"The Nature Of Naive Art..."

After gathering, preparing, and designing upon stony dimensions for so long... then painting, coating, and eventually anonymously placing the Summit Stones for many years now, I find myself pondering again about the innocent nature of naive art...

Not only do I see myself as an ordinary adventurer, I also perceive such artistic muses to be available to us all as many adventurers are artists and poets...

Naive artists are seen to be of simple origins... and that resonates well with me because as the National Museum of Naive Art presents: "The vast majority of so-called 'naive artists' are self-taught, and come from humble backgrounds. They often choose to remain anonymous... Their works are the products of instinct, spontaneity and experience, a reflection of very personal sensitivities... They claim no affiliation with any artistic theory or influence. Each one of these artists invents their own means of expression...". They say further: "Naive Art possesses a characteristic innocence and sincerity of vision. With its bright colors, flattened perspective and sometimes unskilled brushstrokes... but hidden behind this apparent candour lie elaborate technical and optical conventions, conscious stylisation and visual harmony... The simplification found in the genre.. is more often a means of pushing to the limits the boundaries of figuration and thus creating a more powerful, very direct visual and emotional impact...".

ArtHistoryGuide.Com describes Naive Art or 'Outsider Art' as: "Representing memories, dreams, fantasies and scenes from life with an emphasis on color and shapes. 'Naive' is often associated with Folk Art."

The Gallery of International Naive Art also shares some perspectives on these modest artistic efforts in seeing that: "Whatever our association with the term 'naive art', one is struck with the near universal appeal of this exhilarating art form. Perhaps the appeal stems from the celestial, joy-inspiring palette of colors chosen by naive artists to portray their subjects. Maybe it is the genre's simplicity... Or could it be the timeless nature of the subject matter, reminding us of opportunities missed, of wondrous roads less travelled... The naive artist - often self-taught - treats us to a uniquely literal, yet extremely personal and coherent vision of what the world was, is or should be...".

A well known Brazilian naive artist, J. Ardies, sees the naive artist themself as believing: "That the magic of Art may help man to turn to the simpler things of life...".

Painting upon these small rocks is only an attempt to express ideas about the elements of nature, of adventure, and of meaning, inspiration & motivation... This painted stone endeavor is only a simple effort too that hopefully may invite ripples of reflection on giving back within our adventures... and upon passing forward about wild places.....

DSD

"A Face In The Stone....."

R & C on my Profile wrote: "On my stone I think we have found something else. It looks where there might be a face in these snowy lines of the mountain. I'm sure of it. Is this supposed to be you DSD?"...

There have been past comments as well about things perceived to be hidden upon or secreted meanings within these painted metaphors of rock... In my study of this 'Naive' art style I recall reading too how the word 'art' itself, as in 'handicraft', also at one time meant 'mystery' in this elemental trade...

'Should I let it be a mystery', I mused again after R & C left their comment...

We marvel often at the remarkable things we find and do out in wild places... We may often ponder their meanings and origins... So yes, their are many faces... and other mysteries represented in these Summit Stones...

When crafting, I often think of 'Grandfather', a Mountain Elder, who wrote: "You will feel me beside you; see my face in the stone; hear me on the wind", as I paint lines over colors over palette and attempt to even get a smile at times within these images...

These faces most often are looking up with wonder upon a shining sun, countless stars, a clear full moon, the fire of sky within alpenglow, or the rainbows that always follow each of us around out in the wild places...

I have enjoyed M. Mardon so much when he too wrote about such hidden images by S. Lyman:

"Yet another burned area presents itself further along the trail with many a scorched tree still standing, very likely to live on through many more thunderstorms. But one dead tree... seems to have stood in the ground through many revolutions of the earth... its bark peeling away exposing its wood to the elements. While the sides of the dead fir are charred, its upper surface is smooth, bleached to a uniform grey, and as inviting to an artist as a chalkboard. He takes a piece of charcoal in hand and sketches a woman's face, not in bold outline but subtly, with shadings and blurred features so that an unsuspecting hiker coming upon it later might wonder if Mother Nature hadn't drawn the image herself"...

Because I believe what surprises us... often also inspires us... we often find our expectations have been exceeded... And this is what wild lands and adventures out in them inherently do for us...

And at those times...

In that moment...

With such a smile...

The 'face in the stone'... Is you 'Finder'.....

DSD

"Alpenglow Possibility..."

When I muse over images of alpenglow I think of Tolkien who wrote: "Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight... It was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of memory, and old tales, of the high and distant mountains...".

I also ponder Muir's perspective when he said: "Sunbeams pouring through the passes between peaks... making their edges burn...".

This photographer- Dru, who took these images, while enjoying an adventure out in the wild places, seems to know well the art of intuitively taking pictures... It is not the easiest thing to do out there... To make the time and expend the energy, in the midst of adventure activities, to take just the right shot which holds within it meanings not only for the photographer, but when shared... for all of us as well.

Dru is also one of the earliest Finders from the beginning years in the journey of these small stones... His many wild lands images on Flickr are amazing.

Alpenglow is about mystery... and magic... About moments to be cherished and remembered... About challenges, people, and times very special...

Alpenglow to me, is very much about contentment for what adventure day has just passed... and even more so about possibility for what adventures are just about to begin.....

DSD

Dru's Flickr Link: http://flickr.com/photos/druclimb/711999451/in/set-72157600073602468/

"What Are We Really Seeking Through The Adventure Of Climbing..."

Mountains and climbing may have been my first adventure passion... In a recent lively discussion with friends we asked each other the above question; all agreeing it is a fundamental reason for musing... Some friends viewed this question as rhetorical... possibly in the way that in the question itself we may see our answer... Or that the effect wanted comes just from asking...

Another companion seems to be fond of the 'Socratic' method for inquiry... as where this adventure question is responded to as if it already were an answer; then reframe the first question in a different way, possibly to get to a higher level of meaning...

All agreed that any such adventure musing is fun and of real value to understanding ourselves as climbers... This enlightens us... promotes awareness and inspiration... and these wonderments are especially worthwhile when the inevitable adversities, slumps, and setbacks occur in our chosen adventure activity like climbing...

When reading posts on 'The Adventurist', 'The Adventure Blog', 'The MountainWorld', and 'Best Hike', among others... I often find myself also pondering the unwritten musings between the lines; maybe even behind the stories of what, who, where, and when... I guess to try and better understand the 'why' of it all... The 'why we do what we do' out in the wild places... especially when hanging precariously upon a face of rock...

As for what we seek and why we climb as a particularly potent adventure, I have often deferred to a most favorite book by S. Gardiner entitled: "Why I Climb". I have read this through and marked the pages seven times over the years. Enclosed in this tome of insights & inspirations are varied climbing experiences, powerful metaphors of altitude and mountains, and meaningful quotes I have pondered time and again...

C. Houston, in his Foreword to Gardiner's book said: "In this confusing and frenetic world we need to pause now and then for a moment to ask why are we here, where are we going, and what are we achieving. Humans do the bravest, wisest, and most foolish things, often not knowing why". He says the intention of such writing and musing is to: "At least it may prompt some people to look again at what drives them, look beyond today and tomorrow, and perhaps find in mountains more than climbing".

Gardiner himself in the Introductory Chapter writes: "I tried to explain the emotions I had felt... I don't think I succeeded, but it did cause me to think more about what motivated me to climb." "Perhaps there isn't a good answer or perhaps there are many good answers".

Gardiner refers to the purpose for this amazing book in that: "To explore why people climb... both climber and non-climber, will expect to find an answer to this age-old question... the answer may be more of a puzzle... It is certain, however, that when man mixes with mountains interesting things happen and thoughts about nature, religion, and the human mind, body, and spirit abound".

Gardiners' writing strikes the muse for our 'why climb' discussions, for us ordinary adventurers, and through his book, and with our ponderings we discover motives behind the summits we have gained, and motivation, vision, and inspiration for climbs & adventures yet to come...

The longer we choose to adventure climb, the more significance this question seems to take on. It is not that a post such as this answers or even addresses such a question; maybe it is more that the question remains unanswerable... except by each of us, in our own way, developing our own meaning, over the years...

What do you seek out there in the high places.....

DSD

"Hubris... And Humility..."

"If hubris is the yin of climbing, humility is the yang..." J. Waterman

I mentioned hubris as an adventure concept in a recent post... I have also been musing over this quote since my last post on "Summit Stone Controversy"... as it raises my awareness about being prideful about my efforts... about respect for different viewpoints... and regarding humility reflecting the comments of 'Finders' and others made to that post...

Pride does have a certain power, but loses its potency when it becomes presumption, even arrogance... An adventurer full of hubris is less aware of the cliffs between us and the horizon...

and this can be a dangerous precipice to balance upon...

Many other ordinary adventurers I've met over the years have developed a kind of modest pride over their outdoor accomplishments, and then seem to carry themselves with a different quiet dignity... They not only are aware of the cliffs, but see way past them to the horizon... I admire that... Theirs is a heightened sense of self, but self in relation to a respect for the wild places, others they travel with, and especially the inherent risks out there...

As for my own experience with hubris... there have been those days out where part of me believed I have climbed, kayaked, or trekked in perfect style... Only to then realize that where ever I was, on whatever path, there was always someone ahead of me, and someone just behind... That perspective allowed me to touch humility...

I would ask though... Was it a vice to feel such confidence? Is there not an energy within such pride? Much here to muse over...

Over the years there have been many phases of each of these - hubris & humility... as goals were met, limits pushed, trials endured, and an awareness of the dual aspects these two states may have and how they impact our adventures and thus our lives...

What has also been surprisingly useful, is an awareness of caution, even of many fears and doubts that would balance out the giddy optimism and ego that adventures may give birth to...

I sense walking along this edge between optimism and reservedness keeps us safe while allowing for exceptional fun out in wild places...

I have also benefited from the sharing of adventure guides and mentors about these two perspectives... those who have themselves achieved that balance between real confidence in dangerous surroundings... who belay themselves across the high ridges, where we may surpass our limitations while still acknowledging our humanness in making mistakes and errors of judgement...

I recognize now too the importance of appreciation and gratitude in developing humility as the natural opposite of hubris... Especially in beginning again after severe adversity; then dreaming about all the further possibilities out there... in acknowledging those who have gone before in setting our routes; while acting upon the need to pass forward to those yet to follow...

B. Blanchard, a Canadian Mountaineer of exceptional talent, said himself: "Humility is the key to being a good alpinist...".

Even though adventures are all about pushing personal limits, where confidence plays a potent role, there also seems a place for another awareness...

I believe the crux between hubris & humility may be climbed past in developing an understanding that adventures in wild places are not just about 'me'... They are inherently about all of us... and the inevitable impacts we each may have in wild lands...

Yet again... it would seem that as in all things, especially adventures, and with these small stones... the real summit to be attained is a balance within the experiences, lessons, and memories gained... most significantly between hubris & humility.....

DSD