Sunday, January 10, 2010

this land...



"Now as l was yound and easy
under the apple boughs.
About the lilting house and happy
as the grass was green."
-dylan thomas





I built a fort...
We moved coast to coast a few months ago, Port Alberni, bc
to Bear River East, ns. When l arrived l built a fort.

Choppity chop goes the axe in the woods
You gotta meet me by the fall down tree
-tom waits


As a kid l built forts, l loved it, a home away from home,
a shelter, a place to sit, a place to imagine. Grade six
was my most prolific year. Maybe it was because of
the neighbor's kids, a brother and sister, Kerry and
Holly. A sacred trio, we explored the forest together, we
explored each other. Sometimes Holly and l would lay
together, flesh to flesh on the forest floor, our pants down
around our knees, lay there silent while Kerry chopped
trees in the background When our little bums got cold we
would get up and continue our fort building.

There are unknown forces in nature;
when we give ourselves wholly to her
without reserve, she lends them to us;
she shows us these forms, which our
watching eyes do not see, which our
intelligence does not understand or suspect.
-
rodin


Our best fort was a hut, the up turned roots of a giant fallen
tree, it had hallowed the ground and we built a roof, you
had to crawl to get inside, like a igloo. We found old bottles
and jars in the forest, some still had liquids and cremes in
them, we a built a shelf and placed them there like trophies
on the mantel. We had a old rusty canning pot that we put
rusty springs inside and covered with moss.
It was like Robinson Crusoe, like Journey to the Center of the
Earth, like The Lost World, like The Wind in the Willows.
It made me.



A person is so far formed by his surrounding, that
his state of harmony depends entirely on his
harmony with his surroundings.
-the timeless way of building




...his fort was the bush


...i don't know where his fort was, but he was so happy,
he was so nice, l don't think he needed a fort.
He was a fort.



go build a fort...


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



Because you're mine
I walk the line
-j.cash

I am going to leave you with a little music...
I bought an old record player and l visit a second hand store
to buy records. It's like going to the doctor, such a personal
thing to buy records. Sometime l'm embarrassed by what
l buy, but it's a secret between me and the store owner. But,
l found a treasure, a 1972 tribute to woody guthrie. It has
richie havens, odetta, pete seger, peter fonda and more.





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



This post never ends.
I have a lovehate relationship with artist trading cards but l
have suggested to the lovely sandra at New Times Arrived
that we exchange artistic post cards.
My friend Dale in victoria collects atc's, he has over two
thousand now, and he also sends out calls for mail art
he's a real nice guy, so send him some art, or if you want to
exchange visual matter with me, my address;
1119 mary jane riley rd, rr#1
bear river east, nova scotia, B0S 1B0
goodbye now


36 comments:

URBAN GYPSY said...

funny
i was about to email you for your address to send mail art


and did you do the last post with the woodie guthrie quote before or after the record

i like records myself
do you remember pied pumkin the folk trio?
good to see a post from you

kenflett said...

thanks urbangirl :) pied pumkin, no, but l did meet a man once who called himself peter peter the pumkin eater, he ran the princeton garbage dump, but l don't think he could sing.

Renee said...

Oh lovely Ken.

Okay I will trade you my left toe.

xoxox

Manon said...

So ... I was just taking about you....5 minutes ago! Telling my parents about your work (they are visiting from Ottawa), and that you live in B.C. with your family.....then I come here and you've moved...lol! I love Nova Scotia..... from one beautiful end of the country to another!
I never built a fort but I'd like to!!
Love your work....btw!
Love Woodie Guthrie.... he's inspired so many!!

kenflett said...

Thanks Renee,
l'll send you my pocket knife. :)

Manon, thank you. I can't believe you never built a fort.

Aleks said...

Ha,Ken ma man is back and how Im glad to see the fort especially the one under the snow.It is one great fort,I did it too when I was a child (with my panty's on) :o) and Im afraid my way of building remained in the same spirit which is marking my whole being,making me not popular by "grownups" and people who like the "minimalism" in space.Im more like Gaudi,it is never ending story of pieces and shapes finding each-other in the process with in harmony known only by me and Robinson.My neighbours are not that happy with my style so I have to look for other place to live.And thank you dearly for mentioning my blog,it is fine to see it here,means a lot to me.
And if you do not get me going on creating to be able sending any art of mine donno who will,so it will take a little more time, till than stay safe,warm and happy(hug for your baby-boy and your lady),cheers!
Sandra

William Michaelian said...

Another post rich in every sense, and so much like a letter from home.

At that age, I used to dig holes and make chimneys for them with horse shoe pegs. Once the fire was lit in the hard clay fireplace, I knew I was home.

Four Seasons in a Life said...

A wonderful and enjoyable post. It brought back memories of childhood when I did the same, building forts or places to hide.

Your art is very emotional.

Thank you for sharing
Egmont

kenflett said...

sandra, your comment is so full, made me smile. I hope you find some warmth soon.

kenflett said...

Thank you William, your story of fire and home is wonderful. You had a sense of fire then, that is good.

kenflett said...

Hi Egmont, l was just at your blog, trying to find my way through your organizing :) your blog is full of beautiful things.

CathM said...

What a lovely surprise to see your post... missing your posts lots... hmmmmm, never really build a fort as a child unless building tree houses or caves out of sticks and stones (in Israel) count... forts of sorts, i s'ppose:)

Caio Fern said...

did my last comment was posted ?

kenflett said...

Nice to have you come around Cath, thank you. Your treehouse and stick and stone fort sound wonderful.
I like your recent photos.

kenflett said...

caio, it is always refreshing when you breeze your way in, even if you come looking for lost comments:)

patricia said...

It´s strange: from time to time I wonder when Ken is going to post, missing the pleasure of going through your posts, a deep and little painful pleasure. And from time to time, you post these great conjuctions of words, worlds, images, sounds. I won´t "comment", don´t want to try to "unroll" the commotion, it´s not needed either, I guess.

kenflett said...

Thank you Aleph.

Shayna said...

How splendid that you built a fort! Yours is a beauty, too -Thank you for your inspiring post/s - Happy new year to you and yours - Shayna

layers said...

I believe very strongly that one can not separate from their surroundings and one's surroundings extends outside-- beyond the walls we enclose ourselves in. Love the fort- both physical and metaphorical. I went to newtimesarrived and loved that blog as well. and I may actually send you something-- are you familiar with Ray Johnson? seen HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY?
I have two books of his life and work.
donna

kenflett said...

A grand new year to you Shayna, thank you.
I like your stoneriver lace. :)


Thank you Donna, nice thoughts you wrote. I'm glad you enjoyed sandra's blog. No l haven't heard of ray johnson.
Your doing some lovely work on your blog.

John M. Mora said...

Donna Wtson of Layers pointed me here - I love the Small Faces (itchycoo park)...I can listen to it and it is almost like attention deficit silence...

As a kid we built an underground fort in clay soil and it is like one of twenty dumb things I have done that somehow I survived - luck.fest natural selection.

kenflett said...

Thank you John for your visit, your comment makes me smile. I like your blog, refreshing and brisk images.

Momo Luna S!gnals said...

Oh so happy with your new post, always looking forward to. And again it moves all forgotten strings in an intense way.

Once i builded a fort under the ground and ofcourse in trees. I had one (huge) problem though; i'm afraid of spiders,lol. And today i still build forts. In my head. When i can't sleep i build a fort in my head and it won't take long till dreamland takes over.

I love your world, very, very much; it all fits so perfectly well, the photographs, words, music. And your art is stunning!

Sweet greetz for you and ofcourse your lovely family. Enjoy your fort and lots of happiness!

kenflett said...

Thanks so much for visiting Momo. I am really enjoying your latest posted works.

Harnett-Hargrove said...

Just enjoyed visiting your post, I've been on deadline and have missed traversing the blogship. This collecting of writing is romantic, or, idyllic to me. Thanks for the trip. -J

Pierre Raby said...

Childhood memories, what a beautiful post. As a suburban child my expertise was more about building bed sheet tents...The two artworks are also very inspiring Kent.

Betty Manousos said...

You 're so creative!
I just love your blog and your photos.
...go built a forth! so brillant! and beautiful!.
Thanks so much for following CUT AND DRY , I'm following you now!.
:)

kenflett said...

Thank you Jayne for your vist. :)

And Thank you Betty of cut and dry fame, for your introduction

kenflett said...

Pierre, always a pleasure.
Bed sheet tents, you can get pretty creative with bed sheets. :)

Kristine said...

I love your art and enjoyed your blog..it's like a newly
discovered book I can't put down. (I've already been back here several times today!..lol) Haunting, with harsh realities..yet, there's so much more.
I'm still pondering all the things I've seen here..I shall return!

I thank you so much for sharing.
Kristine

kenflett said...

Thank you Kristine, l appreciate that.
I like your betty boop :)

all ways 11 o'clock said...

Hello Ken,
Love your latest post. Rich in stories and images.
Best regards,
Robert.

kenflett said...

Nice to see your marks Robert, and l look forward to visiting you when winter clears me a path
ken

all ways 11 o'clock said...

looking forward to it ken.
i'm keeping by the stove these days myself!

Derek Dubolski said...

Ken, A wonderful blog, and I love the fort.
PS: absolutely delicious milk (how can anyone ever settle for the shop bought whitened water?).

kenflett said...

Thanks alot Derek, l appreciate that:)
and glad you enjoyed the milk.