When I was young I was not encouraged to draw and paint but my desire to be creative led me to art school. My first professor said he would give me a B if I quit. I did. A few years later he gave me stink eye when he saw me in a printmaking class.
I think he's dead now.
I use acrylics, water based oils, traditional oils and and sometimes pastel on canvas. Sometimes paper, feathers, dead birds or other detritus might be found in the mix. I enjoy experimenting with paints and mediums and paint over old paintings to create new effects.
Art. Biology.
Color.History.
Music. Nature.
Philosophy. Poetry.
Religion. Sex.
When I was young, I wrote poems that were published in the local neighborhood newspaper.
In school I wrote poems, made small books, and created silly satires of popular advertisements.
I later became a copywriter.
During university, I published some poems and won some awards.
I never graduated.
My greatest achievement was in Chicago when
When I was young, I wrote poems that were published in the local neighborhood newspaper.
In school I wrote poems, made small books, and created silly satires of popular advertisements.
I later became a copywriter.
During university, I published some poems and won some awards.
I never graduated.
My greatest achievement was in Chicago when Ezra Pound's psychiatrist from St. Elizabeth's
said he liked my poems.
Cheating Death is a phrase from Tibetan Buddhism. In my mind it could be translated as Daily Life. Ultimately, there is no cheating death.
Chinese poetry is an art form that brings a three dimensional visual aspect to the delivery of a poem that is being displayed in a two dimensional format. The visual content of the characters adds another layer of meaning. I attempt to be as faithful to the original as possible while also rendering some of this spirit.
I began this journe
Chinese poetry is an art form that brings a three dimensional visual aspect to the delivery of a poem that is being displayed in a two dimensional format. The visual content of the characters adds another layer of meaning. I attempt to be as faithful to the original as possible while also rendering some of this spirit.
I began this journey in 1972 at the Ohio State University and continued through another ten years while attending and not attending The University of Texas. I continued refining these translations for the next several decades. What a pleasure to revisit the greatest masters of Chinese poetry. I think I have gone as far as I can with them. At least for now. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
This new hardcover book collects all of my poems and translations to date. It includes all of the poems from my previous books, a new section of poems, all of my translations of Chinese poetry, and the Abhidharmakośa of Vasubandhu translated with Geshe Namgyul Wangchen in Sarnath, India in 1980.