An Old Artist Hopes His Life Has Meaning.

 We have crossed the border,

Crossed from January into February,

And soon it shall be March.

Now that I have passed eighty

I seldom go out in winter,

I have always hated the cold

And now I fear the dark.

Since lockdown I have spent the long hours painting,

Or writing poems more intimate and honest

Than I dared attempt when young. 

Now I am old, like Buddha, I live in the moment,

And yet I still dream daily about the future.

I hope that when I no longer  can paint or write,

Friends and family will save my poems and pictures.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter, 

1st. February 2024.

Written after watching a TV programme about Du Fu.

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Brown Paper Bag. (Revised).

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Brown Paper Bag. (Revised).: This envelope is so beautiful                           I do not want to open it, Brown paper the colour of fallen leaves. This envelope is ...

The Brown Paper Envelope. (Revised).

This envelope is so beautiful

                          I do not want to open it,

Brown paper the colour of fallen leaves.

This envelope is perhaps a flower,

An autumn bloom pierced with shards of light ;

An unread book,

            The poems of Thich Nhat Hahn.

This envelope is not a leaf,

And yet one day it may become one;

A single page danced upon by words.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter, 

31st. January 2024. 

Order Unravelling.

 

Next Trip We Might Land.

Yin and Yang. 2nd. Image.(Correct Colours).

Yin & Yang. 1st. Image.

 

Calm Morning.

 

After 2 Cups of Macha I Drew an Abstract Tree.(Completed).

Night Storm.- The Litter is Flying.

Spring & Winter. Tiny Chinese Screen. Plus close ups.

 

Midday Winter Tree.

 

Words and Lines.

 

Abstract. Dark January.

Over Drinks We Did Not Think of This.( Two Midwinter Poems No.2).

 The girl I met at the club is now an Abbess.

She spent nine years alone in a mountain cave

Far above the snowline.

Staying at home - drinking tea and coffee -

I read all the books she has not had time to write.

When the green tea touches my lips I savour mountain air.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter.

9th. January 2024.

January Houses. Now Completed Poem with Painting. (Two Midwinter Poems No. 1)

The houses are wrapped up warm against the chill;

Just like the people, now snug inside,

Contemplating

a distant patch of blue

Through ice glazed windows

Danced upon by frost/

The sun is just a ball of colour warped by mist and wind.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter. 9th. - 11th.January 2024.

 

Karma Wheel - Dharma Wheel. 2 Pictures..

 

Dharma Wheel. The dynamics of change. My New Year thoughts plus a picture.

I am moving away from mainstream western

 Christianity back to Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Japanese and Vietnamese schools. But I have not given up on the original teachings of Jesus as a real man in Roman occupied Palestine. Like the Buddha he came from a prominent family and chose, or allowed himself to be chosen, to be a wandering spiritual seeker turned teacher. Buddha was the son of a king, while Jesus, as the biological son of Joseph, was descended from kings. Both were highly educated and spoke more than one language. Jesus could read and write, and probably knew Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic very well.  To suggest that he was an illiterate inhabitant of a backward rural community living with step brothers and sisters is pure whimsy, and not strong enough to build dogmas on. Galilee was at that time at the western end of the Silk Road and was an international hub of trade and ideas. He probably did travel both east and west, believed in reincarnation, but was not a Buddhist monk. He remained a Jew, but was deeply influenced by Eastern philosophies and religions. No one suggested that he was born via a mystical interaction between a virgin and the Holy Spirit until after his mother and close relatives were dead and gone. Sadly I have had to accept that the Christmas stories were a late addition to script6ure, and not a secure foundation to base a faith on. But the Sermon on the Mount is a firm and secure foundation, as are the Four Noble Truths.  And I should point out that God has -  since my childhood - been a difficult word for me to use in a serious conversation, it has just far too many meanings, beliefs and superstitions attached to it. The Ground of Being is far better, but still not large enough a concept. OM and I AM work for better for me, they resonate deep into both inner and outer space. We must never forget that we are star dust and therefore at one with all that Is, knowable and yet to become known. Both Jesus and Buddha knew this, and we must not forget that in the Old Testament God is not static but is on a journey of self discovery, just like humanity as a whole. Buddha said that the gods themselves were seeking self knowledge and enlightenment. Looking back to the Christmas Story, I do believe that Mary sensed that she was bearing a special child, as many mothers do. She was right of course, and perhaps an Epiphany did happen. Being Chosen often means to be fully in touch with ones true nature, something both Buddha and Jesus certainly were, and probably Mary also.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter. January 6th. 2024. 

 

Pencil and Paper. Pictures and Poem.

Rock

Tree

Water

Girl

Silence

Trevor John Karsavin Potter. Poem 1964.

Storm Henk..Altered States. Painted during the storm.

Creating an abstract painting is a form of Zen Meditation.

It is simply an act of doing, of being fully in the moment,

Paint box to hand.

Good Evening Snowman.

 

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Mouse Transformed into a Girl. (Revised).

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Mouse Transformed into a Girl. (Revised).: Falling through space is not remembered; Trees and church towers rushing upwards; Gulls squabbling in mid flight. The surge of air sucki...

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Cat Transformed into a Woman. (Revised).

Trevor J Potter's Art: The Cat Transformed into a Woman. (Revised).: She retained some of her feline nature. The lack of fur perplexed her, So she grew her hair down to her slender heels. "A little ho...

Midnight 23 - 24.