Monday, June 29, 2009

a period of rest before the coming...




When you walk in rhythm,
lovely with abandonment,
You seem to be swayed by a wand,
A dancing serpeant.
-Bouldaire




...do you remember who taught you to frenchkiss.

I am going to keep you in the nineties for awhile longer,
l have a few more stories to tell.

I use to think that only the young and the old were worth talking to.
Those in between too busy, running around like a nosebleed
that won't stop. The young have a power, a magic mystical, untamed
and raw, ready to lick the blood from your neck.


"...when the story of the hero's wound is made part
of the story of desire, when the weaving activity of
the soul, the work of memory and imagination, the
weaving of one's story, is informed and suffused
with the hero's violent spiritual flame."

-eileen greagory(summoning the familiar)




I met Sean in the nineties, he came from a program for lost punks.
They asked if l would take him in my studio, mentor him l suppose.
He came to my studio, hung around, rambled poetic lyrics, and he
brought with him, his family. A family of hooded punks, black cloth,
spiked collars, with dreams of a fresh new world. I photographed
Sean one night, with his girl Claire - here






and he says that he loves me
even though its not his baby
and he says that he'll raise him up
like he would his own son

and he gave me a ring

that was worn by his mother

-tom waits

Sam was pregnant. She was a tad older than the rest, and
with growth in her belly she was somewhat of a guide to them,
perhaps she glowed with a secret light.




...part of painting of sam

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Christie and Killie, two more beacons that danced quietly
through this time.




Although they seem to carry a heaviness, they carried your concerns,
your burdens, your wishes, they carried what you lay in bed dreaming of.





"a period of rest before the coming"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Willie Mae... makes me smile thinking of her.




She could make the world smile. An endless flame, a shinning star,
the drop of dew on a blade of grass. She had cancer, they took
her leg off at the knee.




She would come to my studio now and then, help me with the
painting. I told her to write something on the painting. She
found a quote on my wall and wrote that;

"the ocean doesn't want me today,
but l'll be back tomorrow to play"
-tom waits


--------------------------------------------------------------------


Char- I lived in a little shack in Parksville and beside that shack
was a wood shop of some sort. I would see her drive up on her
bike. Loud , maybe a harley, clad in the blackest leather. I didn't
know if she was boy or girl. I couldn't tell but l wanted to photograph
her. So one day l ran into her and with the flapping of wings in my
tummy l asked her. "Can l photograph you"
Slammed against the wall, one hand on my throat, a fist to the groin.
Well that is what l expected, but no, yes, out came this beautiful
sweetness, "why yes darling, that would be nice"






I photographed her at night in my studio, we talked for hours.
Her life in a small town, it was hard for her, being gay in this town,
being inside a body that she wanted to change.








Am l lucky to have met these people, damn right.
They all burned, burned with a fire, a fire that was true and deep.

But you know...it's there,
in you, in all of us.


"How many years ago
Were you and l unlettered lads
Mad as the mist and snow"

-yeats



----------------------------------------------------------------------------


maybe check Fernandes
he has fire

goodbye

-


30 comments:

Manon said...

Hey Ken,

I so look forward to your posts! Your work is so intense it blows me away.
The pics and artwork of Willie Mae are incredibly touching. You can see the the light radiating from her.
BTW... first french kiss.... 6th grade..... he went on to marry a good friend of mine...lol!

kenflett said...

Thanks Manon, it is always nice to get your comments.
sixth grade hey. he must have been in the eighth grade. :)

Caio Fern said...

wow , it isn't the first time that i come here and the first punch i feel is not about the work , but the idea that you meet all this people .not just to find , but to have contact , i am too shy for meet new people of any kind .as a matter of fact i try to take distance of every one , even those ones i know . but you are there .meeting new peole all the time and convincin then to acept to be subject of your work , your onw sensitivit .
then i start to pay attention on the real good values of the photografys , wow , you are a great photographer . i am wondering what you do with the light and the way you move the "objects" among it ..
as i told you alread , the texts are the last i see. but the way you write is direct and has passion at the same time .
you opened with baudelaire , the last time i read him was in 1996 , then i gave my book to a friend , it was his birthday , he was very young , and got gothic , that book seemed to bee a good gift .
thanks for the link .

SILVER said...

Manon is right. Your work is so intense. It is almost radical at some point but good works are meant to incite.

~Silver
Reflections

Manon said...

Ken,
I have a studio away from my house and my glass studio in my house.... the glass is too messy for the other place. Sometimes I think I should do it all in my house! Confused yet?..... ya.... so am I!
Caio definitely has fire!

kenflett said...

Fernandes... your a delight.

I'm not really an extrovert, l get scared as well, meeting people, l am quiet, shy, and it takes alot to ask.

kenflett said...

Thanks for visiting Silver, l appreciate your comment.
You have a gentle and wise blog.

Renee said...

Ken of course, you blow my mind. Of course you do.

'They all burned, burned with a fire, a fire that was true and deep.' I love this more than anything I have read in a very long time.

You burn Ken, everything you touch is felt deeply.

Another brilliant post Ken.

The pictures of Char were so powerful.

Love to you my dear friend. And please give a kiss to the family.

Love Renee xoxo

kenflett said...

Thank you Renee.
Your a dear person.

Stephen Dell'Aria said...

Terrific photos as usual. Your essays capture the real.

kenflett said...

Thank you Stephen.
Your comments mean alot.

RachelW said...

Oh wow, ...wow.

kenflett said...

Thank you Rachel. :)

Kyra said...

i don't know rachel, but i agree
wow
beautiful - the images, the words.
wow
char, now there's someone i'd like to meet
you are an artist
and what an inspiration!

Ahipara Girl said...

I am profoundly thankful for whatever guided me to pick this blog out of a list of blogs on India Flints blog. It's all a little breath-catching. For a quiet shy person, you sure do say a whole heap. And it resonates bro. It really resonates.
"Deep speaks to deep."
- Somewhere in the bible.

kenflett said...

Thanks for coming back Kyra. :)
Char lives in your neck of the woods. You never know, you may pass her on the street.
and thank you for your comments.

kenflett said...

Ahipara, thanks for coming by, l'm glad you found your way here, and you left some wonderful comments, thank you.
I look forward to looking at your blog. I noticed some nice little stitching. :)

CathM said...

Ken, your creativity seems to touch on the ‘raw and real’ of human existence. There is something very bold and brave about your work which I really admire. Yet within the courage and strength of the “in your face’ness” about your artistry, there is a genuine humility and gentility that exudes... a real desire to ‘share heartfelt narratives’... the heartbeat of humanity. You make me want to 'push the boundaries' with my writing. Inspiring stuff!

kenflett said...

Cath, such a lovely comment, thank you so much.
I am glad that it may provide a little inspiration.

Calli said...

Wow, this is my first visit, Ken. Your work is evocative and incredibly compelling.

I agree with Cath, it's raw and real and the kind of work I am most drawn to.

I Look forward to future visits!

all the best~
~Calli

CathM said...

Hmmmmm... I keep coming back here :)

"They all burned, burned with a fire, a fire that was true and deep.

But you know...it's there,
in you, in all of us."

As I've mentioned, you (in your montages) capture something that I want to capture in my work! You observe the world in an 'upside-down' kind of way. You dare to find, see, unearth what others do not see!

kenflett said...

Calli, l'm glad you came by, thank you for your comments. I look forward to looking at your blog.

kenflett said...

Cath, l'm honored that you came by again, and you left such a beautifully written comment.
thank you.:)

Jenny said...

Ken,

I like your blog a lot. There is great beauty in the honesty and provocative approach here.

Thanks,

Jenny

Pierre Raby said...

... burning Ken. You're a gifted soul. I'm speechless, thanks.
These young people and the art you created with them are our gift.

kenflett said...

Thank you Jenny.
Your poetic blog looks inviting. :)

kenflett said...

Pierre, your comment is a gift, thank you.

Renee said...

You make me a better person Ken. When I look at your work, you make me want to be better.

I love you for that.

Love Renee xoxox

india flint said...

................respect.

kenflett said...

Thanks for your visit India.