Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Home

I came home on the 25th  of September and I'm so glad to be back in the city. It's hard to believe that I was gone for a year. I truly missed this city and the energy of all wonderful people here in the big - D. During my time abroad, I thought a lot about the city and the challenge to push myself to the outer limits of my imagination here in Basel. My work here at home has prepared me for the world and Switzerland helped me to see the greatness of Yahweh in nature.

I left on the18th of September for my opening in Bern Switzerland. The title of this exhibition is, Two Countries, Two Cities, One Spirit. Everything is connected to spirit Law from my estimation. Switzerland is a different country and the culture is what is so dissimilar but art is universal and so is God, if you believe.

As I leave, take care all you wild ass folks here in the - D. Stay in trouble please and let's transform our City into a work of art that shows what we are made of here.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Leaving

All week I've been running around like a chicken with no head because I'm getting ready to go home. Time went by so fast and it's hard to believe that my residency is coming to an end. I came here afraid - nervous and not sure about any of it at first, but time settled me into place. I see the importance of me coming here now. I was reborn. This was a mental medicine and very therapeutic in terns of me being exposed to European artists and philosophers of the past.


Two weeks ago, Jenenne and I went to visit our friends in Stuttgart, Germany. Klaus and Cathrin live in the
mountains of Stuttgart where there are lots wine vineyards and it was like being on top of the world looking down at the city of Stuttgart. What a view! They fixed a birthday dinner for myself and Jenenne, who was also celebrating her birthday. We stayed the night there. I personally love the artwork that was in our bedroom, painted on the walls.


We turned in early because we had a big day planned for tomorrow plus a special surprise in store for us.
I rose early. I'm more or less an early bird. I like the morning sky. We had breakfast and then we were on our way headed for the autobahn. Klaus drove and I rode shotgun. On the way, to my "BIG" surprise, we made one stop, to check out a folk art museum. The work at the museum was great and it reminded me of grandpa Mackey's artwork. My "BIG" surprise was having Klaus and Cathrin and a friend of theirs take Jenenne and myself to Heidelberg, Germany!







Heidelberg is a college town and students come from all over the world to attend school there. We had lunch
on one of the Heidelberg boats and after lunch we strolled up and down the city streets. The grand finale was taking the cable car to the top of the mountain. And there it was, the Heidelberg castle. Big, powerful, a fortress of the past. It was a city in itself.


The castle was built in 1271 and still stands today as a tourist attraction. It was damaged twice by lightening storms and partly destroyed during the France war. This was a wonderful birthday present, to go back in time and see this magnificent artwork on top of a hill over-looking the city. The Heidelberg castle lives on, on top of that mountain and the Heidelberg Project lives on and on, on Heidelberg street.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Winding Down....

Every morning I wake up to create and if I die tomorrow, let me die creating what I love. That's art. 

The train ride from Basel to Bern is very therapeutic for me. I'm Like Socrates-I know nothing
and all is at hand. The language is different here but the words are the same, like back in Detroit. My time here is coming to an end and already I'm starting to miss this place. I love it here! I just heard the church bells and it's 7:00pm here with a beautiful sky. It feels like I've been gone for years. I've become accustomed to the life-style here: people riding their bikes and little old ladies all dressed up just to go to the store on the trams. My house keeper, Denise who cleans the house Mondays and Fridays, I will truly miss her along with her German lessons.

The public transportation system I've got down to a science. I will miss the fact that everything is on time for the most part. It's the way of life here, being on time. The neighbor next door is our physician, so if Danh or I get sick, we just go next door. I also ended my membership at the gym this week and started packing up. Getting ready to come home to the goddamn - D!!!! I've been here a year and the time has just gone by so fast it's hard to believe it. I stayed busy most of the time and met a lot of wonderful people. I went to parties and.... sometimes drank too much. I love the Jazz at Bird's Eye Jazz club.

I will never forget this momentous experience that open my eyes to see the glory of God here. The beauteous black birds outside my window in the morning. Danh and those wild bodacious parties he throws here at the house...I have had so much fun here.

As I conclude, my life will never be the same all because I know now I can do anything If I put
my mind to it, like coming to Basel, Switzerland for a year.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Open House aftermath.....

The open house opening was a big hit and people came to check it out. This work is about 25 years of experience and that now I understand that this is my purpose in life, to create art. I feel renewed and excited about the possibilities that await me now and there is no turning back at this point in my life. One writer said my art was religious art and people here had a lot of questions about the messages and my shoe concept. My answer to the people was, "I'm making it up." I create what I feel and see with my third eye of wisdom from God.
                                                                     Open House Images


So what is art today for me: it's the open house project here now and whatever tomorrow brings my way. I'm having so much fun and if the world came to end tomorrow, I'd have zero regrets. Life has been good to me. My grandfather was and is a part of the open house research project here in Basel Switzerland. It was truly an honor to have grandpa be part of this special occasion, the two of us again. I made a promise to my grandfather that I would share his art with the world; this is only the beginning!


I would like to thank Jenenne, my lovely wife, and Dan Hoops for coming out for the opening. We had a great time!

                                     Dan Hoops, Jenenne Whitfield, Tyree Guyton, John Sutton

                                                     Jenenne Whitfield and Debbie Sutton


I love the fact of being here but can't wait to return home so I can polka dot the whole city now. I've been practicing for that moment. So get ready city!


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Open House


Time is just ticking away like never before and the open house is this week. I'm so excited and proud of myself. This journey has changed my life from the inside out and has freed me to go beyond my own expectations.

Twenty five years has prepared me for this moment, knowing now that my paint
brush is my magic wand and I can create magic with it. This momentous body of works here in Basel is based on philosophy and my own experiences of creating the Heidelberg Project, an outdoor museum in a neighborhood.

Photos of the Heidelberg Project will be part of the open house here too. Art, life and the unknown, but known through faith, has been another piece to this puzzle. Now after this experience of being challenged beyond my imagination by coming here to Basel, the world is my canvas and there is nothing to fear but fear
itself.

Then there is the print show in October, which will consist of a new body of prints that I'm currently working on during my time here in Europe as well. This work is also about research based on how everything is connected to everything. This project here in Basel switzerland took the girl out of me and now I can polka dot the sky if I choose to do so.

If I die tomorrow, I have no regrets at this time. I was on the train going to Bern to meet with Tom Blaess and saw the Swiss Alps from my window seat. What a site! Just incredible! And all I could think of was the puissant awesome power of Yahweh and the artistry of those incredible mountains he or she made.

When I started the project twenty five years ago, and I'm 26 myself, I saw the magic in chaos and the blight and broken that was present at that time in my city. What is art today? Well, it's the "could" formation I see here in the sky and the chaos that existed in the city of Detroit where I live. I came here and heard the voice of my creator who are the artists of this universe and who created me in his or her likeness. I'm ready to show my Swiss audiences what I believe art to be for myself today coming from the "D" where we break rules every day for the sake of art and new possibilities in art. Yes, God is a woman with red hair and 2+2= 8 and art is what you believe it to be and there is no limit when it comes to the imagination and understanding the spirit of creativity that's in all of us. Yes, I'm having an open house here and you are invited, but don't be mad at me if you see where I broke the rules here too. 

God made me do it.   

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Open House

Things are coming along! I'm getting ready for my open house on 16 August 2012. I've been very busy here working on my own artistry and reading philosophy books, spending a lot of time in the studio too, constantly asking myself what is art today. This is a very complex question in the vernacular of what's being said and how it's being produced in the art world today. What I know now for myself at this point is that there are no boundaries or limits to the game of art, not today and probably never again. I'm extremely excited and having fun at the same time as I explore what's possible in the world of my own art today: 
2+2 = 8 and God, yes God, is a woman

The work I'm doing during my time here is based on Heidelbergology and that of other philosophers in Europe at the moment. I came here not sure about anything but today I feel the power to create and nothing is safe in my presence. I accidentally polka dotted my studio floor and just found out that the floor is off limits...oops! Art is everything seen and unseen and it's OK to break the so called rules of the past because tomorrow is a new cave to explore. 

My housemate can cook his little ass off. Is this art too?  Everyday God paint's his or her sky in a meticulous way that is breathtaking here in Basel. It's a world that is abstract and surreal in action and deeds. How do you explain God's art? I can't stop creating here. I'm up early because my spirit  is touched to create. Plato said spirit is why we do what we and Dr, Kinley (philosopher) went on to explain it in a way where I see how nothing escapes the pattern of the universe.Yes, this new work is new in one sense but then there is nothing new under the sun. New becomes old and old becomes new again. That's the artistry of God-old to new and new to old. Everything is art and what I do is use the art that's already here to create more art. That's the way to eternal life; through art.

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Old Masters

I saw the old masters were back in town again at the Detroit Institute of Art. I'm over here in Switzerland and heard about this exhibition coming to the - D. I recently visited one of the museums here and saw Picasso and Matisse at a Jeff Koon opening at the Beyeler museum here in Basel. The reason I'm writing this particular blog is because I'm trying to understand this circle and why the same artists seem to take precedence over the art world. This machine or circle, not sure what to call it, but it's big because I see the affects of it here too. What makes the oeuvre of these artists like Picasso and Matisse so so valuable and the public or certain classes of people can't seem to get enough of them. Why? Are they just as important as the Messiah or perhaps the Pope. I'm not trying be facetious here, not at all, believe me. I just want to understand these systems. As I travel around here in Europe and USA, it's the same circle of artists that I see at your major institutions and the same ditto of people attending the museums and upper class events concerning the arts on the high end. 

What is art today? It's a game where money plays a big part in this equation and creating a movement alone with the right propaganda to go with the philosophy is also part of it too. Time and history is an intricate part to this world of the old masters and the business of art today and why it's still relevant even now. Is it being in the right circle or place? Knowing the right people or perhaps doing something bizarre like cutting off your Der schnuffler and sticking it on a painting ( Van Gogh cut his ear off )? Now that will get you some attention for a while but it won't make you a master with staying power in this circle of the old masters of the past. I understand that it goes way back to the ancient Greek days and farther than that even and that the past is very sufficient to the present. But for how long is my question. 

Religion is a whole other subject but with a similar foundation. Organized religion has been projected and portrayed in the world and all over the globe, so have the old masters. The origin of religion dates back to the roman emperor and so does art. In the vernacular of the past and present of how it all came to be what it is today, it has everything to do with location, power and wealth. As I conclude here, it's starting to make sense. I need to go back into deep time, way, way back to the beginning of time itself. 

July 19 - 2012

Monday, July 9, 2012

$120,000,000

The value of some art is just unbelievable and astronomical in price. Why is that? Some art is more important than human beings and people will steal and literally kill for it. What do you do with a $120,000,000 million  painting? Can it walk or talk? I'm curious to know the thought process behind the person or persons that would spend that kind of money for a work of art. You have some art which is priceless. What do you mean by priceless? Who determines that or how is that done and by what authority? I would like know. The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, was sold for a record price of a $120,000,000 big ones. How do you insure a work of art like that? Do you keep it in a safe and how do you protect it out of harms way? What is art today and if a work of art cost $100,000,000 million or more, why? What are we buying it for really and does it become something other than art? Is it about money along with fame, prestige or politics? Maybe all of the above. Some art has become a big business, a weapon of mask destruction, that's controlled by a certain class of people. $120,000,000 million for a work of art! Can it do tricks or is it the subject matter that makes it so valuable?

I came here to Basel to learn and ask questions, to draw my own conclusions about the art world and continue to ask questions. So what is art today and will it change tomorrow? Don't know. I'm ready to share with the world one of my new works I've created here and the price tag is a $100,000,000 million called  scream loud bitch, A $100,000,000,000 .


Do you think Sotheby's or Christie's auction house might have an interest in auctioning off the piece for me? What do you think?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Jeff Koons

What I saw of Jeff Koons' art works at the Beyeler was exciting, funny and truly a subject for conversation. I also felt that here is a person doing what makes him happy and at the same time making it his art for the world to see. I find art to be just like life and what I mean by this statement is life is full of surprises. It's a whimsical journey at times with no end. Jeff Koons' art works were large in scale and colorful. Some of the works appeared to have been airbrushed or polished to give a very sleek like finish. 








Overall, I give the show a 7 on a scale from 1-10. I'm not an art critic and don't pretend to know it all but I like the rawness and richness of that funky shit we do back home in the - D. The very large bloom-like pieces were on the money. Childlike in character, playful in a dream-like way, magical to the eyes and breath-taking. The show is bold in strength and done with class but what is art today? From what I saw at this show, I don't need to go back and see it again, one time did it for me. Right on!


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Art Basel

The weather was blissfully hot and very uncomfortable, but we did it, we went to Art Basel. I learned from my contacts here that it's the largest art fair in the world and very lucrative. If I never go to another art fair, this one took me to the pinnacle of all art fairs I've attended over the years. It was wonderful to have my wife here and friends from the USA to share this experience with. So many people are here at Art Basel and it is just unbelievable. It's all for the sole purpose of art, good and bad.





Jenenne and I had special tickets to one of the V.I.P. parties. All I can say and will say is, it was great and I had a wonderful time looking at art and socializing with the world. My mind is just flooded with thoughts and there is so much art out here. I'm just overwhelmed with what I'm seeing and learning about this, the business of art. Art Basel came and did what it needed to do and now the city is returning to business as usual. Next year is a year away and I'm pretty sure that Art Basel will return after 43 years in the business again and again because there is no stopping the Ingenuity and Creativity of artists at Art Basel.

Monday, June 18, 2012

2012 Art Basel


The energy is high here and the city is getting ready for Art Basel. I can't wait to check it out for myself. I have heard about it for many years, but now I can see it in person for myself. People are coming in from all over the world to see and be part of it. What I know about it thus far is that it is an art fair that happens every year around the month of June and people would literally die to be a part of it. We went this past Tuesday, Jenenne and myself, but it was only a sojourn visit because of our tickets and the time issue. We'll be back on Thursday with Tom and Kathleen and the other Tom from Bern Switzerland, which is an hour train ride to Basel.


Art Basel is massive in size and art and people are here from every where! You have all kinds of folks here. There is no shortage of characters and people who are art themselves. I'm just flabbergasted and in awe at the energy that's here at this event. The works of the old masters and up and coming artists. What a world! Art at it's best and worst is shown here.

John Chamberlain who died not that long ago stole the show. His works were everywhere. Chamberlain who is best known for his sculpture work that consists of car parts, really made me think and ponder over the fact that art can be anything and everything all at the same time.




What is art today? Well for me here at Art Basel it would be safe to say, It Is Every Thing; the art, the people, all of it. The art that was on the walls was exquisite, beautiful, made by local and international artists. Then there was the art of God which was some of the people and yet all of the people, who were living art themselves and words can not explain what I saw. Both were present here at the show. Everything is art, even the people in some cars. What a show Art Basel 2012!






Monday, June 11, 2012

Busy

Busy and I'm loving every moment of it! My research work is coming along and the shoe installation is taking on shape and character at this point. I wake up every morning listening to those beautiful birds chirping outside in the tree by my bedroom window. That's my alarm clock, those birds chirping in the morning for me to get up. I'm using the shoe as a manifold to prove a point and we all wear them. I believe there are not any differences when it comes to people, circumstances and behavior because of what's in all us, a soul and a desire to be. 

What I have witnessed in Basel are people being people, just like in the D. I see people out here wearing red shoes and dress shoes, short and tall folks and they come in all shapes and sizes. I have witnessed folks wearing cowboy boots and all kinds of funky shoes and young folks sporting Converse gym shoes. On Sundays, I see people attending church and they LIKE to look good here in their Attire. I have gone myself and took time out to polish and shine my shoes. That's part of my personality just like the people here in Basel who make time to polish their shoes. Socrates said he wore no shoes because it was his way of showing us that for him less was better. 

The whole entire week has been just wonderful in terms of possibilities. Today, what a surprise! On my way to the studio there was a single house slipper in the street waiting on me and all I could say was, thank you Socrates for this shoe that will end up in my shoe project here. Hallelujah!




Thursday, May 31, 2012

Shoes and Shoes

I received a box of shoes on Tuesday from the USA. I'm just thrilled and the piece is coming together now. The shoes I received came from the Libra art gallery, which is located on the east side of town in Detroit. I did a show there about twenty years ago and the owner was able to find some of those old shoes from that show. My commitment is to my own city first, but I see the importance of building bridges to the moon and this project is my way of promoting the greatness of who we are through the arts in the D. 

Shoes, the souls, and universal law. Where are we going in this life and if shoes could talk, what would they say about us as people, here in this world. I'm personally looking for something deeper in this life. My work is my own medicine and everyday here I'm getting stronger in the faith. I was in town and there was a pair of shoes believe it or not, with a note inside of them just sitting there waiting for me on a bench. It was a close encounter of the third kind. It was magic! 

Shoes of all colors and sizes. Shoes with holes in the souls of them. Shoes voyaging this incredible journey called life. Shoes of hope and the ones we wear everyday as we commute from here to there. Today, at this very moment, I'm out looking for magic shoes, dancing shoes, shoes that could fly me into space and through time, past the milky way, 25 Trillion miles out! Do you know where there are shoes because I'm looking for them! 

A call for your shoes

This was a very exciting week and shoes are starting to come in on this end for the project. I've started to assemble the shoes here in my studio. This installation will serve as one of my visuals for an independent dissertation project. I, with the help of Maggie who lives here, went around the city talking to some of the secondhand businesses and stores concerning the shoes project. The response here has been great and folks here are just thrilled to help out if they can! I see it, feel it and taste it: Two Countries Two Cities one spirit. This is my way of using my art to show how everything is connected and there is no difference when it comes to human beings here in this abstract world. 

Once again, I'm calling for YOUR shoes. Big shoes, old shoes, blue shoes, leather shoes, your grandmothers shoes, happy shoes, shoes with no strings, and yes, holy shoes! I'm using the shoes to talk about spirit law in this installation. Everything I believe is connected to a universal energy that is in all of us, so I need your souls. I need your shoes! 

Friday, May 18, 2012

Two Countries, Two Cities, One Spirit

To the people of my wonderful city!! I would like to invite you to participate in my next project here in Basel, Switzerland. I would love to have YOUR shoes be part of my new installation piece here in the city of Basel.

The piece is called, Eurythmy of Soul, based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. Having shoes to come from the city of Detroit will truly be the highlight of this piece. I'm using art to build relationships and to show how everything is connected through spirit law. So today, I'm reaching out to my Friends in the D, supporters and people who like or love what I do to send me your shoes. I'm calling for shoes!

P.S. 
The address is: 

Tyree Guyton
Eulerstrasse 25 
4051 Basel 
Switzerland

Monday, May 14, 2012

Spirit

My new project here will be about two counties, the United States and Switzerland, through an art installation and wall pieces. It's a research project that will serve as a visual with a manifesto: What is art today and can it be anything and everything? I was told that art is a reflection of life and life itself is a work of art, even the act of existing is art. Is art something beautiful and pleasant to look at? Can it also be grotesque or fantastically ugly in character and still be art? For me the magic of using the imagination and visualizing what art is for the individual is the key. I believe art is what we see and don't understand at times. Mistakes and accidents are part of the process for me - not knowing at times but trusting yourself to create what you feel. Creativity for me comes from that inner, deep, spiritual connection. It's the power that only the creator of this stellar universe can give to us, to create beauty from a thought and the ebullience to do so. This dynamism power is the same power that created the universe from nothing. I took what I thought was blight and created the Heidelberg Project. For me, after twenty five years, I can do whatever life is calling me to do at this point. My work is like a medicine for the mind. I hear it. 

My next project here in Basel is based on the philosophies of Dr. Rudolf Steiner and Dr. Henry C Kinley. I'm attempting to show through this research that everything in the universe and outside planet earth is connected to a greater power which is in all of us. Both men talk about the supernatural and a higher power that exists. What I did with the Heidelberg Project was done unconsciously. It came from deep down inside of my subconscious which gave me the vision to see it then to create it. Today, I'm saying that 2+2 = 8. I believe strongly that rules are made to be broken and that the abstract is part of the equation which is God who is equivocal in his or her actions. 

This new project, Two countries, Two cities, One spirit, is about life and circummstances and trying to make sense out of it while at the same time hoping to find self through our human experiences. With this body of new works, I'm trusting what's in me to show me the way, to give me insight and let me feel the magic of creating art first from within, understanding the depth of where it is coming from and why. Coming here to Europe, has opened my eyes to see that art is life and life is forever changing itself to be new, to be old and to be whatever the moment calls for it to be at that time. Life is art, yesterday is yesterday and there is no right or wrong way to express creativity. As I formulate this new research work, comparing art to life, nothing surprises me when it comes to art. Two Countries, Two Cities, One spirit. Today it's art and tomorrow it's art, never to change because It's Art.

Monday, May 7, 2012

All the Same

I'm in a country far away from home. I smell the flowers here and there are all kinds of people living here in Basel Switzerland today. I came here thinking that I was going to some strange world when I left the states last year. When I first arrived here, I was like a dog with his tail between his legs. I was so afraid because this was out of my comfort zone and something I've not done before. I remember having a conversation with some friends and sharing with them that there were not any over-size folks here in Basel. Well I lied. It's a place where everything is in order....I thought. Beautiful, pristine and clean here. Then there is the honor system with the public and businesses. The little old lady riding the tram every morning to shop reminds me of my grandmother. You have the rich and those who are less fortunate than others. I see people attending church on Sunday and little kids out playing in the neighborhood just like back home. I wake up early to the sounds of the birds chirping outside my window and kids laughing and talking on their way to school.

Daylight appears around 6:00 am in the morning. For me, it's my wake up call to start my day. The morning traffic is like music to my ears and I open my windows to invite the  fresh air into my space at the wee hour of this new day, which is everyday. What I see here is a place full of life, just like back home-people in search of the unknown. This is real life animated here just like back in the D. You live, you die and then you live again, just like back home. I have met some nice people and some not so nice folks, just like back home. Two days ago, it rained here in Basel and perhaps it might rain in Detroit tomorrow. Who knows? The sun shines here, just like back home. Day time changes to night time. I see different shades of people, tall and short, young and old. You have smokers and drinkers, folks on drugs, party girls alone with a casino, it's here too. 

My work and art has brought me here to study and learn for myself that there is no difference when it comes to human beings. We're all part of this great creation and everything seen and unseen, white and black, Swiss, American, it's all the same. In the book of Genesis the creator said that he made mankind in his image and likeness. Inside the human body there is no difference. It was purposed that way right from the beginning when the creator created us. Outwardly there is a difference, but inside, no. I conclude that spirit life lives in all of us. What's here in Basel, is all over the world, people no different, simply people who are the same.








Monday, April 23, 2012

Vo

What is art today really? Can it be anything and everything and at the same time be nothing? Thelonious Monk said,"Jazz music is freedom." Is art freedom? As I visit art shows here in Europe, I'm somewhat lost to making sense of it all when it comes to art today in this vernacular, systematic world. But who am I to raise this question about art in the world today? I'm not trying to be judgmental or to criticize what I see, I'm just trying to understand the world of art after twenty five years of creating my own art environment. You have art from the U. S. A and then there is Europe, Africa and all over the world. What are we saying? I believe that art or creativity comes from the soul, something way down deep inside of you. It's kinda like Ray Charles's music-you FEEL it. Have the rules changed the game? If so, what are they now?

Danh Vo is the other artist here living at the house with me. His opening was this past Friday. Gisela and I attended the opening. The show was in Austria at the K.U.B Arena which is a new museum. I'm not sure but I think the title of the installation was Mass Star Death in the Dark Heart of our Milky Way. What I saw was captivating in terms of art today. How do you express what you feel on the inside or your thoughts? Are we free enough to do so? It was wild-crazy out there and I had so many questions flowing around in my head. The installation was competing with the space. There was so much space for him to deal with and I personally wanted him to monopolize it all and he could have, I believe, if he wanted to. I don't know Danh personally but I would like to get to know him if I can. There was another piece to the show that I had questions about, color. I love colors and also believe that color is the piquant of life when it comes to the arts, in a practical sense. Looking at it for what it's worth, I saw a show that gave me something to think about as I sleuth to find answers to what is art today? On the way home from Austria, I reflected back on the show in my mind thinking about what I saw and trying to understand what Danh wanted me to walk away with. One thing I did walk away with was I would like to see more and more and perhaps more.

P.S. Danh Vo had me pick up his laundry for him. Is that art too?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

My first dinner party.....and blue shoes.

I was nervous. I couldn't sleep and was really looking forward to my first dinner party. All week long I was planning and thinking about this gathering of people. I did my shopping early in the week, my way of trying to stay ahead of myself. This event is really special in a way because this one person who I invited,  Stephanie, who lives here in Switzerland, has been to the Project. Stephanie is the reason for the party. Fiona is Stephanie's partner who also happens to have a shell fish allergy. OK, I needed to know that because plan B for food went into motion, which was fish. I was somewhat reluctant at first to making this shrimp soup but chose to have it as a appetizer for those who could eat it. With the help of Maggie and Jan we pulled it off. It all came together. Stephanie and Fiona were late which was good in a sense because it gave me more time to get it right. Yes, it all came together and we had baked fish and fried fish, wine for the soul and a wonderful shrimp soup dish for those who could eat it. Oh yeah, we had music playing in the background, Oscar Peterson and a Swiss artist, by the name of Sandy Patton, Miles and the grand finale, Freddy Cole, my man!

We talked about the Heidelberg Project and the U. S. A., the Swiss government, art and the politics behind the art world as we know it to be in today's market. We ran an hour behind schedule, so we got started around 1:30 pm. Oh we got into it and nobody held back! Stephanie talked about her love for Fiona and we drank wine and they smoked their cigarettes. We were on cloud 9. What a day here in Basel! Well, after four and a half hours, it was time to bring this good to an end. I had such a wonderful time with my new Swiss friends and there will be more parties to come. Stephanie who is a big girl and I mean a big girl, who is truly bodacious and audacious, an original work of art herself, stole the show with these blue suede gangster-fly shoes of hers. This lady had it down to a science and all I could think of was the song Elvis Presley made, Don't Step on my Blue Suede shoes. Well we didn't!


P.S. 
The party was on April 8, 2012.

Friday, April 13, 2012

An Artist Named Maggie

Maggie, whom I met a year and a half ago, is a very talented artist who lives here in Basel. Her art is very interesting especially in terms of me judging it for myself and comparing it to my own philosophy of what is art today. Maggie is originally from the States and came here to Europe about seventeen years ago. I think it would be safe to say this is her home away from home now. What do I see in Maggie's art and why did this thing, synchronicity or spirit law, the power of a higher source or what ever, bring Maggie into my world? Why? That question I often ask of myself. I really enjoy those very profound conversations we have about life and spirituality, going to museums and talking about art. If it was not for Maggie who speaks Swiss German, when I first arrived here, I would have been in deep shit. She helped get me acclimated into the swing of things here in Basel. I see her as a person who is just bubbling over with ideas and one who likes to excogitate on things, especially those pertaining to the world.




Maggie's art is a reflection of what's in her. She is warm, caring, non-confrontational and has a passion for music. One day I asked Maggie a question, "What do you want or better yet, what do you expect from your art?" She said to me, "My hope is to have my art pay off, where I can help my dad."  I thought about that answer for weeks. I personally think that Maggie's art is all really paying off. I also understand her answer to my question too because I've been there in my own way of thinking about my work and having people to appreciate it. Maggie, you've the power to move mountains and your art will do whatever you tell it do. It's all really paying off in so many ways my friend. That shooting star you saw in the sky was your sign to get ready because the whole world is your canvas and your paint brush is your magic wand, so paint because the world will come. I came.


April - 12 - 2012 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A New World



Life. And then there is life. We live in a very complex world but what else is new, other than tomorrow and then next week. The opposite of new is old and I can visualize a new world. What would it look like and where would it exist? Here or somewhere else? An untrodden world where everything is perfect in terms of faultlessness. Utopian, excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement. A new world in the mind of old thoughts. Can we have that kind of world here in this one, can we? A place where anthroposophy dominates the creation of mankind in his thought process.


Dr. Henry C. Kinley talks about the Creator from a scientific point of view and how the Creator actually is and operates in today's world, meaning he's running the whole creation, good and bad. The teachings of Dr. Kinley are very radical but so was Jesus. He was radical in such a way that the world is still studying his works and miracles. One of Jesus' many miracles happened at a party where they ran out of wine. So Jesus being Jesus, turned the water into wine. What a party! Wish I could have been there. Then there was another miracle where Jesus rose from the dead and said he was going to prepare a place for those who love him in spirit. A new world. I came to a new world here in Basel where the people speak another language and the infrastructure is different. The air is light and there is this "honor system" here that people live by. The new world that I'm speaking of is a brisance of the mind where you become new all over again. The new world is you but you have to come to a knowledge of knowing it. The spirit law of the universe is the life giver that animates us to be ourselves, here in this world of searching for trust. The whole world is my canvas and it's a brand new world every day when I wake up to see it in action.


April 4, 2012.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Trust

The confident expectation of something, hoping and believing it to be true. Do we trust ourselves really and do we know ourselves in order to undoubtedly trust ourselves? I had a conversation with Gisela today at the Laurenz office about trust. As I rode back home on the tram, the number 15-16-8, I reflected back on the discussion with Gisela at the office. Trust to me is like learning to ride a bicycle or when a baby takes his/her first step. Trust in another sense is when you put your assurance in the hand of the pilot to fly the plane for example or me leaving my work behind and coming here to Switzerland. I turned my project over to people who I don't really know, but I do know them in a sense because of what I believe. Life is all about trust even when you're not conscious of it. I'm learning the magic of trust and how time plays a significant role in us coming to know it, letting it guide us in all of our endeavors. I trust myself to wake up in the morning if it be His will. That same trust carries me through the whole day, through today. It guides me on this very spellbinding journey we call life. It is a medicine when I'm feeling sick and when I can't seem to see my way, it brings clarity and freedom to the mind. It gives me strength to go on believing and trusting in that divine, unseen power of faith. I trust that the sun will shine here in Basel tomorrow and if not tomorrow maybe the next day. Last year, I came here not knowing what the future had in store for me but I'm here to receive and to exercise my personal trust in Yahweh, who is my trust.


Marz-29-12

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The city of Basel

Basel. Small in size but very powerful through its resources. It has a worldwide reputation for its beautiful mountains and its chocolate. A country with seven million inhabitants, people from all over the world call this place home. A place with forty museums or so and the famous Bird's Eye jazz club where I go to hear wonderful music. It's known for its pharmaceutical business and is home to the Rolex watch. The people here speak Swiss German and a second and/or third language is part of the curriculum in the school system. One of my contacts here was educating me about the banking business when I first arrived. She was explaining how people would use their bank (Swiss banks) to hide money from all over the world.

As I commute around the city, one thing I've noticed here, there is a large population of elderly people in Basel who love riding the tram because I see them every morning! Its a way of life for the elderly here. People here are also very precise and they love their coffee and cigarettes along with the many different cheeses too to choose from. The bikers are dangerous! And always look out for the Tram when you're crossing the streets. It's imperative to pay attention here because it's nothing like the U.S.A or the traffic in the D.

Every morning I wake up to the sounds of those beautiful, wonderful angelic church bells from the church that is on the corner of my block. What a sound! And it just resonates all through my body, every morning. It's my wake up call to start my day!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The House

I'm living in this very old and historical house, here in Basel. Inside are 12 rooms and I share the whole house with another artist who occupies the first floor. Here are some images of the inside. The bedroom and the office/living area and we have this very modern kitchen. The backyard is like something you would see in an architectural magazine. The shrubs have been pruned in such a way, it looks like art! Then, there is a little pond in the backyard along with a terrace.

There is a real energy here and the ambiance is just beautiful. The house is like a think tank. When I think of all the artists who have been asked to come here, I understand why there is this thaumaturge of energy here.

For me the house has given me new strength, in my ability to think for myself. The solitude I have found here is like a medicine for the mind and soul. There is this great freedom here, just to be free and do nothing or something, its up to you.


Here is a quote from Rudolf Steiner: "Just as the eye perceives colors and the ear perceives sounds so thinking perceives Ideas."

This reality of being here, in this house, has a way of challenging you, forcing you to use your brain power to see from a new perspective and from new surroundings. I can personally attest to the quote from Dr. Steiner's writings, how challenging yourself opens you up to see the world around you and in you.


P.S.
We also have a beautiful and wonderful house keeper and there are polka dots in my bedroom for now.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Art for the Rich

Art for the Rich-the works of Picasso, Cezanne, Warhol, Kandinsky, Rosenberg and there is one exception Basquiat. From the very beginning when God had Noah build the ark, he took two of every kind of animal into the ark. There has always been two worlds here in this one big world. What we've here are two disunions, one for the rich and another for the every day people, not a part of the so called "big machine" or the main stream art world.


In the February 13, 2012 Detroit News article, artist extraordinaire Olaymi Dabls made a comment about art for the rich and the Europeans. That comment is somewhat true but it's much deeper than that. I believe now after twenty five years I somewhat understand this machine called the business of art. It's a world that is full of make believe, that art is the focal point. It's about money and power and might along with fame. In a nut shell, it's about everything and yet it's still about art.


It's a business ran by wealthy people with money. It's no different from the stock market or the music industry for that matter. It goes all the way back to the Roman empire, even the slave trade and it's deeply woven into the fabric of society, here in this country and around the would. You've always had art for the elite or people who could afford to pay big dollars for a certain kind of art. But let me be real clear here now. I see the same thing with people of color, African American people to be more specific. So yes, there is art for the underclass and less fortunate folks too.


As I think more about Dabls' comment, I truly understand where he's coming from. My own prosperity has put me in a place where I understand the business of the game now. You've got to become so good at what you do, the world comes looking for you and not you looking for the art world. What Dabls has done is created a concept for both the rich and the poor, both black and white and it's art from the depth of the soul that makes it rich and real. As the world continues to change itself and the change I and Dabls have done alone with the art movement in the D, we need to keep doing what we do because in the spirit we're rich already.

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Unknown. A constant search...

“Men shall speak of the might of your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness.”

The whole thing is a mystery to me. I think about the creation of the entire universe. Can art save the world? I say yes to this fact because the earth, this entire planet, is a work of art in and of itself. You and I along with what we see and don't see are connected to a greater entity that is Divine in might. The whole creation! I'm talking about everything. It's all part of the cosmos connection; the abstract spiritual, metaphysical ideas of this creation and why it was created in the first place because it's a work of art in progress.

The changing of the seasons is art. The way the sky changes itself every moment is an equivocal question with many answers to the question of why it's happening. Here in Europe I've come across the works of Rudolf Steiner. A man who I believe was ahead of his time, but at the same time all things in time. From what I have read and seen of his works, I'm in deep search of trying to understand spirit law and why we create art in the first place. The discourse of the unknown is very relevant to the subconscious. The unknown is what we're in search of but we don't know it.

Dr. Steiner was a philosopher, artist and educator. He was a man with strong convictions and one who believed in reincarnation. Rudolf Steiner was born in 1861 and died in 1925 in Hungary, which is now Croatia. I've had the opportunity of being exposed to Steiner’s black board drawings. I find the work to be gratifying and playful. The dark background reminds me of outer space or nothingness. Then there is the magic of color that makes me think about the childlike quality in all of us…. In some of the drawings, I see two extremes, one of which is light colors on top of a dark background surface. The work is very simple in the application but complex in the thought process. There are no limits or boundaries to the works.

Rudolf Steiner says that, "our actions are part of the overall world affairs,” and as I conclude or try to sum up my thoughts about the work, one thing I believe for sure, he was free to search out the unknown in himself. What is art today and will it be something else tomorrow? Yes and yes because tomorrow IS something else.

I was so inspired by the work that I went back a second time to see the exhibition at the Vitra design Museum in Germany. The work hypnotized me again. It took my mind on a journey through time and space. The work is intuitive and naïve, created in a way where it made me question myself about life and who is God.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Revelation #1

It seems like time sped up in a way and this week has come to an end already. The whole week was interesting and I made a discovery out here in Europe. I came upon a project here in Basel similar to my own. There is a house here that looks like one of the Heidelberg houses. Hmmm…. I found myself not believing what I was seeing and my emotions heated up with excitement.


This discovery came as a surprise to me. In the book of Ecclesiastes it says, “There is nothing new under the sun.” I believe stumbling upon this art house out here validates this very point about there is nothing new under sun. I know now that it was meant for me to come here to Basel and to witness that I was not alone in my efforts to take my work to another dimension and to challenge the status quo.

However, I find that I'm caught between two opinions. There is the secular world and then there is what some would call the outsider or intuitive art. But what is art really and do you have to put it in a museum or a gallery in order for it to be art. I say no to that claim, again I say no to the fact of the matter.


What about the prehistoric art, the cave drawings? Are they still relevant today and if so, why? I know that the past is supposed to be important to us for many reasons when it comes to art in general but what about tomorrow, the art of tomorrow? For me, creating the Heidelberg project was my way of pushing the boundaries, to see what was possible in this endeavor of creating my own personal artwork.


As I conclude this blog, in the book of Genesis 1-27, "God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Just like the house out here in Basel, someone pushed the boundaries and what came out, from my estimation, is just pure magic beyond measure, like God when he created mankind in his own image and likeness. What IS art today?

This Past Week....

The reason I'm here is to see it from another perspective and at the same time to learn. I created something back home that opened this door for me to come to Basel and explore the world of art here in Europe. What is Art today, right now at the present time. As I visit galleries and museums in this country, one thing that has my attention is a skill to create beauty. I am proud to know that we have that same skill back in the D.


It snowed here this morning ( Sonntag) and it’s so beautiful. I stayed in all day and did my laundry and fixed me some lunch. I love watching TV here because it's in German! I just might come back speaking another language, who knows. Today (Montag) I went out and got my Tram pass for the month of Februar, did some shopping and went back home. Yohn Vo, my housemate is back from his trip to Brazil. I love the solitude of being here alone at times, but I'm glad he’s back.


Everything is so orderly and neat here in Basel. The Trams and buses run on time here which I think about when I return home--I pray that we have a bus system that works! Basel is so rich in culture and if an artist ever wants to be exposed to the art world, this is it. There are so many possibilities here, but we also have possibilities back home. You've got to create and become your own possibilities and that comes from believing in yourself.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Jenenne's visit and....I got a new housemate!

Morgen,

This week was exciting! There were openings and parties and Jenenne was here... to enjoy it all!
We had a chance to talk about the project I have ideas about and I showed some of Grandpa Mackey's drawings to my new friends.
On Friday we attended an opening at the Kunstmuseum Basel. This show was delightful and pleasant
to look at. This body of work was created by K.S.O, an after school program out of New York.
Saturday we went to The Bird's Eye jazz club to hear some music. Myself, Jenenne, Maggie, an artist who lives here in Basel. The music was just great! On Sunday, there was another dinner party here at the Laurenz House. We had people here from New York and from the Kunstmuseum Basel. I'm now sharing the house with another artist, who is originally from Vietnam. This guy is truly a party animal and my life will never be the same again after this experience!
A little fun fact I found out: I was told that there are 42 museums here in the city. Art is everywhere. People here live and breathe art. It's the norm and a way of life for most. I'm surrounded by it and people come from all over the world to be a part of this great energy that's here in Basel, especially when it comes to the arts and music.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Eye opening Perspectives....

This week was just wonderful, in terms of me making connections and meeting people
here in Basel. I came here to draw my own conclusions about what is art today for me.
I've been going to openings and visiting museums. There is a opening today that I plan
to attend. 
I've seen art here that has made me say, "wait a minute now", but the point for me is to
understand the depth of what art is for some people other then myself.  
This is the home of some of your great masters. One artist that has caught my attention
here is Joseph Beuys. Beuys was a German artist and I personally love his installation work,
and the reason why is because I see myself in the works of Bueys. What do I mean by this comment, I see myself in the works. There is nothing new here under the sun and spirit law is the reason why we do what we do. At the same time, I've concluded that everything is connected to a greater source of power that
makes us create. Was I see in Joseph Beuys' work is that same energy that makes me
create my own art every day. It's the energy to create and it's in all of us. 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Settling In....

I'm here in Basel Switzerland and what a transition for me. The timing was just perfect for me to come here. Things are becoming clearer now. I understand much more, especially the language,
so I'm able to get from point A to point B with no problems anymore. I started working in the studio two weeks ago. This part of the excursion is the high-light for me; me here in the studio in Basel.

I've met some interesting people here and look forward to meeting more. I'm in a middle class area of the city and was told that there is no homelessness here, in this country, for the most part. I'm currently working on a concept for a possible project here and will reveal more information on this project next post!

P.S.
To my fans, Auf Wiedersehen!
Danke,
Tyree