriginal ppl in general) and anti-artists (religious psychos, squares, losers and -duh- stupid ppl). Sadly, people are unable to see the bigger picture by letting their egos run their lives or repeating after others as parrots.
Commercial art, consumerism, and ignorance of the masses truly makes me want to curl up in a ball, not eat or drink or move until I die, just die in my sleep while dreaming of a better world, a world where real fine artists rule it with real fine art as they used to and life is beautiful once again….
Well I hope that settled THAT for now, or perhaps inadvertently made matters worse. I hope I didn’t sound too pissed from all these issues that keep popping up like penises on ChatRoulette… just got to me already! Can you tell? I had to put my foot down, stomp ‘em all!
To be continued, still lots more ignorance and pettiness to battle… Till then peace out my bambini. MWAH!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MANIFESTO GLEITZEIT 2015
PROLOGUE
Paul Jaisini was like a messiah, as you wish, who saw/understood the impending end and complete degeneration of Fine art or Art become and investment nothing more than that. He predicted the bubble pops art when everybody would eventually become an artist, including dogs cats and horses, because they as kids followed the main rule: express yourself without skills or knowledge or any aesthetic concerns. J. Pollack started pouring paints onto canvases; Julian Schnabel, former cab driver from NY, suddenly decided he could do better than what he saw displayed in galleries, so he started gluing dishes on canvases; A.Warhol, an industrial artist who made commercial silk-screen for the factories he worked in, started to exhibit "Campbell's soup" used for commercial adds... and later the thing that made him an "American Idol": by copying and pasting Hollywood celebrities (same type of posters he made before for movie theaters).
When Paul Jaisini stood out against the Me culture in the US by burning all of his own 120 brilliant paintings (according to the then-new director of Fort Worth MoMa Museum, who offered hin an exhibition of his art in 1992, and later the Metropolitan Museum curator, Phillippe de Montebello, in 1994).Paul probably assumed all fellow true fine artists would join him or stand by him against corruption of the art world.
And after 20 years of his stand-off...the time has finally come today. Many artists and humanitarians around the world took a place beside him. His invisible Paintings became a synonym for the future reincarnation of fine art and long lost harmony. The establishment is in panic! The "moneybags" (as Paul Jaisini named them) are in panic, because they invested BILLIONS of dollars in real crap made by craftsmen. Now they realize that the reputation of American legends of expressionism was nothing but a copy of Russian avant-garde" Kazimir Malevich, Vasiliy Kandinsky and tens of others from France and Germany.. US tycoon investors were spending billions on "Me more original, than you". "Artist Shit" is a 1061 artwork by the Italian artist Piero Manzoni. The work consists of 90 tin cans, filled with feces. A tin can was sold for £124,000, 180,000 at Sothebys, 2007.
EPILOGUE
Before I resume promoting and admiring a very important art persona on today's international art arena, I'd like to clear up some BIG questions; people ask continuously and subconsciously, directly & indirectly: "Why does the name Paul Jaisini, flood the Internet in such "obnoxious" quantities that it's started suppressing some other activities that my friends might share with the rest of the Internet's Ego Me only Me www society? I can't just answer this... so I'll try to explain why I'm writing this: Jaisini's followers keep posting art and info about,
He IMHO the only hope in quickly decomposing visual fine art. "Paul Jaisini realized many years ago, in 1994, when he declared (at that time to himself only) the start of a New era, a New vision, that he is trying to redirect from the rat race, started by an establishment in post-war New York, long before the Internet culture.
Sub related information: Adolf Gottlieb, Mart Rothko, etc (after visiting Paris France in 1933):
"We must forget analytical art, we must express ourselves, as a 5 year old child would, without a developed consciousness. Forget about results - do what you feel, EXPRESS yourself with your own unique style"
With this statement Mark Rothko starts to teach his students, degeneration of fine art begins, and the generation of war of styles took a start signal of the material race, greatly rewarded by establishment "individual" - eccentric craftsmen - show business clowns.
Sub related Information: In the summer of 1936, Adolf Gottlieb painted more than 800 paintings, which was 20X more than he created in his whole art career as a painter, starting from the time of Gottlieb becomes a founding member of "The Ten" group in NYC "Group of Ten" was a very peculiar, enigmatic group... Based on a religious point of view;(where a human figure was prohibited from being created)
GLOSSARY
IN 1997, Paul Jaisini's best friend Ellen Y.K.Gottlieb started a cyber campaign by promoting on a very young Internet, back then, Paul Jaisini's burned paintings as Invisible Paintings, visible only through poetic essays. She and a handful of people saw his originals and were devastated that nobody could ever see them again. "We, his fans, believe that someday Paul will recreate his 120 burned paintings if he has any decency and moral obligation to his fans, who have dedicated decades to make it happen, for their Phoenix to rise from the ashes and the whole world will witness that all these years we spent to get him back to re-paint the Visuals again were not in vain," - said E.Y.K.Gottlieb in 2014 during the 20th anniversary celebration of Invisible Paintings to GIGroup in NYCity. So now, hopefully, this clears up why I and others do what we do - our "cyber terrorism" of good art, dedicated to Paul Jaisini's return, which is & and was our mission & our goal. We post good art to fight "troll art" which is worthless pics, after being passed through 1-click filters of free web apps. We are, in fact, against this www pops pollution, done with "bubble art" by the out of control masses with 5 billon pics a day: Pics of cats, memes, quotes,national geographic sunsets and waterfalls, not counting their own daily "selfies: and whatever self-indulging Me-ego-Me affairs, sponsored happily by photo gadget companies like Canon, Nikon, Sony...who churn out higher quality madness tools at lower cost.
This way Government taking away attention from the real world crisis of lowest morality & economical devastation. The masses are too easily re-engineered/manipulated by the Establishment PopsStyle delivered to them by pop music and Hollywood "super" stars. In 1992 Paul Jaisini's Gleitzeit theory predict such a massive, pops self-entertain madness, following technological explosion, but not in illusive scales.
Uber Aless @2015 NYC USA
NOTE Date's numbers and events can be slightly inaccurate.
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