Crypto Teddy

Do u know where the Teddy Bear comes from? I'm a big fan of origin stories. I like to know why we celebrate certain holidays and traditions while others are discarded. Recently I read the origin story of the Teddy Bear. The story was so fascinating it inspired me to paint. 

Back in 1902 president Franklin Roosevelt went on a bear hunt. He was a big game hunter. Out of the hunting party the president was the only one unsuccessful in taking down a bear. One of the men in the group captured a bear and held it tied up for the president to shoot. President Roosevelt chose not to display cruelty by killing the innocent animal. 

Another completely unrelated fact about this man is that he was a treasure hunter on Oak Island. I'm addicted to the show The Curse of Oak Island. I believe in a former life I was a pirate. A sea pirate with an eyepatch and parrot on the shoulder. Why? I love being in the water. My passion for travel is like an endless thirst. I appreciate fine liquor, have a problem with authority, and love shiny, expensive things. I was definitely a pirate! Pardon, me. I got distracted. It happens sometimes. 

As I was saying. The president decided not to kill the bear. The story of the presidents failed hunt was written in news articles and made into satirical cartoons. A candy shop owner who used to make stuffed animals with his wife read the story. The owner made a stuffed bear in recognition of the presidents humanitarian act...or sympathy for his failure. He named the bear "Teddys' Bear". The bear was a hit. The rest is history. Teddy Bears are one of the most popular stuffed animals ever created. 

When I get writers block or stressed, I paint. My work will never be fine art. I never aspired for it to make me rich. I just want to be part of the artist conversation. After a five year slumber my taste for colors has returned. Colors to me are ingredients. I combine them like a chef to create cuisine on canvas. Each color has a flavor. I mix and taste the flavors until a delicious dish for the eyes is created. 

Here is my newest painting...Crypto Teddy. It's a homage to the teddy bear story and my love of crypto. The canvas is 60 x 50cm with acrylic paint. Check it out.

Black American Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania during the time of slavery. Henry Tanner was a self taught artist who achieved international acclaim. His father Benjamin Tucker Tanner (1835–1923) was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). The first independent black denomination in the United States. His mother Sarah, was an escaped slave who made it north via the Underground Railroad. His sister Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, was the first woman (of any color) certified to practice medicine in Alabama.

Coming from such a prestigious family legacy its no surprise Henry also inherited talent. Henry knew he wanted to be a painter by the age of thirteen. He took a chance enrolling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879. Henry was the first and only black student accepted at the school. It was during that time he developed his style and began gaining notoriety. Although Henry was  acknowledged as a skilled painter he had difficulty selling his work due to the racial climate of that time. 

Henry was selling paintings trying to save for a trip to Europe. In 1891 he made it to Paris. The artistic circles of Paris didn't care about race, all that mattered was talent. Henry had it in spades. By 1895 his work was known throughout Europe. He took inspiration from the Parisian painters and it can be seen in his later work. Aside from brief visits back to the U.S. for art exhibitions Henry spent the rest of his life in Paris.

 

The Banjo lesson is probably Henry's best known painting. It was the first of his paintings that I ever saw. I was moved by the emotion such simple imagery invoked in me. What's depicted is a grandfather teaching his grandson how to play the banjo. To hear it described its ordinary. It's the vibrant yet somber colors and the beautiful detail in their expressions that give this piece so much life. 

It's the ability to capture moments from peoples everyday life on canvas that makes his art so extraordinary. Even now over one hundred years later when I look at a Henry Tanner painting, It feels like glimpsing through a lens back in time. He is one of the originators of the Black American Artist movement. Below are a few of his many paintings. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well 

Tha One an Only 

Earth Chronicles

There's been a lot of debate on whether the world is round, flat, or spiral like cheese doodles. Due to recent discoveries about our solar system I'm going to explore all the current hypotheses and share my opinion on which I believe.

In January 2016 researchers at Caltech discovered the existence of a 10th planet in our solar system.  The planet currently dubbed "Planet X" has only been confirmed through mathematical modeling and computer simulations. Researchers have posted a video requesting amateur astronomers to search the night skies for the missing planet. The reason that I call the new planet the 10th planet and not the 9th like mainstream media is reporting, is due to cosmology. When I was growing up Pluto was the ninth planet in the solar system. Therefore I still consider it a planet. 

Back in 1999 I read a book called the 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin. The book is the first in a series called The Earth Chronicles. In the book Zecharia explains the creation story of civilization and our solar system from ancient deciphered Sumerian tablets. On the cover of the book is a diagram of our solar system from the outside (beyond Pluto) heading in towards the sun. That's the only way interstellar travelers (without wormhole technology) could reach earth from a distant planet. The diagram shows the entire cosmology of our solar system which is nine planets, our moon, sun and "Planet X" which they called Nibiru. According to ancient cosmology the newly discovered planet is actually a rediscovery of the planet Nibiru that was known in antiquity.

Now with that juicy tidbit of information let's explore a few of the current theories about our earth. The two main theories being debated are whether or not the earth is round like a ball or flat like a carpet. I'm not a dismissive person, BUT the flat earth theory has zero credibility. Since every other planet, moon, and celestial body in the universe has a circular shape it is reasonable to believe earth has the same shape. Also, the description of the earth from pre-history has always been a sphere. If someone can show undeniable proof that the earth is flat, then I will change my opinion. Until then the earth is round.

The second theory is that the earth is round.  As I mentioned above, all celestial bodies excluding comets and asteroids are spheres. To me this isn't a theory it's a fact. The last and more scientifically plausible theory is that the earth is hollow. The "Hollow Earth" theory is as old as humanity and has been documented for thousands of years. Some Tibetan, African, South and North American ethnic groups claim their ancestors came from subterranean realms inside the earth. In 1692 Edmond Halley hypothesized the Earth consisted of a hollow shell about 800 km (500 miles) thick, two inner concentric shells and an inner core, about the diameters of the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Internal atmospheres separate these shells, and each shell has its own magnetic poles. Although it sounds far-fetched, current science has given this antiquated hypothesis traction.

Back in 2007 seismologists from Washington University in St. Louis, discovered a huge water reservoir beneath the Earth's crust in Asia. The body of water was estimated to be larger than the Arctic ocean. More recent investigation has shown the amount of water inside the earth's mantle is larger than all the oceans combined. Aside from water there are entrances to the interior of the earth at both the north and south pole. These specific areas are restricted for commercial flight and heavily guarded by the military. One of the most famous cases for the "Hollow Earth," theory is the diary of Admiral Richard Byrd. Admiral Byrd was a highly decorated US Naval officer whose diary documented his 1947 expedition to the North Pole. During that exposition he discovered lush forests, wild-life and even a woolly mammoth. Entrances into the poles can be viewed by satellite photos of earth. 

I won't go into more detail because this subject has been thoroughly covered by many writers before me. I wrote this post providing an alternative perspective to the two hypothesis being promoted by the mainstream. Below are some videos that expand upon the subject. I don't claim to have the answers. I just like proposing questions. Like..."If there's nothing to hide at the poles, why are citizens restricted from investigating them?"

The one thing I know for certain is ..."The truth is sometimes stranger than fiction." 

Travels thru Turkey

My birthday was a few weeks ago (shout-out to all the Virgos). To celebrate, I flew with my girl to Turkey for a few days to catch the last rays of autumn sun. “Winter is coming” and in Holland that isn't a joke.

The city we stayed in was Alanya. It's a district of Antalya Province on the southern coast of Turkey,in the country's Mediterranean Region. The view was gorgeous. Palm trees, clear blue water and water parks all over the region. The airport security is tight when you fly in. There are signs posted in multiple languages saying, "Forbidden to take cultural artifacts out of the country." I have never seen signs like that in any of the places I've been to.

The reason Alanya has them is because the city is ancient. There have been archaeological discoveries found in the Karain Cave showing the place was occupied during the Paleolithic era 20,000 BC. Since then, there have been empires (Phoenician, Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great) built, rebuilt, conquered and destroyed throughout the ages. What remains are castles and monuments surrounded by busy streets, markets and crowds of tourists.

Alanya is a six hour ride from Antalya airport. We took a shuttle which is a van and driver that takes six to eight passengers from the airport to individual hotels. Luckily on this trip, my stop was the second stop. After being in a van for 6 hours with a crying baby...I was ready to jump out the van while it was still moving. Things got better at the hotel. The place was right on the coast, less than 100 meters from the beach.

Since the climate is so warm, there's fresh fruit and vegetables being sold from markets throughout the city. When I say fresh, I'm talking about picking fruit off the trees fresh. Everywhere in Alanya lime trees grow. The trees line the sides of lawns and sidewalks getting manicured like Japanese Bonsai trees. I would pick limes from the tree outside the hotel and squeeze the juice into my drinks. (Bangin!) I bet they never heard of the disease "Scurvy" in Turkey. Alanya is a coastal city, so most restaurants serve a diverse assortment of seafood. It's also a Muslim country, so don't expect to find many pork dishes. The dining was exceptional for me, because I only eat poultry and fish.

At most of the hotels they have open terraces and live bands. Just walking down the boardwalk, with the hotels to my left and the beach across the road to the right for a few blocks, I got to see a man doing Karaoke to Wayne Newton; another to Elvis Presley, with a bar offering two for one drinks, playing Lil Wayne’s "Lollipop" in between. Across the street, the scene was crowded with beautiful, bronze, beach, bodies, basking in the Mediterranean sun. A mix of young and old, families and students, the patrons were diverse and almost all of them had a tan.

The water was warm and surprisingly clear, blue. Even without goggles, I was able to see down several meters. Since my girlfriend had never snorkeled before, I took this opportunity to teach her. A good snorkel set with goggles and fins will cost around twenty euro from a street vendor. If you enjoy viewing sea-life without a computer monitor, I highly recommend it. The waters were full of diverse types of fish, dodging the swimmers and eating algae off the rocks below. The further away from the beach you swim, the bigger the fish become.

At the end of the beach is the wharf. The scene is like a postcard right out of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Long rows of actual pirate ships, adorned with a colorful spectrum of figureheads. All the ships offered different services, while the boat chauffeurs people around the bay. Some were party boats with disco balls and turntables. Some offered scuba diving lessons, others sight-seeing tours. I was surprised at how many of the guys who worked on these ships, dressed like actual pirates. They were literally dressed like pirates from the 1800's. I took a few pics of my favorite ships. (you can view them below)

 
If you're not a fan of the beach, there's an awesome alternative. In the center of Alanya, and all around the region are water parks. The one in the center of Alanya is f^%kin awesome! There are around twenty different slides for all ages. I spent an afternoon trying to ride everything in the park, but only succeeded in making it halfway. Some of the slides, like the half-pipe or canoeing around the park, are only open at certain times. The place is so big, they offer inflatable canoes you can rent for one euro to ride around the water park. This ride is only offered every few hours so you have to be there at the right time to partake.

They use the Turkish Lira as a form of currency. It's better to exchange money using a bank machine than going to a currency exchange. They will cheat you. Since the Euro is worth more than the Lira, food and shopping were quite affordable.

The main shopping district is a place called "Bar Street". It's an enormous area, encompassing the city main street to the docks. There you can find every type of shoe, clothing and electronic for discount prices. The only thing is...most of it is fake.

Merchants offer counterfeit items with the brand name sewed on the outside. Most carry the real item in stock, but if the buyer doesn't ask, then they get the bargain they're paying for. Aside from the fake goods, there were numerous places with handwoven leather boots, traditional Turkish shoes, bracelets, clothing, and jewelry. Bar Street is an eclectic area for shopping, dining and shows.

Most of the time during my travels thru Turkey was spent exploring the city and relaxing in between. I didn't take many pictures this trip...but I posted a few below.