Day 5084: Artist, MILFORD ZORNES & Picasso Tigerfish.

"Community": junk paper collage.

  

Want music?

    Click: Jackson 5, Got To Be There.

2GN2S

 I have a dear student, blackbelt, Rick who trained with me eons ago and he had a terrible house fire, loosing everything. He said the hardest losses were the photos and personal gifts. We talked for a long time and I said I would hunt through my "too much" stuff and might find duplicates etc, that I can send to him for his birthday, August 1st! And so, believe it or not, today on the 25th I am working on it. I may update later?

Of course in the process I do get distracted. I opened an old journal and saw this ...

In January 2006, I was lucky to be a member and in attendance when legendary artist, Milford Zornes demonstrated watercolor for the Huntington Beach Art League. I took this poor quality photo as he worked, and later sent it to him, thanking him. He actually called me one morning, I was gobsmacked but thrilled. He asked me if I was painting? I was working on a collage, but said yes. He said, "Me too". We probably only talked a few minutes, but it is still a highlight memory. I remember he was in his late 90's then, and still working every day. Inspiring.

Not long after, I went to a gallery where they were selling his art, books and prints, all out of my price range. But I found a sketch that had been cut out of a notebook and with a little splurge, it was mine.

(If you look close you can see the cut edges)

Milford Zornes, 1908 - 2008

  

This is the PICASSO TRIGGERFISH – 

The Reef's Living Masterpiece!

Found in the warm coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Picasso Triggerfish is famous for its bold colors and striking geometric patterns that resemble a painted work of art.

Despite its beautiful appearance, this fish is highly territorial and uses its powerful jaws to crush hard-shelled prey like sea urchins, crabs, and mollusks. When threatened, it can lock its strong dorsal spine into place, making it difficult for predators to pull it from rocky crevices.

Did you know: Picasso Triggerfish often sleep wedged between rocks at night, using their "trigger" spine to stay securely in place!

#picassotriggerfish #reeflife #marineanimals #ocean #wildlife

 

  

 

A 1+ minute video, Brayton heat a Sax, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Violet-backed Starling

Sunday's Smiles ... 

 

by Michael Adder

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5083: Super Summer Seminar & California Fire Remedy.

"Demura Sensei - Testing": charcoal/photo

  

Want music?

    Click: Pat Metheny, And I Love Her.

2GN2S

 It's that time. A yearly event, we all look forward to ...

and for the first time, the second half of day , Weapons, 

is open to anyone who bring the weapons to participate.

This yearly event always seems to fall on a hot day.

California has deployed 400 goats and sheep to clear wildfire fuel.

The animals are grazing across about 180 acres in northeast Fresno as part of an eight-week habitat restoration project targeting dense brush and yellow star thistle.

Yellow star thistle is an invasive plant with sharp, spiny flowers that can crowd out native vegetation and leave behind dry fuel during California’s hottest months. Dense patches can make fires spread faster while reducing food and habitat for wildlife and pollinators.

Goats and sheep are especially useful because they will eat plants that many other animals avoid. They also consume the seed heads, helping prevent the next generation of weeds from returning.

Unlike mowing or herbicide spraying, targeted grazing can clear difficult terrain with less heavy machinery and minimal soil disturbance. The animals also leave behind manure that can return nutrients to the ground.

Once the invasive plants have been reduced, local agencies plan to restore the land with native grasses, shrubs, and trees.

The project is taking place near Woodward Park, where removing excess vegetation could help protect nearby neighborhoods, public spaces, and wildlife habitat from fast-moving fires.

Goats are already being used in communities across the western United States as a form of wildfire prevention. They cannot stop every fire, but they can reduce the amount of dry vegetation available to burn, potentially slowing flames and giving firefighters more time to respond.

Learn more:

"400+ goats, sheep being used to prevent the spread of wildfires, invasive species near Woodward Park."

 

 

  

 

A 2+ minute video, Candy sculpture , here.

 

 

Just because ...

 

White-throated Toucan

Saturday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

Day 5082: Shoe Observation & Baby Echidna.

"Space": junk paper collage.

 

Want music?

    Click: Teddy Pendergrass, Wake Up Everybody.

2GN2S

I am ...

In fact, it doesn't  even have to be shiny!

Fourteen years ago when GH#1, Jordan, was playing basketball in junior high, I did a blog about it on my second day of this blog, here.

I loved going to watch all the guys and their games. He was sitting next to me in the bleachers prior to the game and I glanced down at his huge feet and his amazing tennis shoes. I even took pictures with my phone.

Size 13-1/2 shoe then and he was 14 years young. How amazing to have your shoe size and age almost the same. I began to smile, as I imagined if my shoe size equaled my age. 

Later I found the sketch I made back then to support my theory. I had decided if we all had the same shoe size as our age ...mine might look like this?

but this would be problematic, 

so I would have to roll them up to get in the car?

Made sense to me at the time, and gave me another smile now.

A little craziness helps now and then.

This is the BABY ECHIDNA – The Rare Mammal That Hatches From an Egg! Native to Australia and New Guinea, the baby echidna, called a puggle, is one of the few mammals in the world that hatches from an egg.

After hatching, it stays safely inside its mother's pouch, feeding on milk until its protective spines begin to grow. As it gets older, the young echidna leaves the pouch and continues developing in a nursery burrow until it's ready to explore on its own.

Did you know: Echidnas and platypuses are the only living mammals that lay eggs, making them part of a rare group called monotremes!

#babyechidna #echidna #wildlife #nature #animals  

 

  

 

A 3+ minute video, Afternoon class, here.

 

 

Just because ...

 

Friday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.