39 year old Mona Lisa Busks for her money. She has been homeless for 4 years and travels from Santa Cruz to Seattle. She wants to bring a smile to peoples faces and the only way Mona Lisa knows how to do that is by being on the corners of the cities singing her heart out.

Anthony is 28 years old and came to Eugene from Ketchikan, Alaska. He has been homeless for the past 2 years. He was cautious with me even though he agreed with what I was doing. His freedom was all he wanted. I said that freedom was like water, it flows around and through objects till it finds its home, he nodded and said that's right. When I asked for a close-up shot he said to take a picture of him walking away. And I did.

Now 54 years old, Mr. Gonzalez has been homeless for 5 years. He told me that he was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider and as a result had the lower part of his right leg amputated. He also suffered other complications from the bite. He sometimes has a radio playing Mexican music. While I was speaking with Mr. Gonzalez a few people cheerfully greeted him. It is always good to have kind words sent ones way.

This is Rod. He is 57 years old and has been homeless since 2002. I asked why such a long time and he told me this story. In 2002 both his parents died within a short  time of each other. His wife divorced him and he lost his job. Those are life altering events. He was also struck by a vehicle and had his hip replaced and a rod placed in his leg. It set him back 2 years. He is able to sleep in a church at night and do odd jobs now and then. His spirits seemed good. We shook hands and he said God bless you as I went on my way.

This is Mike and Tessa. Tessa was very quiet, but Mike liked too talk. He came here 2 years ago from Wichita, Kansas. He was surprised and shocked when he discovered he could not find affordable housing. He now resides at the Mission on a limited basses. Not an ideal situation. Mike says that the small house projects being built in gifted and unused city lots are helping people transition from the streets. It's the best solution, he says, It helps people feel safe and allows the residents self respect and responsibility. Mike says It's not for everyone, because not everyone wants help.  

This is Mark. He told me that he was homeless in Medford for 1.5 years and now here for 2 years. He was very present and aware of his environment. He said he was a master of finding places to sleep at night, pointing out spots to me right there from the street corner. He told me that he is an advocate for the homeless, being one himself, and that he has had discussions with the head of police. "I'm a numbers man" he said. "There are 1,800 homeless in town. The Mission and other shelters hold about 600 individuals. That means 1,200 people have to find someplace to sleep each night." I look at him and could only open my eyes wide and say "WOW".

A positive outcome. Known as the Bottle Twins these brothers, who were homeless at one point, now make a living collecting and depositing cans and bottles at 10 cents per item. They are supported by the neighborhood as they coordinate  their travels with recycling pickup. They are at it day after day, year round, and in all types of weather. They now have an income and a better life.

Some homeless people have addictions. Bear informed me that he and his brother are alcoholics. Bear (with sign) kept showing me his shaking hands (withdrawal he told me) and asked for me to by them beer. I bought them food instead......Bear says he was homeless in Seattle for 4 years before finding his way here where he has been on the streets for another 4 years. He does not like shelters because he says they are dirty and stuff gets stolen. They both looked very, very rough. This situation is a reality. Bear turns 36 on December 21.

This is Doug. He is a 58 year old veteran from Chicago who is homeless and living here the past 2 years. His military service disability was disrupted and his only option was to use local charities inorder to find food and nightly shelter. He is hopeful that his disability will be reestablished soon. Doug said it was a 20 to 80 percent chance that it will be reinstated. I smiled and said I was sure it would be 85 percent in his favor. We both smiled and shook hands.

BUSKING is defined as playing music or otherwise perform for voluntary donations in the street or subways. This fellow sang country western songs. He had a fine voice and played the guitar well. I don't know his situation, but when he turned around I waved and he smiled and waved back. I don't know if he was homeless. Maybe he  just needed extra money for whatever reason. We all seem to need money. It is a fact. Tomorrow when I go to the library I will drop a dollar or two into his guitar case.

I came upon these folks sitting, talking and sharing food in an alleyway while on a walk downtown. I asked for permission (I always do) to take their photo. After they asked me few questions the answer was yes. They did not offer their names nor did I ask how they came to be in this situation. The woman highlighted was affectionately rubbing her dogs head and told me, In a loving voice, that her dogs name was Princess. I felt that Princess was her heart string.

Zy Force is the name of this kind hearted person. He was homeless himself for a short while and was able to get up on his feet with the help of others. He now makes a modest living as a Bicycle Taxi. As well as using his Bicycle Taxi for work he fills it with donated food on specific days and does not go home till he has dispersed all of his goods. Zy was doing just that when I met him. He also helps distribute Burritos with a local and successful Burrito Brigade that helps feed anyone in need. A very nice person giving back to his community. Inspiring to say the least. Peace Out!

Homelessness. Tough place to be and many people are living in this reality. Also, many people are only a pay check away from having to live on the streets.... I met Pam at this camp site on the sidewalk next to the road in front of a church. As I spoke with her she shared a bit of her life on the street. I asked if I could take her picture but she does not think she is photogenic but allowed me to take her picture as she stood behind the sign. She has been homeless for two years and said she does not want to conform to social rules. With a sweep of her arm to the tents she told me that this is her family now.

I am interested in the juxtaposition of noun's (people, places or things). This is our feral cat Shadow in the herb garden. It took years before we won her trust and she now lives a good life. She has us trained as other cat lovers will understand....Peace out!

This is the first of an exciting new series. I'm jazzed up about this one and as I add to this collection over the coming weeks I hope to work my way into important social issues. The one at the forefront of my heart and mind is homelessness. Tough place to be for families and individuals. I hope to humanize this social condition just a bit. It will help me....This is a Flicker feeding on the suet holder.  A beautiful bird.

I am pulled towards nature. These Birch trees set in the Olympic Peninsula drew my attention by the serenity they created in my mind and heart. As I sit at my computer and work with the photo I am transported back to the moment. This is the joy I receive. Peace Out!

As we age we can choose to be strong like the boughs of a tree i.e., flexible, bending, stretching to the skies and staying strong through the winds and storms of life. But also graceful and beautiful in the calm days of life by the wisdom we have earned through trial and error and by the love of others. Peace Out!!

A Circus Act!!

I always seem to be drawn to a photo. There has to be something going on either in my mind or my gut that says "take the picture". The dynamics of these two photos speaks of times past and present, i.e., the wood industry. The curing and drying of wood has not changed in hundreds of years. The muscle of the process is visible pouring forth from the stacks. Today we have better industrial filters for this industry and over time this photographic image will be antiquated. I hope! Peace Out.

I was recently at the Oregon coast, beautiful place, and the dynamics of the ocean waves kissing the shore was romantic. The movement of the waves were inspiring and inviting. The color of the water was deep and rough. It was an environment that I only wished to view and not physically enter. I hope this photo creates a story, a feeling for you. Peace Out!

A Woman walking down the street. The sun casts a shadow of a tree spreading across the building. A simple day with a slight twist. I always appreciate a surreal angle with a cartoonish pinch. Reminds me of my childhood and all the comics I read. Loved them. If you can, enjoy the sidewalks of your cities and towns. Peace Out!
If any of my viewers have any questions, opinions, or just want to share ideas you can start a conversation at johntaskerart@gmail.com 

In my backyard I have lots of gravel and strategically placed cement squares covering the yard because we get lots of rain and this helps to keep our feet dry. The gravel and cement squares are monochromatic. The cement squares grew into  nice green mossy islands. So I decided to dress up the gravel by doing a bit of this and that. I'm pleased with my new backyard. Moonshine, sunshine we all shine!!Peace Out.

A wide variety of images will continue as I gather snapshots of of anything and everything that pops up and says "Take my picture". Kidding aside, the above image was originally found on a city street and as it spoke to me, I spoke back. This image reminds me a bit of the 1950's early 60's art scene. Just a feeling. Enjoy your day on the planet. Peace Out 

When my inspirational strings pull me in a direction, I know that I must follow and, as always, a positive learning experience awaits me. So now, for the time being, I will move away from the photo montages that I have been creating and focus more on my visual intuition within a single image. The single image will create a challenge and with the artistic tools at my disposal, I hope to create a story line, a feeling, a birds eye view of my world. A world with a creative twist. As an example, the above photo  is a landscape with  a  tactile surface designed from a two dimensional image. This natural composition called to me and I responded. Not knowing exactly what the final image would be is the fun part. I will try and bring social content, environmental landscapes and abstract images with an existential twist to the viewer. I enjoy the journey. My flight of fancy has few rules other than to follow the end of my nose. Have a wonderful, safe and happy day. Peace Out.

Mysterious landscape! The image I have created reminds me of the amazing experiments Tesla created....He created an electrical relationship between the earth and the heavens. I wanted to represent a sense of the energy that circulates within natures battery and that continues ceaselessly day in and day out. I hope we all have a positive day!! Peace Out.

The leaves have fallen off of our pear tree and the signs of fall are every where. The sun was shining bright and clear and the shadow of the pear tree on our fence was delicious to look at. The pear tree called out to me and said "I am still vibrant even though I am asleep". I obliged and added makeup to the spirit of the tree that I felt. By the way, the pairs are Bartlett and taste delicious both fresh and canned. I hope the sleeping world of nature still invites your imagination! Peace Out.

What image could I bring to life with a photo of sunlight reflecting off of my car roof and a picture of my pajama leg. Abstract for sure, but pleasing and fun to put together.... We had gone to a play yesterday and I feel, maybe, that I was influenced by the stage lighting. Amazing how our dreams appear at night as we sleep and even more so when awake we can manifest those experiences without initially realizing the source. It took me a few hours before the nickel dropped. Sometimes the deeper meaning is just having fun!

Beautiful strands of hair  become an undulating sea that casts about and sings "come swim with me". Only the limits  I cast upon myself withholds me from the oceans of the world within!!..."Know thyself" as Socrates said so long ago.
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Sitting down at one of our favorite ethnic restaurants I noticed the sill, the transparent blue film on the windows and the blinds above. I just had to take a picture without knowing exactly what I would create with this new image. I was drawn to it. 
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This image has been abstracted from the fingernail of my left thumb. Kinda sounds gross, but the challenge was there and I like the final image. Many things if not almost all things can have another existence, another view, feeling, texture, purpose, color, etcetera. This is true for me. In existentialism  the simple act of describing, let's say a bird, can become very elaborate. It could go on for pages and pages and none of the words and word combinations would describe the bird to you as you traditionally might view or conceive it. The reader would scratch their head thinking what it was they were reading about. What is, is not! Reality is like time, it constantly changes and I hope it changes for the good!! Have a sweet day. 

Three bricks on my chimney. They caught my eye and without knowing why! What did I see and intuitively sense about those three, common and always overlooked bricks? Another image, another place, another whimsical stretch of the existential mind? A drone view of a treed valley surrounded by plateaus, that is what I saw in the back of my mind and slowly brought to the front and out my hands. This is a location that is found no where but, possibly, everywhere. It is located in the imagination. We all have the ability to view happily the world in all its contortions and possibilities. Have a wonderful and positive spin on the planet earth!! Peace out.

In this series  I  photograph small and obscure inanimate images that exist in our every day world that goes unseen. I create a macro environment that is readable (yet abstract) from a micro environment that is constantly overlooked. The finished work above I call "floral hedge and sidewalk". The seed of the image was a door edge that was worn down to expose the different layers of paint from previous applications. The sidewalk was the lit space beyond the door edge. The area was no more than 1.5 inches long. Of course I had to work my magic to create the image, but the muscle of the project is too try and expose and share the worth of the minutia  in the world. To me it enhances the value, the sense of oneness in everything!...Enjoy the small bits of life...Peace Out.

Being an artist, to me, is the freedom to chase after an idea, a feeling, and too try and create that emotional path pictorially. Having created my Quantum Mechanics (QM) pieces and the fun I had doing that,  the creative outgrowth from that short series (will be continued)  is represented by the above image (landscape with setting sun).  The image can be described as abstract expressionism, but I would like to define this new series as "found and visually manipulated everyday inanimate objects that I have existentially altered to fit my view"  What a mouthful! In this new quest my imagination pushes and pulls the inanimate object (used in the  image above, a door hinge) filling in the spaces and places to create a surreal landscape. One way to describe my process that readers could possibly attach their own experience and imagination too is the viewing of clouds.  When looking at clouds move across the sky forming shapes they can remind you of an animal, face, anything that crosses your mind at that moment.  Imagination!!!! That is the key.  Such is art and the poetry it can divine!!!!

The cities of  Quantum Mechanics (QM) have evolved from each other and are involve with each other. You cannot have one without the other. Maybe the size, shape or color of individual cities might differ, but a shared essence remains. But I'm also hopeful that you could get a tasty Latte in any of the multiple reality cities. May peace and happiness reign through and around each universe!!

The bubble of another universe floats in my imagination. Knock, knock who is in there? All fun and games today and I hope the same is true for all my doppelgangers out there somewhere. I'm sure they are all saying...Peace Out!!
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Alternate Universes! Here are just a few together in the same space, but unseen to each other... Maybe we share the same qualities? Maybe a bit brighter, shorter, taller but only a tiny bit different. The  importance of being able to live in the hear and now I'm sure is mirrored throughout the universes. Bring forward the colors, sounds and brightness of our lives. Enrich others, help others, support others and care deeply for others are qualities that help to strengthen all our lives. I'm sure our alternate reality doppelgängers feel the same way......For sure!! johntaskerart@gmail.com

So near yet so far. Dimension to Universe to alternate realities to the here and now. My right hand does not know what my other right hands do: Shaking hands, patting a friend on the back, stroking my cats face, feeding and reading and handing out high fives? Quantum Mechanics (QM) says I can do it all, simultaneously with all the happiness that I can muster. World without end!!! Peace Out. 

Quantum Mechanics and multiple worlds. How does one get from here to there? Well, in my world I traveled through a ringed wormhole of my creation. Even though I am still here, in my mind I was there. That is the beauty of imagination and creativity. Peace out and rest well!!

Quantum Mechanics states that multiple universes  can and do exist. Quantum Mechanics spin on its many-world interpretation says that there are many alternatives in these other universes and that they are all equally real, but that we can only see and experience one particular outcome which emanates from our universe. From my perspective I'm hoping that the other Me's are having as much fun interpreting this many-world concept! Peace out!

Still moving through space. Sometimes it's an easy walk and sometimes it's a tumble. As long as I get to the other side with a smile on my face it's all good. Enjoy the ride!!

I've found that crossing the great divide is a constant process. Who I was before transforms into who I am now. From was to am will never stop. The tides of my life ebb and flow. As long as my boat does not have a big leak I will keep sailing and dance with the tides. Peace out!

In the colorful world of personnel transition I am always faced with getting from here to there. Many modes of transportation are presented to me and I have to use my mind and heart to decide how! I always hope that the transition helps me  to  understand a world that is constantly revolving. It seems to me at times like a  ride at the fair; when  do I get on and off? Peace out!

Greetings from an alternate universe!!..Thumbs up too all. Life is moving along at this end and I hope that it is full and vibrant in your universe. Peace out!

The trapeze of life. A balancing act that is always ongoing. I always want to start my day upbeat by trying to be as positive as I'm able. As my day moves its way through and around me I like to be left at the end of the journey with as much Joy  as possible. It's all part of life. Peace out!!

Chemical, electrical, spiritual, etherial, conscious, loving. Some of the wonderful qualities that reflect who we are and what we can become! Life is a path and choices are the footsteps we take. Peace out!

I always marvel at our ability to create when we unfold our minds. To bring to light that which was only a thought. We can and should use that shared  power to create happiness in all its forms. The  magic of it all....Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth as much as possible....Peace Out!

These three photos represent 2 seconds of my active life. Seems silly too look at 2 seconds and give it notice, but it is a small part of a larger picture called life. In a sense I am acknowledging the minutia in my life. The building blocks of my time on the planet......Enjoy the Lego blocks in your life......Peace out!