Dapper Dude

This charming painting of a dapper cat was created by my dear friend, Dinah Kertz. With its whimsical style and personality, it stands out as one of my favorite pieces from her collection.
 

Through My Mother’s Eyes

Very few possessions hold as much meaning to me as the paintings my mom created. Each one is a piece of her—her perspective, her spirit, her love of the world around her. This particular painting captures the view from her porch, overlooking the Pearl River. There was always something special about her art. It carried a folk-like charm, a raw honesty, and a sense of freedom that reflected exactly who she was. I often find myself lost in her brushstrokes, feeling close to her in a way words can't quite express. I sincerely wish she had lived long enough to fill a gallery—her work deserved to be seen, shared, and celebrated.

You can see the porch she looked out from here. 

You can see her inspiration here, the Pearl River in front of her house. 

Barn Quilt

A friend and co-worker of mine has a passion for quilting, but she took her creativity a step further by mastering the art of barn quilts. Instead of stitching fabric, she paints quilt patterns onto wooden boards, transforming them into bold, colorful works of art meant to adorn barns—or in this case, the wall of my guest room.

I had seen barn quilts before and always admired their creativity and charm, but when she invited me to try my hand at making one of my own, I was excited to take part. With a brush in hand and a palette of vibrant colors before me, I set out to create a piece that blended traditional quilt designs with my own artistic touch. The experience was both fun and fulfilling, and now, every time I see the finished piece hanging in my guest room, I’m reminded of the joy of creating something by hand and the shared passion for art that inspired it.

 

Full Day

I created this a few years ago. Occasionally, I design and craft brackets, rosaries, mala beads, and various other beaded items. This piece was made purely for fun and symbolizes the interconnectedness of a full day. Though it consists of two separate sets, they remain linked—just like night and day.

My Little Alien

When I was in high school, I took a fine arts class where we studied ancient art. I remember being particularly fascinated by an artifact that was believed to represent a human figure. It sparked my imagination so much that when we had a clay project, I decided to create my own interpretation. With my teacher’s kindness, they fired it in the kiln, and I painted it once it was done. And voilà—my alien was born.  

Since then, this little clay figure has followed me everywhere I’ve lived, becoming a faithful companion and a cherished reminder of my creative beginnings. 

Welcome to Jurassic Park

Today, they released the trailer for Jurassic World: Rebirth. 

Dinosaurs have always been one of my favorite subjects.  I used to dream about being a paleontologist. Even though my life went a different route, Jurassic Park has remained one of my favorite movies and the oldest franchise I have ever been a fan of. It all started when I was 8 and the first movie came out; 8 year old me read the whole novel from start to finish.  

The below drawing was from high school.  I was bored and it started as just a doodle of the three logos with some crayons. I cut the logo out and glued it to another page and I expanded it into a pen and colored pencil drawing of dinosaurs.  

The Kangaroo

 

Back in 2010; my mother went through a trauma.   She lost her leg. 

We were chatting in the hospital and she said she had to hop around now.  She wasn’t looking forward to it.  I said she would have kangaroo as her new spirit animal.

This got me a look that would have killed me dead. 

I explained;  The kangaroo can only hop forward… they can’t go backwards.  That is what she has to do; move forward… and she would not do it alone.  Later, I drew this design for her similar to my frog tattoo.  

She has been gone 7 years.   When I see this image… it reminds me to move forward… and forever the kangaroo reminds me of my mom. 

Boldly Going...

Star Trek has been one of my favorite shows for as long as I can remember.  I remember it coming on at night when I was staying at my friend’s house and eventually watching it on my own when I was home.  Since the 60’s we have had a glimpse into a potential future of hope and cooperation for humanity.  The themes explored through each of the series still resonate today and with the new chapter premiering today hopefully these themes will inspire a whole new generation that may not have been introduced to any of the previous series.  I have always wanted to be a part of the Star Trek universe and it inspired me to do theatre.  These drawings are as close as I have ever gotten to joining that world, just a glimpse of the amazement younger me had for this institution that will continue to boldly go where no one has gone before. 

Live long and prosper.

Grant's Art

It started as a way to pass the time and soon became more. I plan to do more than just rosaries, the concept of art in general fascinates me and the use of it in religion takes that fascination to a completely different level.  

For more about my art visit: Grant's Art

Aftermath

A tree showing the aftermath of a storm. 

So much loss, limbs and leaves; time to take account of what remains and figure out how to begin again. 

When Ya Gotta Go...

Sometimes, you just have to smile and let go of what is serious.

For another fun pop art photo, click here. 

Randam Art

I’m not one to get caught up in jewelry, I always see it as something a bit impersonal… created en masse to be given as gifts and although beautiful no real love was put into it.   It was created for the sole purpose of being purchased and used… not much different than a TV or anything else. 

One of my dearest friends has changed this perception.  Miranda creates some of the most creative and beautiful necklaces, among other items, that I’ve ever seen.  She puts so much into it, she puts herself into the items and each one tells a story.  I like this, it makes them special and one of a kind… qualities that you can't find produced en masse.  I’ve always admired her artistic touch and I’ve showcased some of her work on here before.   She truly is one of the most talented people I know and I am privileged to have some of her work in my own home. 

Primary

Simple, basic, made up of the same things as every other thing… however totally unique at the same time.

This Pollock-Esque splatter painting was done specifically for postcrossing.  I wanted to do something different, and this is something that could never be duplicated exactly.

This is Postcrossing: US-1411258

Wordless Art

Part of the Wordless Wednesday!

I was 17 and in high school when I did this Mixed Media art project.

Pictures of You, Pictures of Me…

Back on 3 November, 2007 when I first created this blog after being inspired by a friend of mine.   I never knew I would still be doing it for so many years, it just never occurred to me.   I remember when I was still coming up with the concept for the Uncertain Horizon, I knew I wanted to include photos and make it different from any blog I have maintained in the past.   I wanted it to be personal, but I wanted to write about how the photos made me feel… and sometimes the photos make me feel completely different from what is actually in the photo, and in more recent times I have taken to some of the many “Day Meme’s” that exist, and have experimented with them.   I also know that from My very first post (3 November, 2007,) all the way to 26 January,2009 my photo’s mostly came from my Samsung Sync phone, and since then it has been maintained with my Sony Cybershot with a sprinkling of photos from my phones since.

 This photo was actually taken with my Blackberry Curve; it was of a small photo that I found on the road.   I think it really symbolizes the reason that this blog was centered around photos to begin with.   You see, when I was about 10 years of age I went to a flea market and found several family photo albums from an estate sale.   I had no idea who the people were, but I found it very interesting, these were moments in these people’s lives, moments captured forever.   However while it was very sad that a family lost these captured moments, I was inspired to capture my own moments, and from that moment on I loved photos intensely.   And while I have no idea how this small piece of a photo found it’s way onto the street, or who the people are in it… or who took it originally… I find it fascinating, and mesmerizing.

Look

Things are not always strictly what they appears to be when you first look at them. It takes further inspection to look into things and see more of the details that exist within. We often forget to look, and truly see. We are all guilty of this sin… I challenge you all to look at something you see everyday, really look at it. You may be surprised at things you forgot were there, or you never noticed before.

This frog is an interpretation of the Froggie that is on my foot. It is a line drawing in the style of few I have done in the past, they are very time consuming.

This is Postcard Postcard: US-909504 on Postcrossing.

L*O*V*E

It is has been written many times in the past, in many forms. “The world is lacking in Love.”  I believe this is true whole heartedly, with more love in our hearts we could do so much good for the world around us.  From helping the less fortunate, to doing more little things for those around us… the world would just be a better place.  However I fear that we have more negativity and distrust, and this is more abundant than that one little four letter word.  L*O*V*E 

This is Postcard Postcard: US-894117 on Postcrossing.

The Gift

I was always interested in art, as this rare surviving drawing from my childhood proves. It was done in 1998 when I was 13 years old; I had seen a documentary on Picasso and was inspired to do my own cubist interpretation. At the time it was just an experiment, crayon on paper and my imagination gone wild. I had not had any training or for that matter much of an education in the arts yet. It and one other drawing from my childhood survive through the foresight of pure luck, most things were lost in 2000 when our home was foreclosed upon and we were only able to take what we could get. The fact that it and one other survive my childhood is in it self a gift, also the name of the piece.

Coat of Arms

Heraldry is a tradition passed down for many generations in many different cultures, the most well known being the Traditions of the British Isles. That very tradition has passed into American Culture as well, and I have always been fascinated with Heraldic tradition. I have many times in the past been mesmerized with the Family Crest associated with my family… however I know enough to know that the crest is presented to a person and can pass from male heir to heir… but that in most cases does not represent an entire family.

Using my limited artistic ability, and my fascination, I have designed a personal Coat of Arms for myself. Though it is not as elaborate as most, it does contain elements that fully represent me. The Crest is that of a moon going through phases, symbolising that throughout life, we do indeed transform. The Mantle is that of the Magnolia, my favourite flower, and a symbol of my home. The Motto is Latin for “By wisdom and courage.” Within the shield itself you have the two flags representing heritage, the union jack and the American flag. You have three blue stars representing the three stages in human life (Male: Warrior, Father, and Sage… Female: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.) The stars also represent the Heavens divided from earth by a red chevron, chosen because it is my favourite colour. You then have three symbols chosen specifically by me… an Ankh representing everlasting life… a frog representing my animal totem and once again transformation… and the Eye of Horus symbolising protection and power.

I believe that while tradition is important, it is also just as important to be yourself and to represent yourself in unique ways. While I am not by any means an artist, I tried to accomplish my own sense of individuality… I feel I was successful, and whilst it is not perfect… it does represent me.

Multiplicity

Each one of us has many sides that we show depending on the situation. We like to think in our minds that we are always the same person, and yet we sometimes miss the reality that we are not. This is not a bad thing, this is usually self preservation at it’s finest…