Through the Looking Glass, seen above, was created when I began a new project and had no real sense of direction, artistically speaking. It is something I had started just to see if I could be stirred in some way. I started with a photo of a shipping container I took many years ago at an industrial yard that was being set up to sell these used containers. The yard was not yet fenced so I took the liberty of walking around and snapping a few photos. The photos remained in my archive unused until this time. I brought one of the images into my digital painting program and began laying down partially opaque washes and splashes. Right away, the painting began to have an ethereal feeling that I liked. To add to the scene, I tried many things that did nothing to enhance the piece until I laid down heavy oil paint swirls and set the blend mode to Multiply. Those knot-like creamy swirls immediately made me think of the, what are called, reamy distortions one might see in antique float glass. At that point, the title and the feelings we will look at in the remainder of the blog post were sparked.
The antique float glass theme that was sparked by the piece above is perfect for the tone of this blog post. For some reason, I have been looking back to the classics to help stir up some thoughts within me. I suppose the desire comes from feeling a bit blue, due to the season, and looking for that elusive inspirational spark to rekindle my sense of creativity. Not so long ago, I had presented a blog post on the Ernest Hemingway classic, The Old Man and the Sea. This was the start of my foray back into the classics. I assumed that the classics would hold much depth, since they are classics for that very reason. Classics too, are often timeless, as humans, although progressing as time marches on, are timeless themselves – in the sense that they are human and have the same drives and desires, whether from 2025 BC or 2025 AD.
Next up, I watched the 1979 movie, Apocalypse Now. Although I had seen it years ago, I had forgotten most of it, well – not including the famous quote about loving the smell of napalm in the morning. I watched the first half fully through and watched the last half by fast forwarding for the most part and stopping now and again to maintain the gist of the story. The movie was bizarre with its portrayal of the Vietnam war and the soldiers within – most seeming quite insane – and without remorse for their actions.
The movie got me to wonder if all wars, and all soldiers, were the same. Did training young men to kill and transporting them to war zones allow their inner demons to flourish? I decided that those with a bent towards such horrors would allow that side of themselves to prevail, while those with a bent toward kindness and a love of life would find wartime a necessary evil, but would not let themselves lose that which they held sacred. I also decided that the movie was not the gold standard as far as wars go. The movie was, instead, an expression of the worst that can come from war. It deliberately exaggerates events to expose the madness and moral collapse that war can unleash. I did enjoy seeing the younger versions of the actors that were plenty in this movie like Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Harrison Ford, to name only some. Were we all so young in 1979!?
Having watched the movie once again, I am reminded why, at the time of first viewing it years ago, I changed the name from Apocalypse Now to A Pile of Crap Now. Although it is a classic, it is not something I recommend.
To contrast with Apocalypse Now, I just recently finished reading Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Although this book shows the horrors of war, it also shows a whole different side to the human experience within wartime. This book was written about a small band of resistance fighters in the Spanish civil war. It is a slow moving, often repetitive piece, that only the desire to see the final outcome keeps the reader engaged – so many times I wanted to stop. The book itself, I felt, was much more realistic about war than Apocalypse Now was. In the book, one is exposed to the evil that resides in some folks and is released in wartime, but it also explores the love and friendship that are tested at the worst times in life. The book also looks at sacrifice and what is required of individuals at times when one’s life must be laid on the line – for the sake of others. I recommend the book only if you go into it knowing that it is a very slow-moving piece and want to experience the unique way that Hemingway writes.
While watching Apocalypse Now, and especially while reading For Whom the Bell Tolls, I was reminded of how happy I am for my life here in Canada at this time, where there has been no war on our soil. I can’t even imagine what life in a war zone must be like, even though the books and the movies I have seen do help with that vision. And yet… even in 2025 there are still active wars going on out there in the world – how can that be after seeing so much in the past. Are we humans so slow to learn?
Somewhere in the mix, while reading about war, I created the piece below.
Alchemy of Suffering – Created by Don Cheke
Alchemy of Suffering was something I began while experimenting with brush strokes and color. I was still feeling like I had lost my creative ability but decided to open my painting program and begin aimlessly. My brush strokes were wild and a sense of chaotic anger or suffering seemed to appear. I decided to create a duplicate of what I had and set the blend mode to Hard Light. It looked interesting. Next, I created another duplicate of the original and rotated the duplicate 180°. I then set the blend mode to Color Burn. The result seemed like a cauldron of fire, or something along that line. I decided that Alchemy of Suffering was an effective title and added the text to complete the piece. Make what you will of it.
To continue with the classics, I watched the 1977 movie The Island of Dr. Moreau. Although I watched the whole thing, I didn’t find it appealing, nor did it give me pause for any great inward thought – well maybe only to think that it would be wise not to muck with nature and the human genome. I do remember reading the book back in the 1990’s when I was making my way through all the works of H.G. Wells that I could find, many of which I had found on the Project Gutenberg website. I remember loving many of his books and short stories.
Next, I gave an honest attempt to watching the 1956 movie, Moby Dick, featuring Gregory Peck. After about twenty minutes it was more than I could stand and I shut it down. BORING!!! At this point I was starting to doubt the wisdom of returning to the classics. I did, however, find it interesting to see Orson Welles play the role of Father Mapple. Too cool!
Denise and I watched a TV show very recently. During one romantic moment one of the characters revealed to his sweetheart that he had gotten a tattoo of her name on his arm to express his love for her. A long-lasting symbol, too be sure. While watching, I thought about how I should do that for Denise. The next day while driving around on errands, I pondered stopping at a tattoo shop to get her name printed on my arm, without the tattooing itself – in other words a non-permanent tattoo. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, as I am a big chicken at heart. The next day, I decided to 3D print a plate with her name inside a heart. For printing’s sake, I created it in reverse so when I stamped it with water-based ink onto my arm it would show as a tattoo does. It looked pretty realistic, and when I showed Denise later in the day, she was tickled by the gesture – knowing where the thought had come from. It was a sweet bonding moment for us. I am not a fan of tattoos myself, so would never want to get a real one – but the temporary one suited the occasion quite nicely. Denise has threatened to get a tattoo over the years and I always make a fuss, begging her not to. Truth be told, she is a big chicken too. I hope that by reading this, she doesn’t imagine I am challenging her to do it. No DeeDee, don’t do it! 😊
Below is the 3D model and render of the design. Of course, the one on my arm was just a simple black stamp of the same design.
Denise in Heart – Modeled & Rendered by Don Cheke
I am continuing my foray into the classics. Hoping that I stumble across something that makes my heart sing and my imagination flow freely. As such, I have embarked on Kurt Vonnesgut’s book, The Sirens of Titan, written in 1959. I found the book on sale at Amazon as a Kindle e-book for $1.99, which is good because his books are usually much too expensive, even in digital format. I don’t know why that is, but as you may remember, I typically won’t spend more than $10 on a digital book. Yes, there is the public library, but the waiting list is long for his books.
So far, I am finding the book interesting and well written. I can see myself reading the whole thing. One interesting thing I found out so far is that the “Sirens” in the book refers to three women on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. This seems reminiscent of those women in Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus encounters the Sirens, whose voices lure sailors to their deaths. I wonder what voices Malachi Constant will encounter on his journey to Saturn, and what sparks of creativity might ignite for me.
Are you into the classics? If so, which titles have moved you, or brought you to think deeper about things? I’d love to know!
Donald B. Cheke – Saskatoon, SK
The tattoo…how romantic. Winnie and I joked about doing that too but never followed up.
Thanks Michael, for taking time to read the blog post and to comment. It would be interesting to see you with a tattoo! 😊