The Smoking Jaguar

Today was a mental marathon at the coffee shop. While I had intended to deal with digesting some more German. I ended up inspired by the peace and quite and Matthias Reim's "Du und Ich". I'd made a watercolor for a friend who once asked me to do something for him. I don't think he thought that anything would come from the question. And it took a few months to be inspired to do anything for him. He is kinda a hard guy to know. But one day he did something that just about knocked me on the floor because it reminded me so much of my favorite cat, Spock. But he isn't a trekkie so forget the obvious. He is into Mayan stufff.

Again that is a surprise because he doesn't go for all that "hookey religious stuff". He is fairly straight forward and not given to flights of fantasy. But he is abso-smurfly intrigued by the Mayan Calendar and related prophecy... go figure. So I did a little research. I'd thought about doing his name in myan glyphs. Great idea but the mayans don't have letters for his name. The substitutions would have, from a design stand point been sloppy. Great. What next?

So I read about how long it tooko to decode the Mayan codex. I guess those missing letters made things a bit complicated. The linguists weren't invited to the first round of research so the archealolgists assigned literal translations for some of the kings. One poor sap in particular got a bad name. Bad as in it made him look as ineffectual and foppish as a french dandy on the throne when everything about his rule was anything but foppish. A smoking ember and a stylized frog to represent his name in a cartouche got him called "The Smoking Frog". Like I said, poor sap.

But it all coalesced for me in one of those "Duh" moments. My friend reminds me of a cat ready to pounce despite the very laid back posture. He so closely associates himself with his bad habit that the name just got in my head and stuck... The Smoking Jaguar.

Yes he liked it.

And I needed one for me because he is going to leave.

I know. Not cool. But people these days have to do what it takes to survive in this economy and if that means leaving for better work I guess I can't stop him.

I get my computer back tomorrow so I can do a download soon and show you my copy.

Crests

Working on personal crest. This weekend turned out to be very good for that sort of thing. I spent the day on the porch drawing things that just seemed to flow into the concept. It was a good day. Fresh air, shade and warm enough weather to be in the shade.

I am realizing though that it is going to take a while to get a finished product. I haven't drawn in so long that the gears in my brain are kinda rusty.

But at any rate there is the crest sitting in front of a banner. The ink pen is the rod the banner hangs on which drips an exemplar of my own artsy writing style. The sun above the parapetted crest is a clock and compass rose. I haen't quite decided what I am going to do about hte tassels on the banner. But they will represent my jewelery hobby. I've filled in parts of the sheild with symbols indicating my interests and character. I am thinking about something florid in the background but it may be that there is enough going on here already.

Though I am still uncertain of all those sun rays......

In the Works

I've got a few things in the works right now. One of them is a t-shirt design that I am hopeful will go to Germany with me. If I don't get there it will still get made. It is a L-7 logo of wild vines. I can't wait to get the pictures up. I decided to go with the axiom: "write what you know". I am a long-time letter lover. Typography is my friend. Typography is one of my passions. The logo is totally me.

My other project is a mayan glyph for a friend who is into that kind of thing. I came across an interesting reference resource that makes understanding how the glyphs read (though I am far from being interested in learning to read mayan since I have a handful with learning german). And a cursory overview of how researchers have misinterpretted the names of mayan royals made nicknaming my friend pretty easy.

I love both of those projects. I can't wait for the end when I get to print something.

Digging around

So I got into the storage unit today to have a look around and sort some stuff out. It looks like I am at about 60% studio stuff and 40% household goods. I guess I need a studio before I need a place to lay my head. But I am glad I went through everything. I found my whole box of radiant pearls upside down and leaking. Yikes.

Organized Chaos

My head is in germanic heraldry and mayan glyph mode. And while it has a foot on two different continents it is tryingto figureout how to organze a mobile work station in the car. Jsut get the essentials in there so that I can work when ever I want to. But that it not likely to happen... I'm thinking so much that action is nearly impossible. I also have things to write... fiction and non fiction.

I've been so still throughout the Winter that I'm short circuiting when it comes to taking action. I don't know what to do first. But it is good to have something to do.

Takes my mind off of the troubles while in the process of fixing those. And it is a process. I am looking at all the prescribed workshops that my job counselor has me registered in and I'm booked solid for a month. Yikes!

Prelims

I am working on something for a friend that could not more clearly illustrate the process of inspiration. This friend is really a decent guy who has a lot of traits in common with the big jungle cats of south america. There are times when he seems really relaxed, even at work. In fact he seems so relaxed that you could probably sneak a freight train passed him at about 80 MPH. But don't bet on it. In nano seconds he springs into action and you are toast. Which is great when you are about to dump a 25 pound box of cleaning product on your head cause you are the idiot that put it on the top shelf anyway. Not so great if you are attempting a practical joke as K can testify to. So I am trying to define this quality in him and the only thing that springs to mind is the Central American Jaguar. And it hit me... a mayan glyph.

He is fascinated with the mayan calendar and the whole ancient culture. Normally he goes to Mexico on vacation but things in his personal life put the kibosh on that this year. He is qiuet; doesn't talk much about how he feels.... so like a guy. But you can tell by how much he smokes in a day how bored or emotionally stressed he is. So.... in my head he is the smoking jaguar. And I have a great glyph started.

I can't wait to use this in a birthday card. We've been doing special birthday things besides the corporate cake at lunch. I just don't know if it should be a private card or a group signed card. He is soooooooo hard to read on these things. The last time I gave him a hand made card you'd think I'd set of the auto destruct on the X303. Sheesh!!!!!!

But I am excited. The organic progression between thought and execution was really astoundingly clear. And the bit of research involved was a lot of fun. Its funny.... now that languages are on the top of mind it seems a lot easier to understand how foreign languages go together. Not that I will ever speak mayan or write it coherently. But the way the glyphs are put together make so much sense. Maybe it is the whole "latin based" thing. And even more than that... latin was such a spartan language that it is possible that the old langauges and latin share only one essential thing for communication..... simplicity. Which also fits my friend.

There is elegence in simplicty.
My friend also.

Eyes Wide Open

So Summer is almost upon us. That means good weather to be able to get to the storage unit. More importantly.... TA DA! It means money to keep my unit accessible. That is a big deal while I am in the middle of Michigan with a scuttled economy, high gas prices and Blue Angels in Absentia for this season's tourist fiasco festival. It means that where ever I call studio any given day this summer I can get to the supplies I need. I Know everyone loves telecommuting in this brave new future world of our dreams. But I have to say... studio commuting? Not feeling the love there.

So I have my eyes wide open for the next opportunity which I am hoping will be a semi permanent studio space. I also have my eyes wide open for the day that I will conquer my latest fears and get my work (now that it is free) into the hands of someone who can help me figure out if I have what I need for a showing. If not then I might have enough to schlep a few craft shows or art fairs this Summer. I may have luck enough to beg off a few Saturdays. Keeping fingers crossed.

In the mean time I am working little by little. The current motif is butterflies. The mode of transformation. I hope the sentiment rubs off on me so that I can transform some doubt to confidence and some creative energy into profit and not just something to fill in the time I find I have on my hands.