Daily Keemo 01.02.09

A Nineteen Year Walk

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It is the classic beginning of the classic coming of age story. I was 18 and just finished high school and couldn't leave that small town fast enough and I knew that there was this whole new world out there waiting for me to run around and make all kinds of mistakes in. The day before I left to go out West, we went for a walk through a neighborhood park, and I could tell that I was hurting her alot by leaving the way that I was. I could also tell that she knew she had to let her son go and find out what things were about. My memory of that day was one of beauty. I can still see the big huge Michigan trees dropping leaves around us as we walked. The light was perfect and so was the world for the first time in a long time. Her memory of that day was one of sadness and regret. Over Christmas as we talked and shared stories, she brought up that day walking through the park. She was still sad and had feelings of regret. "I knew that you were going to struggle down the path you were choosing," she said. Looking back I know that it was the path that was necessary and that I was letting the destination choose the path and not the other way around. (there is a difference.) I suppose I think often of that walk in the park and remind myself that I am still on that path and I have not yet arrived at the destination. I guess I am still just walking in the park and yes, she is still walking there with me... Enjoy!



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Daily Keemo 12.29 - Blue

I Have To Stop Dreaming Of Other Places

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I get blue. It is winter here. It is cold. It gets dark early. I look outside the window now and all I see is white, broken up by the color of the other houses and passing cars. Everything else is covered white. There is no grass or pavement or leaves or trees. It is all white and I need to stop dreaming of other places when it is like this. I am going to leave it at that and go warm up my coffee and see what everyone else in the house is doing. I hear laughter downstairs and isn't there a saying that is something like, "where there is laughter, there is warmth"? Well, if not, then I just made that one up and you can quote me on it. I guess that is it for now... With that.. Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 12.27 - Happiness

I Will Take Two Of Those And Call You In The Morning



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I know this seems obvious but you really gotta do what you makes you happy. I'm going to go on a limb here and say that most of us pass most of our days doing a whole bunch of stuff that we do for every other reason but happiness. Odds are there is a job you that would rather not be done and then there is all the time you waste in a car daydreaming in a traffic jam or in a line somewhere or you can insert another place you were or thing you did that was for every other reason than happiness. I can think of a few off hand right now but I'll save those for another day. Then there are the other times, the times in between those moments when you find yourself doing something that actually makes you happy and you are doing it for no other reason other than it makes you happy. I know this seems off track with this painting but it isnt. This is one of those times for me. The time when you allow yourself to paint a silly portrait and paste it to a silly wood veneer and the only reason is because it makes you smile when you do it. Does there always need to be a reason other than that? I hope not. With that... Enjoy!



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Daily Keemo 12.22 - Old Friend

Talking Over The Dull Sound Of People



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We ran into each other as I was walking out of the pub. This was the second time I had bumped into someone that I knew walking out of that bar in as many times as I had been there. It was good to see him again. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years. He looked a little older as I am sure I did too. We talked for a long time even though it was cold and the snow was falling but I was warm with beer and he appeared warm with his hat and scarf and gloves (Classic Michigan attire) and we just kept talking over the dull sound of people laughing and talking from inside the bar. We finally parted ways. He went inside the bar and I walked down the sidewalk toward my car and the voices faded away behind me until it was just the sound of my feet and the hot air coming from my mouth and nose and the thought that it is nights like these that are perfect for coming together with old friends. Well, here is to him and to old friends and to the time and distance that separates. With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 12.18 - Botched Interview

She Kept Wanting Me To Think Like Her About My Art
9" x 12" x 1.5" - Acrylic and Ink on Canvas



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The lady who was interviewing me said thought that most traditional galleries would never take on my work because it relies too much on the words to complete the piece of artwork. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I said, “I think it is because I'm not a very good painter.” trying to joke my way out of going through this conversation again. “I don't think that is true. I just think the words can interfere with the viewing experience.” She said. “Well, I'm not worried too much about the galleries. If I was to write a list of reasons why I paint day in and day out, you would not find the words, “Get Into A Gallery” anywhere on that list.” I replied. There was an awkward silence. This conversation always ends up this way. I never get why some people have such a hard time with the words. “I guess I like to think that I am not just making a painting. I hope it is more than that. I hope that it all helps create a relationship with the viewer, the subject and myself.” “ Do you think it works?” she asked. This went on for another 10 minutes or so and we weren't getting anywhere and I could tell she was not happy with how this was going and after we hung up the phone I sat quietly for a minute and thought again why I am doing all this with the paints and the words and long hours and the tired mornings and realized I should probably get back to the paints and finish this painting and just keep doing what I do.... Enjoy!

(Note: I never did hear from her again and the interview never got published.)

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Daily Keemo 12.17 - Ninja 1 of 8 - Japanese Series

Ninja 1 - Japanese Series

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I have said many times over the years that to many people take thier artwork way to seriously. That is not to say that artwork does not have an important role in our lives or in our day to day meandering but when it comes down to it I just remind myself that there is a reason why the brain surgeon gets paid the big bucks. Enter the Ninja. Those of you who follow my work are familiar with this idea. Every art collection, no matter how serious, needs one. Shoot the more serious the better. Sitting there in your art collection, just waiting for the moment to unleash it's fury, the ninja will strike when the time is right. Be careful. Respect the ninja and respect is what you will be given in return... it is the ninja way...Enjoy you art!

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Daily Keemo 12.15 - Music Does The Body Good

Think Of The Music You Can Make

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This is the fifth in the guitar chord series: DM7. I have to be honest with you, this was a chord that I struggled with for a long time. I think it was just that I don't have the biggest of hands. It also probably had something to do with the fact that I wasnt super intersted in learning all the chords in the book. So, sometimes I would come up against a chord that my fingers didnt like and I would just skip it. (that is easy to do as long as your are keeping your guitar playing to your parents basement.) Anyway, eventually the fingers got around this one and it gets handed out just like the others and those days seem so long ago when I just skipped it because it didnt feel right. I guess if you give anything enough time, you can learn to live with it and even grow with it. Think of the music you can make with the more chords you have in your bag. With that...Enjoy!

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8 Ninjas. Badass.

Daily Keemo 12.05 - We Are Not So Different

We Are Not So Different, You And I

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When I was younger I used to feel like there was no one like me. I clung to that idea for a long time and sometimes even consciously attempted to reinforce the idea. As I got older I realized that I was not that different from everyone else and that everyone else is not that different from everyone else and somehow we all end up worrying about the same things and doing essentially the same things day in and day out and while the details may be a bit different, the overall progression of our days are very similar. Im not sure exactly where I am heading with this or what point I am necessarily trying to make. I suppose I made it already and if my theory holds true, that we are not so different, you and I, then you already get what I am saying and I can stop with all this right here... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 12.02 - Music For The Masses

These Are The Things I Think About

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This is the fourth in the guitar chord series: C#M7. For some reason the # symbol and the number always seems out of place to me when I see it in music. It reminds me that music is very mathematical and systematic. It reminds me that underlying all music is order. (I guess that is why it is referred to as an "arrangement.") Without that order music falls apart. I guess, why it seems out of place is that I respond to all music on some emotional level and in that emotional response there is little room for order. However, with such order in music it makes me think that there must be some complimentary system of order that exists inside that processes music and organizes (for lack of a better word) into something that our emotions can connect with. Now, the more I write this the more it all just seems silly. The talk of order and emotions and the relationship between them. Im surely not qualified to write on this topic and I am pretty sure that this is not the forum. Either way... these are the things that I think about as I paint and listen to music and daydream about the chords and structure and color and sounds and in all of this is an answer to something I am sure...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 12.01 - Whiskey

It Was His Drink And I Was Thinking Of Him

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I decided I would mix up a highball tonight because that was his drink and I was thinking of him. I remember he would come visit us in the summer when I was a boy and he would sit out in the sun in a folding chair in the center of the backyard with his shirt off drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and the top of his head would be beet red with sun burn but he didn't care. He was peaceful out there and he would ask me to fetch him a tomato from the garden that he planted out back and he would eat it just like an apple and then he would ask me to grab another beer for him and he would let me take the first sip of the beer and then laugh as I made a sour face and shook my head side to side and said it tasted gross but secretly I loved it. I loved all of it; his visits, the sun, the garden, the back yard, taking sips of his cold beer in the summer heat, the tomatoes, the way he could sit quietly out there and seem just fine with that. So, with that, here is to him and to us and those hours in the summer when life was simple and it consisted of just us two... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo - Saturday

These Are The Days That Most People Forget

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It is Saturday today. A quiet day. One of those days where you stay around the house and everyone is a bit quiet and you watch movies and you grab a snack from the fridge because you're a bit melancholy but not really that hungry and someone is off in another room reading and the sound of someone talking on the phone fills the whole house and you lay ink down on pink and blue paint samples and you swear you can hear the pen tip slide across the paper. These are days that I enjoy. We are all here. We are all here...Enjoy!




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Daily Keemo 11.25 - Germany

From Germany. With Love.

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Recently, I have been working on some "mail art" projects with artists from other countries. These recent mail projects made me remember the "old days" when you actually took time to sit down and write letters and put effort and thought and creativity into postcards and letters. Now it is all just email and texting and IMing and that jazz and while I am huge proponent of all those things, I still like to see real words on real paper written by a real hand. So, with all that in mind, I decided I'm going to try something a little different with this series. This is a postcard. A real hand made postcard that will be sent just like a real postcard with a real message. This one will not come wrapped up with nicely in an envelope but will travel like nature had intended it. Postage stamp, weather and all! So, with that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 11.24 - Tattoo

Never Judge A Man By The Tattoo On His Neck

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I think for this one I am just going to leave the story up to you. This is one of those people that everyone who meets him probably walks away with a slightly different impression. I suppose it should be that way for his portrait as well. With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 11.18 - Loss

Too Sterile For Moments Like These

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I was 25 when he died. He died laying there in bed while all of us sat around looking at him. The sound fell out of the air and the air fell out of the room. It seems silly but I knew it was now time to buy my first suit. I remember the light in the room was very white and bright and cold and I thought to myself that it was too sterile in there for a moment like this. I suppose when you have moments like this there are no right ways for them to happen. They happen. And that is how it works. My mother sat on the bed next to him. All five of us kids were scattered around the room. I remember my sister had her arm around me. We sat quietly and all looked at him for a long time. I learned a lot about him in those quiet moments right then.

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Daily Keemo 11.11

The Songs Ended And Started And Ended And Started
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I am tired. It was one of those long days. My eyes are a bit dark and a bit swollen and I am feeling like I just want to go to sleep. I got home late. The house is already quiet. I grabbed a Leinenkugel out of the fridge, opened it, and took a swig. I walked up to the desk and looked at the half finished paintings spread out and turned to my right and put some music on. (The Postal Service if you are wondering) It was perfect. I grabbed a new sheet of paper and worked on this painting. The Leinenkugel went down well and the songs ended and started and ended and started and the work for today is finally complete. It's time to turn off the lights and go upstairs... Enjoy!


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Daily Keemo 11.10 - Ninja

Election Day Ninja
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I was standing in line at the polls this morning daydreaming and I was thinking about what I was going to paint tonight. The two people who were in front of me in line were perfect portrait candiates but that will have to wait until later. Then the person behind me commented on my ninja button I was wearing. (The first Keemo Ninja button Series 1 - Button #1. Sorry had to keep that one for myself.) So, we started talking about painting and art and she said I should do an election day painting. So, I have been thinking about it on and off all day and decided it was best to do an Election Day Ninja.(Im not one for painting flags, candidates, start and stripes, bald eagles all that jazz. It not that Im not necessarily patriotic. Im just not one to paint it). Now, while the Ninja doesnt show its colors while lurking around in the dark unnoticed you can bet that underneath that black outfit are his true colors reflecting in the stainless steel of his throwing stars... I have a feeling that tonight he will celebrate... With that... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 10.29 - Mime

A Priest A Rabbi and A Mime Walk Into A Bar
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We were talking last night and somehow the subject of mimes and clowns came up. ("you should paint a mime!" one of them said) I guess, I have always been kind of wierded out by mimes. The fact they dont talk makes me very edgy. I get the same way when I talk to people who are wearing big costumes, like at Disney World. I don't know, call me wierd. Anyway, I got thinking that I had never even tried to paint one, so I figured what the hay! Lets do a mime and see what happens... Enjoy! ( BTW, they still wierd me out) Oh hey, if any real mimes are reading this drop me a quick email and say hi. And also, if there any real mimes reading, no offense.

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Daily Keemo 10.25 - Lotto Loser

Lately, Listening To NPR Makes You Do Things You Normally Wouldn't Do
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I had been driving for a long time listening to NPR and all they talked about was the economy and recession and 401Ks and people preparing to jump out of windows and the stock market and I am pretty sure one economist actually predicted the end of the world as we know it. (and yes, I feel fine) That leads me next to standing in a long line at the gas station. I was daydreaming about all that stuff and thought, "what the hell, I'm going to play the lotto." I laid 3 dollars down and as I drove home I briefly entertained the idea of winning the "Mega Millions." "I could paint all day," I thought to myself. I thought of all the people who I would send money to. The list was long. Well, needless to say, I didn't win. Just like millions of other people around the world who were driving home from the gas station envisioning a different life. Well, maybe I'll try again next week. Or maybe not... Enjoy!



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Daily Keemo 10.24 - Art and the Economy

10 Reminders That Creativity Is Not Linked To The Economy
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All you hear about now is either the economy and the election. Now, Im not one to mix politics and art. Never have. (To me it is like using motor oil as topping for your ice cream sundae. Thats just me though.) That leaves the economy and all the surrounding stuff and I suppose that there is some politics in there with it but at least money (or lack of it) is something that we can have some tangible relationship with which leads me to a daydream this afternoon about how to actually comment on this place we are all at. (I mean everyone else shares their two cents, right?) So, with that, I thought I would share my two cents with these drawings... Actually, it is my 250 cents! ... Enjoy!

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