Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Caracas, Venezuela - Still Breathless



Day Two: it's a little beyond words...the entire trip so far. Meeting the right people all along the journey, being so taken care of from the moment I got off the plane. The mountains, the poor, the city, the art and artists! Only poetry and images can suggest a world unto itself that I have the great honor in experiencing... there are tears in my eyes.
~Mark

Thousand of images flashing past the moments, a whirlwind of time-less-ness, a stranger becoming not so strange in a strange world, the heart of the people opening to me as I open to them, honest, across borders of language to land of color, form, community, children, big dreams, of a mountain range that this the ceiling of South America, where hermits write erotic poem and spend their years balancing rocks and sharing both. Where security guards are with me even when I pee at the park, taking care to care for me in this different world. And ad-mist the turmoil, the poverty, the bizarre streets, are beautiful mysterious graffiti paintings, beautiful women to ugly men and everyone in between. Young artists and older artist come up to me saying they have heard about me, they have seen some of my work. I show them more and they show me more and together we become a tribe of creative being, animals creating, striving to be free in all moments of doubt, in the confrontation of the unknown in time as warriors unto the gods, a delicate balance, and the grace of understanding the lay of the land, of seeing the park and knowing it can be done... easily, the belly relaxes. The vultures roost not to just eat the dead but to marvel at the humans weaving stories out of the dust from mountains, the chalk/silica, the most abundant element on the earth's surface, and the telling of the birth of a story that will be told around the world from a continent that still has the a spirit intact, living, alive, creating the universe over and over. Still Breathless!




the chalk has arrived - 8,000 pieces, hope I sent enough!


My amazing support team!

My amazing art student production team







And the Gift at the end of the day, at the tip of the growing plant drawing, a real plant that fell exactly here. The creative growth has already begun!

www.reenchantingtheworldthrough art.org

2 comments:

Raquel said...

Dear Mark... I enjoyed your first impressions, accurate words to describe this crazy, beautiful, insecure but addictive city !
Today I went jogging along the giant green snake you draw ! Hoping to see you tomorrow or saturday !
Good luck!

aakshat said...

dreams taking shape. gr8 u have many supporters 2 help u through this baptism by fire situation. best of luck. waiting for more updates n pics.