...another vain attempt at defining art

as "inspiration"and "art"

 share an orbit.... 

Inspiration:

 breathing 

    involuntary

      essential to life

painting to dissolve 

into the interconnectedness of all things

through the eyes of others.

the box grand piano 

that stands outside my back door

as a giant gargoyle because

it was beyond repair and 

that was as far as 

I chose to move it that day

has taken on a new function

Part of the living lightly is

in dancing with the forces of nature

the canoe that I built becomes a familiar 

standard of comparison

The steady motion of the sailboat 

that caught my eye

The angle of the piano 

while splitting the prevailing westerlies

increases the velocity of the wind

which clears the snow from the 

up-wind side of the base

so, what looks like an 

inert obstruction 

or art 

is in effect, 

shovelling snow.... 

so by definition, 

it is not art

thanks to the tractors.... a toast

fresh snow in a glass
to celebrate the distillers art
fresh snow to reflect sunlight
into the house to enable the
interaction of sensation of reflection
that we call seeing
to blanket the forest floor from freezing so
spring can prepare back-stage
Thanks to all the friends and neighbours 
busily, silently capturing and storing
with-out fanfare or fatigue  
the radiant heat of the sun
that comforts my bones

The house is a reflection of values passed down and
observation in that light from childhood
As my friend Nat says, design is compromise.
as Frank LLoyd Wright says, form follows function

the requirements for the studio/ house, as seen from the perspective of a 25 year-old aspiring carpenter,
and painter with a degree in art history were specific .. Modular, passive solar with the
heating requirements compromised by the need for a high ceiling  and  north-light in the studio.
Maple forest provides heat and sunlight in winter and the cool shade of summer.
The integrity of the envelope re.  site appropriate materials, heavy insulation, convection air circulation
and mechanical concentration were priorities. Prevailing winds were taken in to consideration.
Aesthetics were achieved by balancing modular efficiencies with site requirements through symmetry
and a combination of  timber and balloon-framing. 

Frozen clothes 

at twenty below

become animated

as the wind picks up

The wood stove groans

but knows of the thaw

blowing in from 

beyond the horizon