I’m Not The Only One - Part II

My last blog entry shared the stories behind the ideas and inspiration that influenced the creation of a twenty-foot long wall mural entitled, “I’m Not The Only One”. To date, I’ve only shown you the first of the five panels used to create this mural…

Here it is again, in case you forgot what it looked like.

I mentioned, briefly, that I’m also creating an animated video to tell the story of this mural, leading up to the opening reception. I’ve created these 3 image sequences to share this idea on my Facebook pages. There are many more photos that will be appearing in the video, but the 3 image sequence gets the idea across.

In each 3 image sequence, one completed mural panel is showcased. The artwork created by the students who ride The Peacebus is used to create the words in these mural panels. Each panel also shares stories about some of the adventures that have happened on the bus. This panel showcases all eleven pages of the book entitled, “A Turtle’s Great Adventure” that was created at the beginning of this school year, last October.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/10/turtles-great-adventure.html

Now that a mural panel has been loaded into my car, it is time to venture to the Cherryhill Library where it will be hung for the opening reception – Vroom! Vroom!

And now I’m unloading the mural panel and taking it into the mall where the library is located. But wait!? What’s this???? Above we see that I’m loading the panel “NOT” into the car, so how is it that I’m unloading the panel “THE” when I arrive at the mall?

HA! When this idea popped into my head I laughed! I thought that this would be a fun way to showcase each individual mural panel and also show the journey that all the mural panels went through, at the same time.

And this is the completed 3rd panel in the sequence. As you can see, there is a lot going on inside each panel. There’s no way that this art creation could be fully understood just by a passing glance. This artwork demands a closer look!

I wanted people to get a sense of how this project would look when it was completed, so I made this image showcasing the first 3 of the 5 panels. I was very satisfied to see that the bus (painted in shades of gray) was becoming very visible.

After entering the mall (above), I’ve now entered the library and I’m carrying the “ONLY” panel to the Cherryhill Room, inside the Cherryhill Library, which is found inside the Cherryhill Mall, where I will soon be hosting the opening reception.

This panel was a bit more challenging – it has the most letters in it. If I had made all the letters the same height (as the rest of the mural panels) then the letters would have been very thin, making it almost impossible to read. This panel looks a bit more abstract but that’s okay with me.

The “O” in this panel is dedicated to many of my Facebook friends. It tells the story about how I used photos sent to me from these friends to be the first art decorations on my bus.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2009/06/peaceflowers-from-around-world.html

This is the final 3 image sequence that I’ve put together. It was meant to be a bit of a tease, because you’d possibly expect me to have shown the whole mural. If I did that then there would be no need to attend the opening reception… and I wanted you to attend!

It was Thursday, June 14 at 2:22pm when the last artwork was glued onto this mural panel. This was a great moment – I could relax for about 30 seconds! The opening reception would be in two more days and I still had a lot of work to do to get ready.

This work took me until the day of the opening to complete. One last minute run down to the photocopy centre and then back home to pick up Joanne and Devon and I arrived at the library with 43 seconds to spare! Wheewwww!!!

I made just twenty prints of this ‘mini poster’ and then I numbered and signed each one. I made them to be small souvenirs for any of the Peacebus students who attended the opening reception….

… and several did!!!! The first to arrive were Abbey and Liam with their father. You can see that Abbey was having fun giving Mr. Jim the ‘rabbit ears’!!!!

As you can imagine, Devon and I made it into many photos, but since this part of my story is about those who attended I’m just going to show those photos. I quickly learned that Andor’s father loves babies. Seconds after this photo was taken, he was playing with Devon on the play mats that I had brought into this room.

It was very nice having many moments to chat with the students and their parents outside of the school yard and bus stops. I see Justine’s parents almost every morning and usually we just have a few seconds to exchange some fun words, so it was nice to be able to have an actual conversation.

It was hard to remember to take photos of everyone who attended. Although the atmosphere was relaxed, there was always a lot going on.

I was really happy to see that Carrie had come to visit with her mom and her son Jakob - who I’ve known since only a few hours after his birth!

Even my real estate agent Bud (there’s no Bud wiser!!!!) made a huge effort to be a part of this days happenings. He had spent the afternoon working in nearby Strathroy and noticing that it was getting near 4:00pm (the end of the opening reception) he quickly wrapped up his business and zoom zoomed his way to London to check out this mural. Thanks Bud!

A great surprise for me was seeing one of my closest friends from high school. Because it was a two hour drive to London, Brenda decided to make a day of it with her daughter Alyssa. They spent the morning at Storybook Gardens and after lunch then arrived at the library to meet my family and see the wall mural. It had been almost 21 years since we last saw each other and I hope we won’t wait another 21 years until we get together again.

There was an interesting surprise waiting for Don, when he surprised me with his visit. It seems that there were many surprises for many people during this two hour long event!!!! Don’s surprise was seeing his picture in this wall mural!

Two summers ago, I had arranged to use the Peacebus to transport (for free) people from across London to a local organic blueberry farm. Photos from that event made it into this mural and since Don also attended the ‘Blueberry Daze’ he is now a part of the story.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/08/blueberry-daze-continued.html

This is Grace. She is one of the many people who I see when I’m working at my second job. My second job is driving mini-buses around town, helping people with mobility problems. Sometimes my passengers are going to doctor’s appointments and sometimes my passengers are visiting local libraries to see art mural installations!

All in all, it was a great event!!!! It would be hard for me to plan anything better – even if I could. All the smiles and silly jokes, rabbit ears and crying babies, hugs and memories shared made this an afternoon I will cherish for the rest of my life!! Thanks to all for sharing these moments with me!

Since then (and this event only happened a week ago) I have received emails and posts on my Facebook pages by other parents and students who have also gone to view this mural. Even some fellow bus drivers have made it down to the library for a look-see.

If you would like to pop in to check it out, it will be on display at the Cherryhill Library until the end of July, before it continues its tour through three other London Libraries over the next six months.

If you decide to go I will make just one simple suggestion… be prepared to smile!

Mr. Jim

I’m Not The Only One – Part I

To say that the last few years of my life as an elementary school bus driver have been interesting would be a grand understatement. The stories, songs and artworks that the students of The Peacebus have shared with me have filled me with the most positive of assurances that these ‘Future Leaders of the World’ will grow to respect our Earth and all of the lifeforces that abound here in ways that I can’t even begin to imagine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7j_STtc_8

About two years ago, I began to wonder what I would do with the hundreds and hundreds of peace art drawings that these students are continuously creating. An idea began to form, in the back of my mind, and since then I’ve spent much time developing this idea. My plan was to create a large mosiac mural, using all of these artworks.

Since I knew that this mural would be a very unique art creation, I thought that it would be a great plan to be able to share this with the community. I began to organize a small art tour throughout the libraries, here in London, Ontario.

The construction of this mural began five months ago. Wood panels were cut and primed, wood supports were fastened and eye-hooks were mounted so that the panels for this mural could be easily hung from a wall.

The inspiration for my art concept came from John Lennon’s song entitled “Imagine”. The lyrics from this song are very inspirational and found myself being drawn to one line in particular: “You may say ‘I’m a dreamer’, but I’m not the only one”.

I wanted to create an art mural that would show John (rest his soul) that indeed he was not the only one to have dreams about ‘Peace on Earth’ – the children of today (40 years after this song was written) also have thoughts and desires to realize humanities destiny to bring peace and balance back to our global civilization.

The mural concept focuses on just five words from this song – I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE. Since there are five words in this expression my mural is designed using five separate panels – one word is found in each of the five panels. The students’ artworks will be used to create these words in large capital letters.

Since all of these artworks were created to decorate The Peacebus, it seemed obvious to me that the background image – filling the rest of these mural panels – should be of The Peacebus.

I decided to paint the image of The Peacebus in many shades and tones of grey. I figured that this would make a nice background.

I really want the students’ artworks to stand out, so they’ve been printed using full colour which, when set upon the grey background, really sparkle with life.

Early on, I realized that I wanted to do a little more than simply showcase all of the individual artworks that the students have created. I decided to highlight many of the art adventures that we’ve had, as well.

Part of the first mural panel, tells the story about how Peacebus buttons were created with the generous donation by a Peacebus fan.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/07/buttons-for-bus.html

Another panel shares the story about how I shaved my head to raise money for the children of Kenya.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mr-jim-goes-bald.html

Another panel shares the Earthday adventures where students joined me at a local park area to help plant trees and learn about birds of prey.

http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mr-jim-celebrates-earthday-2012.html

And so on! In the end this mural will become more of a history of the students and my adventures over the last several years.

I’ve also been taking many photos of the mural’s creation – right from the beginning where I spent time priming the wood panels that are being used. The photos in this blog story have been grouped into sets of three – highlighting each of the stages. Many more photos have been taken and my plan is to create a fun animation film that I will be sharing in another several months, once it has been finished.

To conclude this story, I’m going to leave you will the promotional flyer that I’ve recently created to invite the community to the opening reception and the art tour that is to follow.

The opening reception is taking place at the Cherryhill Library on Saturday, June 16th, 2-4pm.  Please, consider yourselves ‘invited’ and I’ll hope to see you in a couple of weeks!

Jim

Temagami and Me

(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)

Part VII


The Peaceful Warrior
Paper Collage on Drawing Board
14” x 20”
2006

It had taken Alan and me over five months to plan and prepare for our ten day walk across Southern Ontario to raise awareness about the clear-cut logging that was planned for the Temagami forestland. We had overcome many obstacles and challenges and in the end we had completed what we had set out to do. A short time later, Alan and I laughed when we thought about the fact that we still hadn’t been to Temagami to see what we had worked so hard to protect!


We wanted to travel together, but our work schedules didn’t allow that to happen. Alan made his own journey to the Northern Ontario forest and had many wonderful adventures. Joanne (my then girlfriend and my now wife) and I prepared for our own journey.

We found ourselves in the heart of the old growth forest for three life-changing days! We enjoyed a peace that we have yet to experience again, since that time.


I was in awe of the energy that I felt flowing from, through and over the land. Untouched in over 10 000 years, the trees, rocks and water sand a song to me about ancient times. I listened more closely and I could also hear the beavers, birds and dragonflies humming a tune about future days.

Our days were filled with sunshine and our nights were a window to the heavens. The waters were clean and the air was fresh and pure. I felt uniquely special for being able to experience this land in this way with the one I love.


As we were hiking along old hunting trails, endeavouring to find our way out of the forest, I heard a whispering voice in the breeze. This echo of the wind that blew through the trees’ branches asked me to share this story of love and beauty with the world. I acknowledged this request with a smile and a nod of my head, though at that time I had no idea exactly how I would do this.

A week later, I had a profound dream. A dream that would open up a brand new world for my mind and my spirit. A dream that would pull the blankets back, lift me from bed and lead me to my drawing table.

Joanne appeared in the entrance of our living room, rubbing her eyes, wondering what I was doing up at 3:00 am. “I had a vision come to me, just now, and I felt the need to draw it while it still remains in my mind,” I stated. “Who knows?… I just might end up being an artist!”

The End

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So… there you have it folks! The end of the seven part story that tells the tale about how one man surrounded by many family, friends and supporters was able to learn about and share inspiration about the Temagami forestland, and how that experience changed his (er – I mean ‘my’) life.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed it!

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I mentioned in my last blog how Alan and I had estimated that because of all the media support we had received, around 130 000 people had heard of Temagami for their first time. A very impressive number!!!!


Since then, I would estimate that I’ve been sharing tales across Canada, with the help of over thirteen different newspapers, a few arts and crafts magazines as well as radio and television interviews. In each of these interviews I always share the story of my first inspiration – Temagami.


I would now estimate that with these additional media spotlights that the forestland of the Temagami region has been heard about and read about by over one million people from around the world – some of my television interviews have been broadcast as far away as Australia.


One man shares a message with millions!!!!! Not bad considering I’m not a sports celebrity or rock star!

+ + +

‘Peaceful Warrior’ was created using paper collage techniques (using bits of paper cut out of magazines) that I have taught myself over the many years. I love how colours can be manipulated to create so many moods and depths to an art peace – notice how the sky changes from a light blue to a dark blue as it recedes into the distance.


This is the story of one tree (I’ve always compared this tree to be me – so in this way this art could be considered a self portrait) standing solidly as a protector of the forest in the far background. The sky is tranquil, dotted with a few fluffy clouds. The river meanders peaceful by the sandy beaches and the rocky terrain. All the elements that are ‘Temagami’ are present in this artwork. The concept of ‘reflections’ is also present as we see a small portion of the tree reflecting in the river’s water.

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I’ve mentioned how each of these seven artworks ended up being given to my close friends and family. I really wanted to keep this one for myself, cuz I just love it so much. But, I had already chosen my most favourite of this series ‘Earth Angel’, so I had to find a home for ‘Peaceful Warrior’.

This was an easy task. I had actually negotiated its new owners before my yearlong art tour began.

To prepare all seven artworks for this art tour, many of them had to be mounted, matted and framed behind glass. This was a problem for me, cuz I didn’t have any money to pay for this service. I approached a local art/framing gallery and asked if we could make a deal where they provided this service and in exchange I would provide them advertising at each of my exhibits. The owners thought that what I was doing was a wonderful thing, so they gave me much consideration. In the end, a deal was struck where they would provide this service for me, but in exchange they wanted me to give them 'Peaceful Warrior’ at the end of my art tour. A deal was made and we shook hands.

+ + +

‘Peaceful Warrior’ really struck a chord in my heart. Maybe this was because I did consider it to be a self-portrait. Needless to say, I have missed it over the years.


Because I love it so much, I have felt inspired to recreate this image on a number of occasions.


Every time this image came to life, the story of Temagami was told again.


Yes – the image was altered slightly. I got rid of the rocks and the river because the technique that I was teaching was very difficult for these grade 2 and 3 students.


The techniques that I taught during these classes were meant to resemble ‘paper collage’, just using paint and brushes instead.


The students loved to see how all their colour blending created such an unusual yet striking texture when the work was complete.


The Temagami forestland has been thriving and surviving on this planet of ours for over 10 000 years. I’ve only had the pleasure of making its acquaintance just a short 16 years ago. Since then, I’ve learned how to use the lessons that it taught me in many ways, offering inspiration to my fellow Canadians as well as the many international readers of this blog.

Continuously, I hope and pray that more people will become involved in this story and the many countless other environmental struggles that face our global civilization, so that the Earth’s inspiration will continue to flourish for all future generations.

‘Nuf Said

Jim

Temagami and Me

(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)

Part VI


Dawn Chorus
Colour Inks on Drawing Board
14” x 9”
2006

Upon completion of our exhausting journey throughout ten communities in Southern Ontario, Alan and I spent a period of time reflecting on our experiences. We discussed the events that had happened and we wondered about the things that were still to come.


We had set out to educate people and raise awareness about the issues of clear-cut forestry practices that were happening in the Temagami region of Northern Ontario and we both agreed that we had, indeed, accomplished that goal. With all of the support we received from many local businesses, the newspaper, television and radio media and community grass roots organizations, we calculated that between 80 000 – 130 000 people in Southern Ontario were now aware of Temagami’s existence and it’s struggle for survival. We were more than impressed!!

We spent many hours sharing stories of our adventures with our family and friends. Out of the many events that happened, two significant moments shine in my memory…

Our public presentation consisting of music, photographs and video recordings was a very dramatic expression, to say the least. I can remember, on several occasions, becoming very emotionally involved in the words I had prepared to share with our audiences.


At one of our venues a mother had brought her three year old son along to learn about Nature and humanities responsibility to act respectfully towards all of life’s wonderful creations… including the Temagami forestland. Later, when the presentation was over and we were about to have the ‘lighting of the torches’, this mother called me off to the side for some private words. With tears in her eyes she clasped my hands and leaning in she whispered softly in my ear, “Thank you.” She then hugged me, and looked down to her son and while smoothing his hair with her hand she said, “I’ll make sure that my son never forgets the lessons and understandings that were shared here, this evening.”

A few days later we were in the town of New Hamburg. It is a smaller town, but it showed us that it was filled with a lot of heart. Only seven people attended our presentation and no one thought that this was a bad thing.

A mother with two teenage daughters asked what our plans were for the night. I told her that Alan and I had a four hour walk ahead of us before we reached our prearranged campsite. The campsite was to be an area of untilled farmland at the back of a farmer’s field. She knew that we had to set off on our walk very shortly, and with gleams of star-shine in her eyes she simply asked if we could wait for half an hour before we departed. We did.

A short time later, I could hear singing and laughing, thumping and bumping and a lot of “Hooras!!!” in the distance. I nudged Alan and said, “It sounds like the town is having some sort of parade on the same day as our walk.” The sounds grew ever louder as they grew ever closer. Moments later, a group of five adults with twelve children loaded with hiking gear, tents, pillows, pots and walking sticks rounded the corner. We recognized several faces from our presentation. Alan and I looked at each other in absolute amazement!!!!

In the morning, the farmer who had shared his land with us, came to wish us a good day. He was rather speechless for a few moments as he looked upon our entourage of over twenty people, as we busied ourselves preparing breakfast under a row of trees that edged his field. He was delighted to sit with us to share a warm drink and listen to all the excited stories that the children had to share with him.

I smiled and my heart grew a size bigger, that morning.

(To be continued…)

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‘Dawn Chorus’ is, again, based on a photograph that I took while adventuring throughout the Temagami region…


I’d mentioned near the beginning of this short story series, that I learned about Temagami while attending presentations given by environmental organizations that had been working towards changing government policies to protect these endangered forestlands. While I was having my own personal adventures in this region, I happened along this group’s ‘protest camp’ that was set up just outside the next area that had been slated for logging.

I was invited to spend some time with this group and soon I was looking for an area where I could set up my tent. I found a large clearing along the edge of a wide river – it was a very peaceful place. I spent a lot of time with the people in this group – all of us excited to be sharing stories of our individual experiences over the last several months.


Together, we went for hikes through the forests. We got lost on one occasion causing all of us to have to cross through a swamp to find the trail, again. We spent the evening cooking dinners over a fire that was surrounded with wet boots and socks!

I also enjoyed many moments on my own. For hours I sat by the slow moving river, looking across the shore to the forest on the other bank. I meditated in my own fashion and found myself lost, on several occasions, in the rhythms and heartbeats of this forest. The energies of growth and vibrations of the Earth slipped in and out of my mind and my soul. I felt that I had ‘touched’ the Earth for the first time in my life.

I woke rather early, one morning, and I crawled out of my tent, wrapped in blankets so that I could experience a morning sunrise. As the sun began to push back the night stars a thick, eerie and mysterious fog began to form on top of the surface of this river. I took several photographs to try to capture this evolving moment. ‘Dawn Chorus’ is based on one of these photos.

Like many of the artworks created in this ‘Group of Seven’ series depicting the beauty of the Temagami forestland, ‘Dawn Chorus’ is based on concepts of reflection. While other artworks were designed around just one reflection, I felt compelled to add a second reflection to this art peace.

Near the top of this artwork we see a reflected ghost-like apparition. This is the fog that rose and settled upon the river. As we travel down the art we see an upside down silhouette of the forest. This is the forest reflecting on the surface of the river. Also reflected on the river is the morning sky, filled with gentle clouds and the bursting colours of the morning sun.

The second reflection found in this artwork is found near the left side. Quite simply, I added a mirror line and reflected the original reflection a second time on a vertical axis. The idea manifested in my designing mind and I just thought that I would look nice – adding more textures for the viewer to enjoy.

The title ‘Dawn Chorus’ came to mind on the morning when I experienced this sunrise. As the moment was unfolding I was thinking of Earth spirits – the undulating fogs looked like shape-shifting beings/angels/spirits - a choir, singing a chorus of celebration for the dawn. A chorus that embodied the word ‘hope’. As these thoughts were flirting with my brain I could here the banging of a deep drum and feel the electric pulse of Dave Sharp’s guitar while Mike Peters leans towards a microphone….

Dawn Chorus (excerpt)
By The Alarm

The tension in this world
Keeps me from sleep
I’m hungry and cold
There’s a weight hanging over my shoulder
A rain black cloud of doubt

Have I got enough love? Have I got enough hope?
Enough strength to face the world each day?
I know there’s an answer somewhere in this night
I see it each time I look in your eyes

I’m walking in a wild place
I am banging on the gates
On the other side of the tracks, babe
Hoping that someone’s gonna hear me pray

Oh there’s a dawn chorus breaking out all over this town

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2aSevdVAo

At that time, gazing across the river, I was naming the photograph I had just taken. It wouldn’t be for another decade when I would revisit this inspiration to bring this title to life again as it entitled a new peace of art.

This artwork was presented to not just one childhood friend, but two! Teresa H. and I have known each other since elementary school and while in high school Teresa met her husband to be, who is also a friend of mine. Eric is a member of the Green Party of Canada and Teresa is a teacher, so I was very happy to know that this artwork would be residing in a home that could appreciate its significance.

Jim