Algorithms in the Air

Some of the artwork that comes from this trip has to do with the patterns that we, I, us humans, overlay on the wilderness. It seems to me that much as a traveler tries to manipulate the new environment to match his old environment, so do we try to find patterns where perhaps there are none.

Traffic Theory Part 1

Theory: An accurate description of a city can be extrapolated by observing how locals behave in the street.

In Portland, the pedestrian in the street is sacred. Bikes and pedestrians are pretty much honored and respected. I never see anyone in a rush. Everyone just lets each other go along. No hurry man, it's all good, your carbon footprint is lower than mine so just go along and take your time crossing the street.

This has caused me, and the drivers of Portland, a great deal of stress. I am from a city where drivers speed up if they see a pedestrian crossing the street. Here I am forever darting in and out of the street as I am used to doing in Chicago. In my mind, it's every man for himself, and the pedestrian is the lowest on the street hierarchy, not the top. Sometimes I'll just find myself jaywalking across the street with my zigzag anti-getting-hit-by-car plan all in place, and everyone just stops, and then I stop and we're all just frozen in the street and if they'd just stop respecting me we could all get along.

And here the peds respect the drivers too. I'll be walking with my friends, locals, and all of sudden I look around and they're not there. They've stopped minutes ago at the stop light even though there's no cars in the street.

I know, I know. I need to play by the rules...but it's definitely one of the hardest behaviors to change, and one that makes me stick out as a non-local, or just an asshole. Play by the rules, respect each other, and most importantly, deserve the respect others give you.

Back from Mt. Hood

I drove over 1000 miles last week in search of mountains, but really there is only one main mountain in Oregon. Of course, this is no ordinary mountain, but a volcano that will blow it's top one day. I drove up to the Timberline Lodge which is an amazing place by itself, but there in the middle of July it was packed with countless snowboarders, skiers, backcountry hikers, road bikers, and mountain bikers. The place was hoppin'.

Mt. Hood is a force unto it's own. It is the heart of the state, in my month old opinion. People live on it, ski on it, ride on it, seek it out, and just look at it. It is truly amazing to just sit and stare at it.

This image I took at the top of Lost Lake Butte, elevation: 4468 ft. Mt Hood tops off at 11,240 ft.

It is difficult to paint rocks

I'm starting small. Here are 3 rocks. The reddish ones on the ends are from the mountains and the middle one is from the coast. I painted them separately and put this composition together in Photoshop.

I get these little zen moments when painting things like rocks and sticks. I realize how complicated it is, and painting a rock becomes as complex an endeavor as painting a huge landscape. In the moment I am painting I am seeing clearly with no expectations or influences...it's all just colors and shapes.

Some new pics posted

I've been on the road a lot, collecting evidence for my theories on traveling and tourism. There's a lot of media to process. I've been making some watercolors and videos as well. I will get it all up soon. Until then here is a collection of images I been wanting to get online.

http://picasaweb.google.com/port707/ShotsILike

Wandering as Critique

A (semi) random sampling of an environment will provide a higher resolution and less aliasing when synthesized with nonrandom data, such as maps and GPS coordinates. As critic of the environment I will encounter the environment with all senses engaged but without a destination in mind, yet seeking to understand the whole of what I am encountering.

This is no different than looking at a painting or sculpture and letting your eyes, fingers, run over the piece, wandering lazily as the work guides you. Is it whole? Is it complete? Somehow we sense it and if we are critiquing it then we look for flaws in the argument the work presents.

As I wander off the path that most travel I see things that less see and I can understand more of the whole and make a better judgement.

Johnny Laptopseed

At this very moment I am sitting next to a river that is about 50 ft wide and moving along at maybe 5 mph. It is very soothing yet I feel like an idiot typing on my laptop. I mean, I want and need to be working on this. I could be at a hotel, but instead I am here where it is beautiful and quiet and totally outdoors in the sun. Also, I can see about 50 ft to my left a huge RV no doubt with color TV, stereo, full kitchen and who knows what else. Still, their use of technology doesn't justify mine; I feel like I should just be writing in my spiral notebook.

I know that this is simply a clash of cultures going on in my brain, and soon enough, there will be laptops and wi-fi a-plenty in the wilderness. Not a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing to contemplate. More interesting here is the abrasion, the conflict, and the resolution.

Who the fuck cares if I am typing on my laptop! You can go screw if you think that's weird. Or, is that just the city in me talking? Obviously I care enough to notice, but I'm not changing my behavior. Maybe as an outsider I can be a teacher? No, I don't want to be Johnny Laptopseed and spread the technology all over the land. I just want to be left alone, which I am, so why am I even typing this?

Ever have an inch worm on your laptop?

Yer basic touristy coastal photos

Here's my collection of various sunset and coastal images. I visited all the lighthouses and bridges and vista points I could find. These images represent 5 days on the coast, from Astoria to Gold Beach.

full set