never-ending gallery

[Geoffrey]

AlanM wrote:
>Geoffrey, I am constantly in awe of your creative ability.

thank you, alan. if one enjoys making pictures, and does so often - it is inevitable that one's ability improves.
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its4inthemorning wrote:
>G, though I usually like your introduction of color, for some reason I would have preferred to see "Holy Books" in black and white. Nice drawing--and the wine glass on the floor was a nice touch. Was that an afterthought or was it planned?

thank you, its4inthemorning - appreciated feedback! you write 'for some reason' you would have preferred black and white. does this mean you know not why, or that you are unwilling to share? no obligation to respond, mere curiosity.

i love monochrome, and the fact that a pencil (or brush) can enter a dimension that a camera knows nothing about.

concerning the wine glass: my thoughts were likely elsewhere. with a cold glass of bree white chardonnay, toots & the maytals coming through the speakers, one doesn't need to focus too much on what's going on - one is in a good place

[its4inthemorning]

thank you, its4inthemorning - appreciated feedback! you write 'for some reason' you would have preferred black and white. does this mean you know not why, or that you are unwilling to share? no obligation to respond, mere curiosity.

i love monochrome, and the fact that a pencil (or brush) can enter a dimension that a camera knows nothing about.

concerning the wine glass: my thoughts were likely elsewhere. with a cold glass of bree white chardonnay, toots & the maytals coming through the speakers, one doesn't need to focus too much on what's going on - one is in a good place

G, after reflection, I am certain that my preference for black and white is because I wanted your drawing more attuned to the photo on the cover of "Old Ideas," ie., Leonard seated in a dark suit. I've always thought that album cover photo captured the seriousness that only Cohen could emanate when he wanted to.

4

[LisaLCFan]

Congratulations. I can confirm the level of canine cuteness at very high.

so can i

Lisa, that’s a lovely photo of your new puppy - she's beautiful!

Cheers, guys!

[Geoffrey]

its4inthemorning wrote:
>G, after reflection, I am certain that my preference for black and white is because I wanted your drawing more attuned to the photo on the cover of "Old Ideas," ie., Leonard seated in a dark suit. I've always thought that album cover photo captured the seriousness that only Cohen could emanate when he wanted to.
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thank you so much for this. it makes me question why you associate a man in a dark suit with seriousness, though i am hesitant to delve into your personal history.

suffice to say that you probably had a particular experience that made an impression, and upon seeing the cover of 'old ideas' the neural architecture of your brain established a link between the two. i could write much about this, but have no wish to bore anyone with a psychological expository.

nevertheless, you are an interesting person - and i would enjoy sitting down with you.

[Geoffrey]

rare poster advertising a paperback

[elazar]

Hi from the tropics

[Geoffrey]

elazar wrote:
>Hi from the tropics

hello back to you, and thank you for the pic of the stereotype model.
her hair would suit her better if it was cut shorter, darkened a little and tied back - then she wouldn't look so much like an empty-headed slut.

[its4inthemorning]

its4inthemorning wrote:
>G, after reflection, I am certain that my preference for black and white is because I wanted your drawing more attuned to the photo on the cover of "Old Ideas," ie., Leonard seated in a dark suit. I've always thought that album cover photo captured the seriousness that only Cohen could emanate when he wanted to.
--------------------------------
thank you so much for this. it makes me question why you associate a man in a dark suit with seriousness, though i am hesitant to delve into your personal history.

suffice to say that you probably had a particular experience that made an impression, and upon seeing the cover of 'old ideas' the neural architecture of your brain established a link between the two. i could write much about this, but have no wish to bore anyone with a psychological expository.

nevertheless, you are an interesting person - and i would enjoy sitting down with you.
255.jpg

G, I must admit that I've thought it would be fun to meet you and interact with you in the flesh as well. Visiting Scandinavia is something I've always wanted to do, but never saw through to fruition. I can envision being entertained at your new abode, enjoying some wine, and listening to some stories about your life and times. Then we would go out and enjoy nine holes of golf!

[Geoffrey]

its4inthemorning wrote:
>Visiting Scandinavia is something I've always wanted to do, but never saw through to fruition.
----
thank you for writing to me again. this sentence above suggests there has been a negative influence in your life, one that you do not wish to publicly share - and that is fine. many of us have secrets that could lessen one's self-respect should they be known to others. all i will say is that in this respect there are only three categories of people. those who regret what they did, those who regret what they didn't do, and the few fortunates who regret nothing.

the first two categories indicate people who made mistakes, people who failed in some way, while the third indicates people with a form of mental superiority, an ability to exploit and grow from past experiences, a sort of psychological adaptability.

those who dwell on regret risk being trapped in an anxious mindset, denying them the possibility of moving forward with inner peace. you've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative - latch on to the affirmative . . .
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sotheby's auction house now accepting bids on this mint condition 1956 poster advertising a small volume of poetry.

[Geoffrey]

i myself decided what was rotten and what was fresh.

'casablanca' 1942

[LisaLCFan]

...sotheby's auction house now accepting bids on this mint condition 1956 poster advertising a small volume of poetry...

Ignoring your absurdist fantasy about Sotheby's, I love that picture! Very cool!

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>Ignoring your absurdist fantasy about Sotheby's, I love that picture! Very cool!

i think anyone would do well to ignore my absurdist fantasies. regarding the picture you love, i must say you have exceedingly good taste
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rare book loaned to me by a private collector

cover rejected by publisher; known as 'the holy grail' amongst rare book collectors.

vermeer's girl complaining to the artist

[LisaLCFan]

...regarding the picture you love, i must say you have exceedingly good taste ...

Yes, I know! I have always loved Art Deco and Cubism, and thus I am very much enjoying your recent pictures that feature some of those stylistic elements!

May I ask how you did the "Let Us Compare Mythologies" picture? (And any of the other "book covers", if you wish to share.) Cheers!

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>May I ask how you did the "Let Us Compare Mythologies" picture? . . .
---
it's so nice knowing that someone likes my efforts. as i've said before, i have a genuine love for data, am interested in art - and have a hard drive full of various software. one thing i don't have is a television, the enemy of energy and creativity.

concerning the 'book covers', i use a combination of AI-generated images plus use some additional editing techniques that help bring an idea to an acceptable conclusion. it's a process slowly developed over time, through experimentation and inquisitiveness. there's no specific method; one needs to just play around with different tools to discover what works best.

i admit it can sometimes seem complicated, but if a person has a certain amount of artistic competence, knowledge of different graphic design software, endless enthusiasm and a lot of luck, curiosity and patience - then one's goal often becomes achievable. the results can be both disappointing and amazing, but getting there is seldom boring

i still prefer simple sketching with a piece of paper and a 2B pencil, but the limitless potential of computers and internet is so infinitely fascinating that my time is divided. at the moment i am investigating deepseek's janus-pro, which has been much in the news lately.
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while writing i wish to thank 'j' for the letter that fell some days ago into my inbox. it was interesting - i read every word - but it was so long that i cannot hope to adequately respond. also i am notoriously hopeless at answering private messages, so there's that! stay well

[Geoffrey]

you may remember this recent sketch of leonard looking at a broken skylight.

diane, a dear internet friend from canada, has taken a couple of photos of her art, including one from her journal. i think they are quite special, especially as no one has honoured me in this way before. i also love the fact that she has not exactly tried to copy my picture, but made her own versions - which makes them even more interesting. i show them here with her permission

[text above as follows]

Only one thing Pissed them off
Now that it was gone
EVERYTHING Pissed them off

Inspired by Leonard Cohen Poem
And the drawing based on the Art of Geoffrey Wren
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January 29th
Second day off for recovery from Shingles Vaccine. It felt like I had the flu yesterday. The roads are bad so it was good to take the days off. We drove to get cat food for Roxy music

I'm worth the risk (cat speaking)