摸魚～ Fumbling for Fish. V

    Searching through Google for other examples of scanner art has yielded a pedestrian abundance of body parts and static arrangements. It cannot be understated that search optimization efforts as well as a lack of artistic imagination are prime suspects in this expanding pool of derivatives.

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

    In light of recent philosophical changes, the tones of future posts will attempt to steer away from negative attitudes towards current art trends.

E Airness Unum: Swag Me To Hell Part 2

    In continuation of recognizing the various characters who have bravely stepped onto the US Air Guitar stage in the past decade.

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

E Airness Unum: No Guts, No Glory, No Guitars.

    Following up on the indubitable success of the 2013 US Air Guitar Brooklyn qualifier at St. Vitus Bar a couple of weeks ago, local air guitarists Airistotle (currently ranked second in the entire world) and Rocka Khan spearheaded the Manhattan show hosted at Pioneers (formerly Comedy Bar) on this year's summer solstice. Whether influenced by galactic forces or liquid courage, an ever-diverse field of competitors from the Northeast descended upon the stage to earn a chance at rocking the rafters of the Bowery Ballroom on July 2nd.

The crowd at Pioneers gets their buzz on with antici......pation.

    Rookies Killer K (Boston) and Sasha came to test their mettle, though an abundance of life experience was not convincing enough to sway the judging panel of MathRomancer and the husband-wife duo of Justice Rocktor and the Jewish American Princess of Darkness. Thorin Oakenshield (also a first-timer?) then went hard and heavy to good effect, bringing hope (5.6/5.4/5.6) for an unexpected journey into the second round. A walk-on curiously christened Your Uncle Bill brought plenty of rage against inferior hair care products along with ample bro support, but came perilously close to learning the truth about pain when he vaulted onto the judges' table where the unborn son of JR nestled comfortably with JAPD. His scoring average (5.5/5.3/5.2) corresponded with the amount of time it took for him to vanish into thin air soon after.

Clockwise from top left: Lady Air-a-Bella, Thorin Oakenshield, PWN Jett, The Ghost of Operation Rockapussy.

    Spudboy, a transplant from the City of Brotherly Love, returned to his DEVO roots that whipped up a welcome sense of normalcy (if there is such a thing in US Air Guitar). However, his entrenched familiarity with the band seemed to put a damper on forging a truly unique character - never one to lack heart or skill, the identity of Spudboy (5.4/5.5/5.3) will truly sprout with a richer harvest of attitude. Lady Air-a-Bella, badass canine rescuer and the second of three female contestants, had no qualms about showing off the crown jewels with a British national anthem medley. While LAB (5.6/5.5/5.6) has proved capable of running with the big dogs of NYC in earlier showings, her attention to detail may have been too tight a leash on what could have been a hackle-raising performance. The Ghost of Operation Rockapussy, also representing Beantown, provided his own backdrop in the form of looped video via projection then proceeded to thrash the dais with demonic fervor. GOR's all-around solid routine, coupled with the radical decision to include additional theatrics, was sufficient to usher him out of limbo (5.8/5.7/5.7) and into the compulsory round.

    Doctor Rocktopus (in video above), keen to demonstrate equal aptitude at veterinary medicine and air guitar dissection, had clearly spent many hours on his practice which paid off handsomely (5.7/5.7/5.8) despite a minor slip in the procedure. And even though guest judge JAPD duly noted that her false contractions were a direct result of his animal magnetism, the argument that fellow judge/husband JR would consult a proper OB/GYN for the real event still held water. Veteran air guitarist PWN Jett, who boldly shredded the Bowery Ballroom last season while eight months pregnant, easily slipped back into foxy form then put on a display of fine physical control (5.9/5.7/5.5) to match her simmering sultriness.

    Fresh from a brief hiatus in Europe, Smiley Rod (in video above) graced the spotlight once again and made up for lost time post haste with an intensely concise act that evoked memories of past champion Fender Splendor. Exhibiting a genuine ferocity that belied his nom de plume, SR (5.8/5.7/5.8) burst forth with contagious energy and aerobic maneuvers to blaze a longer trail into the night. Wrapping up the first round was Rockupine (top finisher of the Boston qualifier a fortnight ago) with his shirt-shedding, table-shaking, platonic man-loving tribute to "The Final Countdown." Intermission saw an air drum battle royale set to Rush's "Tom Sawyer" that sorely missed the presence of Washington, D.C., air guitar legend The Shred, yet was nonetheless chock full of audience members eager to pound along to a classic tune.

    In keeping with US Air Guitar compulsory round tradition, the secret track for all five competitors emerged as the quintessential '90s angst-laden melody "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and after additional prep time allowed by the group air drum session, PWN Jett (5.7/5.5/5.4), DocRock (5.6/5.9/5.5), Rockapussy (6.0/5.9/5.4) and Smiley (6.0/5.9/5.8) pulled out the stops in turn to mixed results from the judges. Regardless of a less-than-dramatic song edit, each played to their respective strengths and progressively showcased the various qualities that merit only the highest of scores on a scale of 4.0 up to 6.0; as their forms (stage presence) followed function (technical ability) and then were topped with fun (airness), the top spot clearly belonged to one man...

    Mitt Umlaut (in video above), an Empire State mainstay since 2008, garnered a solid advantage in the first round (5.9/5.9/5.8) over his rivals with a consistent balance of instrument knowledge, spatial dynamism and fearless creativity. As evinced from the video above, MU made full use of his bag of tricks and pulled no punches in Round Two to secure a spot at the Bowery Ballroom next week - all three judges were justified in their decision (5.8/6.0/5.8) to award him the Manhattan crown as the evening drew to a cacophonous close.

Justice Rocktor gives major props to Airistotle.

Jamming to "Freebird" - where everyone can shine.

    Any evening out in New York City is bound to yield another tale of intrigue and entertainment, which the overworked and under-appreciated USAG organization never fails to deliver on. This coming Tuesday will promise a truly epic meeting of air guitar virtuosos from New York, Boston, Kansas City and Philadelphia to determine which three will go on to the 2013 Nationals in August.

    Be excellent to each other and party on, y'all!  \m/

摸魚～ Fumbling for Fish. IV

    Digital manipulation tools like Adobe Photoshop are best used to cosmetically modify or efficiently emulate physical alterations existing practically-made works. Over-reliance on computer-generated effects as a primary source of displaying imagination reflects the disposable consumerist attitude that followed a culture once proud of its ability to manufacture and produce abundant national products for worldwide dispersal. By not adapting the citizenship to raise native standards with better early education and improved family resources, it comes as no surprise that a formerly industrious populace neither living within its means nor evolving to meet new definitions would also result in a shrunken middle-class growing more desperate to secure a perch on the economic ladder.

Bottle on 4990. (click to enlarge)

Bottle on 4990. (click to enlarge)

Bottle on 4990. (click to enlarge)

    When a nation's citizens grow increasingly ignorant of their own productive capabilities and are insidiously steered toward developing insatiable appetites for image-oriented mirages designed by visual media conglomerates for individual rather than communal profit, the financial gaps in society will eventually become ravenous abysses the likes of which only few can traverse. It's been said that fortune favors the brave, while perpetuating various irrational fears among an uneducated people has proved historically accurate and customarily advantageous to the slave trade.

    "You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis."
- Tyler Durden, Fight Club (1999)




    Note: All images are *not* created with digital manipulation software (i.e. Adobe Photoshop) for composition and content.

摸魚～ Fumbling for Fish. III

    Recently there was a bit of furor over an Instagram picture being on the front page of the New York Times that triggered concerns whether traditional photography had become obsolete.

    The fact of the matter is that modern views of representative imaging have now become adopted by a media outlet of bygone eras in order to reinvigorate its cultural relevancy. The instantaneous social-sharing feature of wireless digital information is a logical business adaptation for this faded major player to regain the attention of future generations; commercial radio still flourishes despite the dominance of cable television, pedigree racehorses are more profitable investments than personal automobiles, and steakhouses take opposite floorspace at malls while McDonald's huddles away in the food court.

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

    By trying to connect to less-discerning audiences via integration of mass appeal imagery, the "hipster" generation has something to possibly latch onto and give the New York Times some viably consumable reputation.

    In the meantime, it seems hard pressed to find photographic evidence of similar work on Google Image Search for this type of scanography.

 
    Note: All images are *not* created with digital manipulation software (i.e. Adobe Photoshop) for composition and content.

CONTINUE?

    The Museum of Modern Art has permanently added 14 examples of groundbreaking digital interactive entertainment (i.e. video games) to their Architecture and Design Collection - by recognizing the many elements of aesthetics, storytelling, creative logic, etc., that are essential (but not always implemented) in each game, countless enthusiasts and experts who have long championed the legitimacy of video games as artistic experiences now stand to gain a distinctly more esteemed appreciation of what was once considered a hollow and superficial pastime.

    Drawing from an incredibly rich timeline of candidates to represent this first wave of video-game-as-art, commercial and critical successes such as Tetris, Another World, Pac-Man, Sim City 2000, Myst, Katamari Damacy, The Sims, vib-ribbon, Portal, flOw and EVE Online, among others, held particular significance with their simplicity, innovation, graphics, simulations, details, personalities, atmospheres and narratives; the collection is expected to later include 27 more games that encompass the initial search criteria as well as other defining factors. Visitors to this new collection are afforded opportunities to interact directly with some displays - though occasionally the physical controls could malfunction due to human abuse, as is often the case in reality- while other games are much more immersive (EVE Online, The Sims, Myst, Sim City 2000) and shown as demo videos. The installation allows for a handful of observers to congregate around each screen (approximately 55" high in the walls) without interfering with adjoining games, though hand sanitizers are highly encouraged. Headsets are provided with the playable games and a looped mix of snippets from famous themes  like "Super Mario Bros." is set as the exhibit's ambient music.

    Currently this collection can be found in one corner of the Architecture and Design exhibit, but hopefully will earn its own dedicated gallery when the new games are eventually selected. It is quite likely that once a more complete lineup of video games has been established, all displays would become less immediately engaging due to unnecessary repairs of broken controllers and shift to a picture-in-picture presentation of actual gameplay and players' hand movements. Despite the fact that video games are explicitly designed to require user input to extract their potential, not everyone who goes to museums will sit in Dale Earnhardt's car, fire a Civil War cannon, play Jimi Hendrix's guitar, flip through Salvador Dali's sketchbook or use a Neanderthal's stone hammer.

    By and large, the MoMA's initial foray into truly digital realms should serve as a welcome beacon of hope to other generations of diverse artists that toil unceasingly on their craft in the event that some day even one culmination of efforts be preserved as a worthy contribution to culture and society.

摸魚～ Fumbling For Fish. II

    Did a Google search for similar visuals and found that this technique has already been attempted, so apparently it's something called scanography.

    Since basic principles with the "Appetite for Creation" series include a mechanical eye recording lines of reflected information and interrupting its predictable motions via human involvement, it then became an experimental search for suitable subject matter.

Temple roof in Taiwan. (click to enlarge)

Temple roof in Taiwan. (click to enlarge)

Temple roof in Taiwan. (click to enlarge)

Temple roof in Taiwan. (click to enlarge)

    Note: All images are *not* created with digital manipulation software (i.e. Adobe Photoshop) for composition and content.

E Airness Unum: Free Money

In appreciation of all the supporters throughout these years, G. Tso Money is giving away T-shirts! Each black or gray shirt is hand-stenciled and features the logo (see this blog's background graphic) on the front. To have one of your own, send a message with your name, shipping address and shirt size (Small through XL currently available).

While supplies last, Money back guarantee. (click to enlarge)

Thanks again to everybody and keep those horns up!


Peace, love, air guitar~

G. Tso Money

E Airness Unum: Cold Steel Renegade

    From humble beginnings of the US Air Guitar tournament ten years ago, this musical and performance arts event has steadily gained cult status as a grassroots form of achieving world peace via harmonious relationships through common interests. This mutual agreement that taking the stage with an invisible instrument to demonstrate how firearms have no place in rock 'n roll is the binding force that continues to attract and unite Americans unwilling to let dignity stand in the way of global cohesion.

    In recent years, few others have consistently represented the colorful and free-spirited city of San Francisco quite like Cold Steel Renegade (aka Matt F.); instantly recognizable by his flowing locks, mutton chops, astroturf armbands and suggestive spandex, this Adonis of airness narrowly missed making history with a fourth consecutive regional title of the Gold Mountain yet was a memorable highlight of elephantine proportions at the 2012 USAG National Championships halftime show in Denver, Colorado.

 

2009 SF regional sponsored by Boone's Farm.

    Equally as impressive as his gift for rhythmic footwork is a compassionate nature most befitting for one who spends much time helping socially disadvantaged people in the Bay Area. CSR's rich experiences of readjusting less-capable citizens meshes well with the air guitar philosophy that patience, dedication and goodwill are key elements to building a better society, so it should come as no surprise that he was formally inducted into the USAG Hall of Fame this year.

    Final note: COLD STEEL RENEGADE SAYS, "RECYCLE."

AppetiteForCreationZ: You Could Be Mayan

    With the Museum of Modern Art having announced its intention to include digital interactive entertainment to the permanent collection, there is no question that physical manipulation of material substances remains a prominent component of the definition of art in this space age of human history. Prophecy or not, the stasis of this current civilization beyond the next few weeks is still in flux.

    There are far more tangible clues to explain and identify the past than creative leaps of faith (which are in themselves not entirely a laughing matter, of course) - telltale remnants from preceding societies have endured until future generations discover and attempt to comprehend their meanings. Art, when done well, is capable of capturing incidentals and fundamentals that reflect the creator's environment.

08-12-12: Union Square station, NYC.

08-12-12: Union Square station, NYC.

08-12-12: Union Square station, NYC.

11-22-12: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, GA.

11-22-12: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, GA.

11-22-12: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, GA.

    Like any reasonably organic resource, fixed technology has its own life cycle that, when imaginatively explored and utilized, runs the course until tomorrow simply leaves everything behind. Making art means letting everybody know what's on your mind, so it's good that someone like Leonardo da Vinci didn't become a shoe cobbler instead.


    Note: The above images are taken from a Samsung SCH-u540 camera/phone.

E Airness Unum: Rocky Rhoads

    Back in 2011, Chicago hosted the ninth US Air Guitar National Championships, then in this season bore witness to a plethora of worthy talents rising to stake their winning claims in the absence of a regular defender of the Windy City crown. Needless to say, many promising gusts and gales made their fortunate way to the Bluebird Theater in Denver.

    All-around fun girl and Chi-town air guitar scene staple Rocky Rhoads (nee Gina C.) stormed into the Nationals at Bluebird on July 24th, fresh from being awarded the Dark Horse Invitational winner just two nights prior at Bender's Tavern. This whirling dervish of rock energy masqueraded in the guise of a bubbly demeanor yet packed enough punch to floor the crowd and impress the hell out of fellow practitioners.

Exhibit A:

    More scandalous footage from the previous day was then found, which depicted the final moments of an NYC air guitarist named MathRomancer before he was traded for three cases of beer as Rhoads was gleefully sandwiched between Peter Stiff Dickens, Mean Melin and Captain Airhab. Eventually it was resolved as a misunderstanding and quickly forgotten while it rained CorpAIRation bucks in the party bus.

Exhibit B:

    Loaded with charm, cheer and chops, this manic pixie of airness warrants more than a passing notice. If Rocky Rhoads is spotted anywhere, please contact someone immediately by dialing (347) 450-SETH.

So call me maybe.

\m/


"...I'm hell bent on fucking shit up onstage and living the rock and roll dream..."
- Rocky Rhoads, Air Guitar Heroes: About Playing Air Guitar

Appetite for Creation Part 11: Reaping the Faith

    "Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they're deciding, make even more art."

    - Andy Warhol

03-12-12: LaGuardia CC in LIC, NY (click to enlarge)

03-13-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-13-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-18-12: Billboard in Astoria, NYC (click to enlarge)

04-06-12: Rooftops in Jackson Heights, NYC (click to enlarge)

 

04-15-12: Manhattan Bridge in NYC (click to enlarge)

04-15-12: Manhattan Bridge in NYC (click to enlarge)

    Note: The above images are taken directly from a Samsung SCH-u540 camera/phone with no post-capture manipulation.

E Airness Unum: Lieutenant Facemelter

    Another season marking this glorious decade of US Air Guitar begins next month and undoubtedly its venerable cast of characters has been instrumental to maintaining such rousing success.

    California is one of the hotbeds from which various strong contenders to the National Crown continue to emerge; Lieutenant Facemelter (nee Jason F.) has waged an impressive campaign for this honor and proved himself a force to be reckoned by becoming a two-time Regional Champion (San Diego in 2010 and Seattle in 2011). This madman of the West Coast pulls no punches and leaves no floaters on his way to capturing the hearts and minds of fellow air guitarists who long for a chance to earn their spot this year at the National Finals in Denver.

    One of the demented brainchildren behind a hilarious line of USAG trading cards, Lt. Facemelter is a powerhouse of brains and spirit as evidenced by his technical institute credentials and "user experience design" work in the medical industry. He and the missus also have a corgi named Koopa (geek alert!).


Update: Last month at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, Lt. Facemelter was crowned the 2013 US Air Guitar National Champion and also placed fifth at the Air Guitar World Championships.


         "We few, we happy few, we band of brothAIRs and sistAIRs. For they today who shred their chords with me shall be my brothAIR or sistAIR; be never so vile."

                         - G. Tso Money

E Airness Unum: Mean Melin

    As the 2012 US Air Guitar season draws ever nearer, these past ten years has seen its share of memorable figures grace the stage with unique performances and undeniable talent.

    Arguably the anchor of the Midwest scene is Mean Melin (nee Eric M.) from Kansas - not only is he an actual musician in the band The Dead Girls, his enthusiasm, energy and skills have been in the USAG National Finals spotlight multiple years consecutively. Needless to say, Melin is just one of many in the US Air Guitar family who have inspired and encouraged others to continue striving for world peace sixty seconds at a time.

    Along with his own real band, Melin works tirelessly to promote air guitar as a worthy past time in addition to other entertainment outlets. Rounding out this man's diverse background is the role of movie reviewer at Scene Stealers (www.scene-stealers.com).


        "No Strings to rule them all,
         No Strings to excite them,
         No Strings to bring them all
         and in the Airness unite them."

                                   - GTM


Update:  Mean Melin entered the 2013 Air Guitar World Championships in Finland as a Dark Horse competitor and overcame impressive odds to capture first place ahead of compatriots The Thunder (second), Nordic Thunder (fourth) and Lt. Facemelter (fifth).

Appetite for Creation Part 10: Just Flaws

        "An ancient tenet in Chinese painting holds that the Master paints not the created thing, but the forces that created it."
        - Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking 

    One great thing about making art is how the results never lie to the creator - by evaluating the techniques, ideas and materials of a finished piece, success and/or failure is transparently evident for the viewer to perceive. Being one's own worst critic can be a tricky strategy: since no piece of art or body of work can ever be perfect, this reality can cause the artist to either abandon such futile pursuits or lose sight what "perfection" may actually be.

        "Ansel Adams, never one to mistake precision for perfection, often recalled the old adage that 'perfection is the enemy of the good', his point being that if he waited for everything in the scene to be exactly right, he'd probably never make a photograph."
        - Art and Fear

    While many elements are far beyond the control of the artist, it is the familiarity of techniques, knowledge of materials and detail of ideas that one must bring to bear with as much certainty as possible in order to best capture the time, place and mindset when a piece of art achieves not perfection, but authenticity and truth.

03-10-12: Skywalk in Rego Park, NY (click to enlarge)

03-10-12: Skywalk in Rego Park, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Parking Lot Lamp in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

03-11-12: Windmill in Flushing, NY (click to enlarge)

    Doing the best we can with what we have should be no less than the world comes to expect from artists of every stripe.

    Note: The above images are taken directly from a Samsung SCH-u540 camera/phone with no processing or manipulation.

E Airness Unum: Radio City Music Holocaust

    Buoyed by a brief taste of on-stage rapture at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. several days ago, G. Tso Money returned to the Empire State for a no-holds-barred throwdown with US Air Guitar heavyweights Windhammer (Rob W.), Airistotle (Matt B.), Ricky Stinkfingers (Alex F.), Shreddy Mercury (Seth L.), Dean Razorback (Tom S.), Lady Air-a-Bella of the Brooklyn Bellas (Sara A.C.) along with Mitt Umlaut (Tom C.), MathRomancer (Paul M.), DagNasty-O (John D.) and Mystery Meat (Brady M.).

    For two consecutive nights in June of 2011, Gotham saw fit to host a multitude of rare talents in search of worthy contenders to the mantle of the USAG National Champion; Airistotle claimed a resounding and well-earned victory at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan on the 15th, and the field was once again wide open for the remaining hopefuls the following evening in Brooklyn. Due to the temporary hiatus of former US champion William Ocean (Andrew J.L.) and the unfortunate return of celebrity judge Jason Jones from Comedy Central's The Daily Show, unpredictable results were guaranteed at the Brooklyn Bowl.

    Combined with a solid showing in Round One and consistently low scores from the aforementioned Mr. Jones (one of his comments was "too Asian" of a performance by G. Tso Money), striking distance was maintained while ranked behind Mitt Umlaut and Shreddy Mercury. Round Two's song of choice was "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister (Tyrannosaurus Rocks/Masturbating Booger's first round track in D.C. the year earlier) and thus the video below bore evidence of how the audience responded to G. Tso Money.

    After the song ended, Jones was first to exclaim in disbelief at the sight he had just witnessed and upped his prior score of 5.5 to a solid 5.9 which the other judges mirrored with their own near-perfect marks. Sadly, it was was not enough to overcome a fearlessly stunning act by Mitt (who ran onto the bowling lanes and shredded mightily to everyone's delight) and Shreddy's impressive point lead. The Brooklyn crown and automatic berth in Chicago's National Finals ultimately went to Seth, who represented admirably amongst other Regional champs this past July.

    The 2011 season for G. Tso Money would officially draw to a close on the 18th in Philadelphia, but this whole experience was infinitely valuable in becoming more familiar with the ever-elusive quality known as "airness" that so many others had demonstrated on stage. In fact, one of the most enduring memories was gaining the respect of fellow air guitar practitioners in finally being recognized as an equal by generous pillars of the community. This mutual love for music and the exhilaration of rocking out underneath the spotlights had brought us all closer together and further cemented our bonds as family - the 2012 US Air Guitar season will be yet another enjoyable reunion and opportunity to share the individual journeys that all have participated in on the quest for world peace through air guitar.

    "No Strings to Rule them All. No Strings to Excite Them. No Strings to Bring Them All and in the Airness Unite Them."
- The Thrash Prince of Hell Air, G. Tso Money

Appetite for Creation Part 9: Human Seeing

    Surrealism has always been a subject of enduring interest - while it has many definitions according to various perspectives, the one that comes to mind most often is: making what is familiar look unfamiliar. Cubism is another field that continues to make sense; the idea of combining multiple views into a single frame is not so bizarre if one considers the adage that walking in the shoes of another will help broaden horizons.

    Making art is risky because it exposes and elaborates on some of the most personal issues that will not always garner the response that an artist hopes for. Effective art is whatever that can create dialogue, spur intellect, solicit opinions and change minds. Each and every person who pursues art can bring about such effects as long as they do not give up hope in seeking to comprehend one of the greatest mysteries of all time: the meaning and purpose of life itself.

03-03-12: Steel gate in Woodside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-03-12: Steel fence in Woodside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-06-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-06-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-06-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-06-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

03-06-12: Archway in Sunnyside, NYC (click to enlarge)

   The answers we get depend upon the questions we ask, and trying to find a right answer to our own dilemmas is certainly worth the price of a lifetime's devotion to understanding the human psyche through art.

    Note: The above images are taken directly from a Samsung SCH-u540 camera/phone with no processing or manipulation.