mental event

sumi ink on paper

acrylic on paper

Of course it all depends what you find most interesting, whether you prefer a action/adventure, a detective story, a western, romance, comedy, tragedy... Lohbado began with a failed attempt to describe what was going on by way of mental events. A mental event could be just about anything that comes to mind. A traffic light provides three types of mental events within the envelope of one. The traffic light is the event of making one pause to see which light is lit up. To know the meaning of one light involves knowing the meaning of all three lights, red, amber and green.

Lohbado frequently experienced the mental event of alternating clarity and confusion, sort of similar to light and shadow. Sometimes he'd notice something, but then his mind would sink back into a fog. Most often, a blur obscured his perception. A mental filter distorted things. A constant mental chatter sorted objects, people and situations into like, dislike and indifference, for me, against me or neutral... a whole set of self-based reactions.

micro-stories

acrylic on paper

Only if one constructed a grid could Lohbado occupy a certain place at a certain time. Lohbado's location, pin pointed on a grid, represented where Lohbado had been. The pin-point grid became the object of attention, while the actual Lohbado in an actual place vanished into the distortion and haziness of memory. The grid told a story independent of what may or may not have happened to Lohbado.

This is not an original concept. The word/object, thing/abstraction, particular/universal duality goes back thousands of years. Lohbado, in writing his memoir, invoked this tradition of paradox, translating it into the OOO CHA dialectic. This is the real memoir. Every day he changed his socks and underwear, ate, performed bodily functions, showered, slept, trimmed his beard and thin hair.

In writing, Lohbado assembled micro-stories. For example, Lohbado walked into a cafe, ordered a coffee and began reading a book. He looked up, made eye contact with a woman with dark eyes and grey hair for a few seconds. She gazed at him, or rather beyond him. A waiter cleared the table next to Lohbado. Another woman, in her early fifties, sat down. She worked on a crossword puzzle.

Lohbado enjoyed being in the cafe.  He couldn't help but compare his cup of coffee to life. As a boy, life appeared like a fresh cup of coffee, like it would last a long time. As a man, he enjoyed the coffee. At the age of sixty, there wasn't much coffee left. Soon he would die and it would be as if nothing had happened... the old form/emptiness sutra. Lohbado laughed quietly. He watched a man take a key from the counter and head off to use the toilet.

Eventually Lohbado finished his coffee and left. There you have it... a micro-story....

give the cat some water

click here or on picture to see youtube video

now

acrylic on paper

When the writing of his memoirs became too difficult, Lohbado turned to images. At a loss for words... shapes replaced grammar. With a variety of line, shape and colour, Lohbado worked on his memoirs, until words happened. Every story involves a sequence of before and after. In between before and after, now pulsates. Each now becomes then at the moment it occurs. Once you even say the word now, it's already past. Each picture saved Lohbado a thousand words. As the pictures piled up, Lohbado's memoirs took shape.

Most of now is barely noticed and will be easily forgotten. It will be as though now never even happened. After you die, all that remains is a few distorted, fading memories among a handful of people. What did you expect? Were you hoping for a monument? What part of yourself would you like immortalized?

towel story

Put yourself in someone else's shoes

The importance of a clean towel can't be over emphasized

Lohbado didn’t know how the bugs got into his apartment. Not bed bugs...  he found flat shiny green things. At first it looked like part of Jane’s necklace. Lohbado looked closer. Three dead bugs on a hand towel on the floor... he should have hung the towel to dry, then maybe bugs would never have entered his mind. Too late... three shiny green bugs on a damp towel, Lohbado put the bugs on a plastic lid and hung the damp towel on a hook in the bathroom.

Lohbado point and shoot photography

Rows of rectangular florescent lights, windows from the building across the street reflected in the window, red drapery, plus the clutter of white foamy type pillows and a stack of yellow boxes, Lohbado took a picture. A man came running excitedly out of a shop. What are you doing? I'm taking a picture. Why are you taking a picture... the routine. Anyone who takes photos will eventually run into paranoia... Lohbado explained that he likes to take pictures for fun. The man frowned and went back inside. Lohbado continued taking pictures.

black cat

river

Water flowed under the dam, fast flowing water, overcast sky. It's the Yamaska River as it passes through Farnham, Quebec.

cat gazing into space

photo by Lohbado

relaxed cat

Lohbado relaxation

dreaming

dreaming

The Chief Nomroh told Lohbado to relax. There's no point being anxious and worried. Lohbado dreamed about looking through a screen window into somebody's back yard. He dreamed about walking down a pier, while two power-walkers did a ritual.

shadow of a steel rail

abstract concrete photography by Lohbado... the shadow of a steel rail. What does it mean? I see something that looks like water, sky, concrete and steel, with some loopy doop lines... My kid could do better than this. Boring!!! LOL!!!

Expozine 2013

Once again, Expozine was a success, with a huge variety of high quality books, zines, comics and book related artwork. People were in good spirits and went away with plenty of items to enrich their lives.

you're being watched

acrylic on paper book

Heads, the inside of the head, eyes watching, nothing is hidden. Your every move is being recorded, your messages copies, data collected. There's nothing about you they don't know, should they become interested in finding out about you. They might even try to get into your head.

carefree dog

acrylic and photo on paper

acrylic on paper

This is the cover of a series of bookoids, measuring 4 x 6 inches. Several of them have a dog on the cover, but each bookoid is a unique, handmade item. See you at Expozine tomorrow...

crossing the Plains of Radiation

crossing the plains

arrive at the sea

The above pictures are acrylic on paper pages of discarded books. It took Lohbado several years to cross the Plains of Radiation and to arrive at the edge of the sea. Eventually he will dissolve into the great ocean. It will be as if none of this ever happened. As he reached the edge of the sea, he shook his head and wondered about the point of such a journey. There was no answer to such a question, other than to give up asking. Any answer would fall short of explaining the situation. It's a strange paradox. Once he was able to let go, there was no problem. To say such a thing is problematic. Maybe it's best to say nothing. An insect bit him on the neck and goaded him into motion.

rise up

ink on paper

 Sometimes the moment of getting knocked down, one is able to rise up. Horizontal one moment, vertical the next, then horizontal again... it's as predictable as day and night. This image is from the new Club Morono zine, Volume 4, which will be launched at Expozine.

bookoid on digestive model of existence

acrylic and ink on paper

Club Morono followed the digestive model of existence. Digestion ranks next to breathing as one of the most important survival functions. It has a physical and psychological aspect.

From parasites to elephants a lot of eating and being eaten takes place. Insects suck blood. Bacteria attacks blood cells and tissue. Humans eat animals, birds, fish, worms, insects, plants. Some humans even eat other humans, on occasion. The growling of the stomach sets the world in motion. Once the belly is full, one craves company.

Club Morono Bookoids

the Bookoids are original

the mind sloshes around in waves

be healed!

The above pictures feature pages from Lohbado Bookoids which, among other things, Club Morono will display next weekend at Expozine. These pages are ink on paper. Each bookoid is hand-made in an edition of one.

praying outdoors

drawing by Lohbado

One afternoon, Lohbado went into the countryside and folded his hands in prayer.

attempt to write it all down

The Solid Conceptual Foundation (SCF) came to Lohbado in a dream and later while seated on a wooden bench at the laundry. Bear with me a little longer while I venture deep into conceptual territory and get lost in the woods, where, if one is lucky, one might meet Ursus, Oorsis, the big bear and receive a hug to boot.

time to cheer up

from mini comic 

Two pages from a mini comic which, among other things, will be on display at the Club Morono spot at Expozine.

The first step in overcoming any sort of depression or mental distress is to make the resolution to change. One sees clearly how the way of confusion leads in a circle of misery. To cheer up requires the decision to orientate oneself in the way of openness, honesty and sanity. Then one can begin to figure out a way to proceed.

conceptual foundation

acrylic on paper

from a bookoid

Somebody asked what I meant in the previous post by conceptual foundation. I was about to reply when a dog ran up and sniffed my hand. While patting the dog, a load of mental gibberish melted away. Conceptual foundation could mean a lot of things. In the art world, it often refers to a layer of blibber-blabber placed around the art object in order to make the artwork more something or other. Conceptualizing hides ones embarrassment at being confronted with something direct, spacious and non-conceptual. Peel back the pile of words to have direct experience of the artwork. Of course, the notion of a non-conceptual type experience is also conceptual.

idea machine

ink on paper

ink on paper

 Two more samples from hand made Bookoids, which will be exhibited at Expozine.

To operate the idea machine, just add words, press a button and watch them spin around to form concepts. The machine rests on a solid conceptual foundation.