July 31

Can't believe it's already the end of July. Next thing you know it will be August.
Took in my 3 pieces into the Fantasy Show in Seguine.
Got an art show to take pieces into for New Braunfels Art League tomorrow.
Art Opening Sunday in Seguin - Oakwood Art League Fantasy Art Show.

I'm Still working on my new collage piece. As well as transfering all my old files from one computer to another. A bit of a segmented week end so far.

July 29

Still working on preliminaries for new collage should have preliminaries completed later today if everything else goes ok. For me getting started his the hardest. I really need to have something to build on and a place to start. So starting is memory intensive. Its the same with everything else, The inkling of an idea is a jumping off place. With the collage it is necessary to explore from where you conceptualize. A scrawl is a start. I had an acquaintance in graduate school that always started with a doodle, it what you get the get you going.

July 28

Well it is going to be another hot one today. They have forecast 103 for today. Way too hot for me. Have to go work at NBAL this evening. Hope it cools down by then.

Planning on a larger mixed Media collage for what comes next. Will try to take the fast food theme larger. We will have to see how that goes. Making something larger is not always as easy as I think. It can run into a lot of problems, But then what would life be with out a challenge. The other problem I am encountering is my lack of patience, I want it done now. That often causes more problems, every thing needs a cure time. if you don't allow for it then the coller part of collage will not hold, After all the French named this after what is being done gluing.

July 27

Its Monday and things are moving on.Trying to get my prayers in this morning so that I can hope that God will help clear up this Health care mess. On Cunningham's radio program last night one caller asked if Obama was sent to give Americans one more chance at living correctly. One last chance to get it correct. I personally don't think that we are all that bad!
After all Some things aren't to bad.

1.The church is falling from favor. We are letting it happen.

2. God is no longer first in our lives. We are letting it happen.

3. Christianity is being pushed aside for more Humanistic thoughts.

4. Artion has killed 5.5 million babies since it was legalized abortion.

5. I know that babies (children) have been aborted for millennial. In ancient Rome babies unwanted were left out to die. Societies that favored males often killed the female children. Or in some cases, as in the central American peoples used them for food.

6. We are now killing babies in the third trimester of pregnancy, some how that supposed to be worse.

7. It has been proposed that a child is not legally as person until around two years of age, Thus it can be terminated up until that time. I believe that would be infanticide.

8. We are rapidly approaching the same number of Jews killed during the Holocaust, Now there
is an epitaph. we killed the next generation because we didn't want to bring them up.

9. We grow more than enough food but our farmers are paid no to grow to help the market.

10. Starving is OK as long as it doesn't look bad.

Well on second look we really aren't that good.

They say the devil's greatest victory is getting the people not to believe he exists.
But then again as for Sin, We tend to think that it doesn't exist.

OH! I know in this age we don't talk about peoples short comings or things that are bad, they might be offended.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

OH! I forgot there is no hell.

Well then carry on.

July26

Behold the week end is upon us and almost over. Oh what can we do? You could retire like me and wait for the government run health care to decide that I have lived long enough and terminate me.

I have lived my life and would like to go on creating my Art, I know a lot of "Old People" who contribute to society. Is that now going to be preqeresit for life "personal contributions to the societal good.

I am worried when I hear one of the Czars say that life is not viable until 2 years old and can be aborted up until then. Who of you would abort your toddler?

Who have we elected?

Its going to be a busy week. got two shows to put stuff into and one to take down from. On my painting website I posted the new pieces that are going up this week.
http://www.jimkamprath.com
In the New Work section is where the new work is posted.
It can also be found on the Art Log address. from the links directory.

July 22

Fragmented Landscape collage No.17
16" x 16.5" Mixed Media: Acrylic, Watercolor,
graphite and collage on Stonehenge paper
$500.00 2009

The Health Care Obama Plan is running into problems, Obama wants to again push another plan through congress without letting them read the bill. This has happened a number of times in the past. We were supposed to be able to read the bill, on line a week before it was to be voted on. If this bill will not to be in acted for four years, why does it have to be voted on now, on a decision that is not crutial?

You have to ask yourself why would you vote for something you haven't seen. Oops! What happened to clarity and transparency?

Above is the collage that I mentioned that I had finished. It is one of the fast food collages drawn from my reflections and memories, though fragmented and reconstructed here for your pleasure.

July 19

Tossed about where to go from here. have all but finished the next collage and need to decide if I should rework with watercolor and wax pastel or just with acrylic, as well as pencil etc. I just told my son that only he can change the direction of his life. I guess that goes for me as well.

I need to branch out a bit, need to change my direction. Not change my mind. Just alter my direction. I'll post the picture in question for comments later,

Hard to believe that July is more than half over. My daughter graduates from college middle of next month. My son and youngest daughter are going back to school in the fall. Must be something in the air.

July 17

Out of Chaos

18.6" x 17" Mixed Media: Acrylic,Watercolor, graphite,
ink and collage on Stonehenge paper
$500.00 2009

In Texas if there is a 20% chance of rain its considered a good chance. 30 is far greater than none, Since we are in a severe drought you can understand the dilemma. This will be the 16th day of 100+ temperatures her in New Braunfels.

I have continued to work on my collages in hopes that something will arrise. Above is the last completed piece of many started, I feel that if I start something it might come to naught but then the mere exercize of working on a failed piece is comforting and a Little invigorating. You derive a lot out of failure, you start to see why it failed and hopefully what you can do to make the change out of failure.. You judge as you perceived what I have done or at least attempted.

This would fall into the fast food series.

July 16

I think this is the 14th day of July with 100 or greater temperatures. too hot to do anything. We went out to look for a frame for my newest collage for the up coming NBAL Contemporary show.

Didn't find one so I will have to build one out of Aluminum pieces, the go find a piece of glass and cut a mat then assemble the whole thing. Only got a week and a half to finish that one and the two for the Seguin Fantasy Show. It so nice being retired with nothing to do.

July 15

Went to see Harry Potter 5 the half blood Prince. Just like the book they don't tell you who the Prince is until the end of the book as well as at the end of the movie as it should be. Well worth the wait, only a year to go for the first deathly Hallows movie.

It will be interesting to see how they deal with the death and the traitors as well as the students and the chosen One.

July 14

How do you like the questioning of Sonia Sotmayer. Isn't that it the way . When the questioner of the candidate is corrected by the chairman so that the answerer is slanted toward the direction that the chairman wants it to go. That's as good as changing the quote to make her look better. When he is corrected by one of the questioners he responds back to change the spin. What ever happened to impartial and unbiased?
What would we do with out politics?
Wouldn't you like to find out? Of course what would we do with the politicians? I can think of at least one good option. Let them eat cake!

July 13

Now is the time to see what has become of our democracy. It was announced last week that the Democrats were no longer looking to enlist the votes of Republicans. Didn't need them. don't want them. We have enough to do any thing we want. I wonder if they will give the credit to AACORN for proceuring what they needed over the last thirty years.
Show us oh Lord your wonders, what you have laid out for us. What only your time will show.
Help us to be satisfied with what we have been given. All in your good time. Oh Lord.

July 12

farm collage 16
9" x 14" Mixed Media: Acrylic, Watercolor,
ink and collage on heavy carpenters paper
$350 2009

farm landscape collage 17 with crop circles and fan blades
14" x 9" Mixed Media: Acrylic, Watercolor,
ink and collage on heavy carpenters paper
$350 2009

"This is the day the Lord has made we should rejoice and be glad in it" and if we are not glad we need to look at the reason and see if the source is "of God", if not we should do what ever is necessary to to get rid of the obstruction. This will help us to purify the way.

I am working on a whole bunch of collages and it is amazing to me to see the variance in the way they come out, but if I look back at what I have done I should realize that my work tends to be different in nature possibly because I work from nature, or at least my memories of the vistas of nature I have observed. I find that as long as something sits around and is not framed it is at risk of being worked on and changed, This would be the evolution in my work. Things don't stand still they change, fall down or pass away.

July 10

Fragmented Landscape collage 11.1

Rhaposody

Prelude in C# minor

Off to see Mom and deliver her computer. I had to get it working again, had to upgrade t0 SP2 for XP. Then I had to get an antivirus and spyware with antimalware going so she wouldn't be pesterd by slow downs and pests.

Still working on the two pieces for the Seguin Fantasy Show see abloe and I am trying to get the other six I am working on finished, and I am trying to decide what to put in the Contempory art show at NBAL next month. I think I will put a completed work, "Fragmented Landscape Collage11.1 (shown above)", if I can get it framed, I will put it in the show, that seems to me to be contemporary enough. So what then is contemporary Art, after all modern Art started with the Post Impressuiomnists, that would be the middle if the 19th centuary. So I guess thats not too modern, then.

Still trying to decide on the Artoberfest coming up later in the fall. Do I want to go through the agrivation of letting a committee decide if my work is acceptable to be allowed in the show.

I have up dated the picture log and my Art log through my websites if you have an interest, As well as my Blog.Will try to get my websites done if possible and time permits.

July 8

With each daily onslought we become conditioned to what happens. We no longer have to even listen, just knowing that they have done this we accept. Is almost like being velocitized, we get used to the speed and it doesn't bother us any more. Just like their continual spending with no tangible results. If we don't do this we will be in worse straits. Now there is talk of another stimulus package. Will this one do anything?

Counting tarp and the other stimulus grants and the bale outs along with the money the fed spent in keeping every thing floating they have been able to go threw 8 trillion dollars.

We have no real understanding of where it is. They wanyt no oversight, and no transparecy. Suffice it to say that it's gone. This is two or three times the amount needed to bail out Medicare and Social Security. but they couldn't afford to do those. I get the impression that they really do want to control everything.

July 7

It would seem that the public is becoming more and more myopic in their view of thier government here in America. It seems that they only see what they want to. Oh no not that ,its not really there. Don't look, it will go away.

Things are coming that none of us will believe. None of us will be able to escape. If you think that you will be able to keep your current health care, once they institute theirs you are sorly mistaken.

Its like global warming. No matter that there are now over 30,000 scientists that have signed that on that no such thing exists, it just a vehicle to make a few very rich by having every one pay them for carbon credits. What is a carbon credit, its a way to polute legally. If we were really in such dire straits how could we allow any one to polute, especially if some one pays to do it. Sounds like a legalized bribe ito turn your eye to something else.

July 6

It is a start of a new year, it is the rebirth of the American Spirit.

We only have to worry about the opposition try to throttle us so we can not communicate with the people. On July 4th there were hundreds of Taxed Enough Already Parties all over America. Did you read about them in the news paper? Did you hear about them on the news on TV. It is trully becoming remarkable that they [the Obama Media] will only report on things they want you to hear and litteraly stiffle things that don't fit into their agenda.

I know you have read 1984. I guess Orwell was off a few years. We are now living it.

Wake up your friends and tell them what is really going on.

July 2

Seguin backyard 2
mixed media: watercolor, wax pastel
over b/w digital image
2009

collage 13.1
10" x 14" mixed media:watercolor,
acrylic, ink and collage
2009

collage 12.1
8.5" x 14" mixed media:watercolor,
acrylic, ink and collage
2009

Still painting and drawing after all these years . Finished a new "Seguin backyard" piece. Which I would label a drawing. But it probably will have to be considered as a Mixed Media piece since I use a digital photograph I took, besides, watercolor, and wax pastel on heavy carpenters construction paper. I won't talk about the economy, because In doing that I would put a funk on everything else. pictures posted above.

Updated http://www.jimkamprath.org
Updated http://www.jimkamprath.com