Halloween

Last week I went to see an expo about Panamarenko. He is a Belgian artist living in Antwerp and has an obsession with mechanisms made for flying and his art is all about instalations that look like they can fly, but in reality can't. I find a poetic tone in his art. Looking up at the birds and the bees, it has always been humanities dream to fly, and although we will likely never can truly like a bird. we have to believe we can, and to not give up on our dreams and keep trying to achieve the closest we can get. As in acception that you can't always get there perfectly lies also a great sense of liberation, I think. Looking at his works you can see there is a sense of joy in creating them. When the pursuit of our dreams is not joyfull, is it then truly the goal you should aim for? In videos showing interviews with him on the wall he sometimes bursted out in laughing about his own works (the noise they made and etc.) and that's something I find refreshing as many expo's and artists take themselves very serious.

Pics taken with a cellphone, not the best quality. There is of course many more things to see, but I am not going to show the whole expo

                      

These "birds" actually walked around and almost tumbled over when hitting the sides of the platform but somehow always found their balance, it was really funny to see

Halloween is near! I actually like that this event has gained popularity in most European countries the last years, sure it's commercial, but who doensn't like a good scare sometimes? This is also why I enjoy nightmares. Not while experiencing one, but when you're awake and the memory of the scary scenes is still fresh in the mind, it can be a exciting feeling, no? I once woke up from a hellish nightmare and after waking it felt so real I was afraid to even move for a minute, it was a little too intense for my liking. It resolved around me being tagged on facebook all the time to do dumb challenges and taking selfies from it. It was horrible.........

My drawing is also a bit Halloween themed:

Two weeks ago 5 teens went camping in the forest across the river next to our town. It's an ideal spot since only few people live there in cabins. The nights are so dark there you can see all the stars in the sky. One night a family living in such a cabin heard disturbing screams of pure terror not too far off in the distance. The husband went looking with a flashlight and a gun to come aid whoever persons where in such agony to make those frightning noises. When he came closer to the place he first thought he heard branches breaking but it was a more muffled sound, more like bones snapping. It chilled him to the bone and began to doubt if he should go there. Overcoming his fear he arrived at the scene and what he saw there petrified his whole body. A tent dripping in blood and five twisted bodies spread in front of it. Every limp seemed twisted and broken and all heads were missing. 

The next day a special investigation team set up camp near the spot and searched every inch of the area hoping to figure out wat happend there. Days passed and nothing was found or seen to give explanation to it all. At the last night before heading back to town, the team was woken by something rushing between the trees at unnatural speed. One person quickly turned on a giant spotlight to see what was circling their base but it ran so fast and the trees were so dense you couldn't clearly see anything other than a tall shape, until suddenly the thing stopped and ran right at them. It was a horrible being, long and thin, covered in dark hairs like an animal but walked like a man. The end of the hands excisted of small tenticals fastly slashing around like whips and the neck was stretched too long for any human to be possible. On top of it was the head of one of the missing girls, but covered in wrinkles like she had grown a hundred years older in just a few days. Most of the team members made it out of the forest on pure adrenaline and shock, but a few are still missing. Lately we hear more and more things running around in the forest at night............

   

What is love and what is pain? Why not ask an elderly person who has a lot of life experience. Satya Sai Maitreya Kali asked this to an old man, and if you'd like to know his answer then listen to this song.....

And now just shut up and enjoy.

                                               Satya Sai Maitreya Kali - Old Man

A sketch a day...

Recently I've started to read Bram Stokers Dracula (1897). During my travels through the provence of Transylvania in Romania the story of count Dracula started to gain my interest, not in the least by visiting the castle were this fictional monster supposed to have lived. It had been a long time since I read a true novel, mostly factional books about science was my literature the last years, and I'm really enjoying it. I can recommend it to anyone interested in a dark and frightning gothic romance story.

See, I was there:

Inside you also had a look at what these people wore in their time (and lots more), really nice

Some drawings/sketches

I should really try to fix our scanner because with taking pictures a lot of finer lines get lost

                      

You heard about Prince's "I would die for you", right? Come again? You're sick of it? Well then that's great news! Sinead O' Connor now covered the song together with Radio Riddler and made it into a chill tune you'll hear below.

And now just shut up and enjoy.

                                  Sinead O' Connor & Radio Riddler - I Would Die For You

Good Versus Bad

My dear Dropping Gems groupies,

I have the uncomfortable task to share with you two cases of news, one which is bad, and one which is good. To end this post on a bright note, I shall take the liberty to inform you on the sad news first. If this choosing is not in line with your personal whishes then I ask you to read the blog from the bottom side up, as to disturb your emotional state is not my intend. I only chose this way as it is the manner I'd prefer to have read it myself.

Without further lenghten the undiclosure on the matter, I present you the first piece of information which led me to disbelief and shock upon first encountering it in a local newspaper during the passing of sunday morning. To give you a clear view on the article, take a look at the following scan.

Rosalieke has crossed to the other side.

Truly dreadfull indeed. My, and surely your condolences too, goes to all people who've known and loved her. The brutality of said murder is an unwholesome act of evil that shall not pass unjustified. Therefor my call to whoever may provide a tip regarding this case to contact the number stated in the news article. Unsurprisingly, DG fans who read the same newspaper as I already started to search for clues and sent me a possible step into the right direction we need to be looking. Please look at the comment below, posted on this very blog on the date of july the 2nd.

A familiar way of expression, is it not?

For a clearer view of how this post came about I recommend to read the whole comment section from this part: Calling For The Beast

Many more things could be said on this, was it not I refuse to do so for such disturbing subjects is not what DG should be about, nor was it created for. Which naturally leads me to the second piece of information I promised to deliver. It has a link to the former one, only now with a happier side. I trust you already know of the drawing competion by which a prize of no less than €50 is attached and if that is not the case, enlighten yourself here: Double Down. The neverending stream of drawings sent to my email adress was nothing short of overwhelming and for a moment I feared I would not find the time to view them all as such an endeavour would need several days for completion. Not that it would be needed as I had stated before the winner would be chosen at random by an innocent hand to give old, young,  talented or amateur, an equal chance. That innocent hand would be Ylian, a boy of five years old who hangs around our house from time to time, dressed as a pirate. Trust me when I say he as no bias against any of you. A feeling of unfavour would not be right, if that is what you may feel.

 I shall not stretch the tension any longer, the winner of the second DG contest is........................

 Jordy from London!! (boy on the left)

And for those curious to what his entrance looks like, here's the boy's drawing

Winning a DG competition should be more than just a mention on the blog, a small interview that provides a small glimps of who DG fans are, should be the least I could do, and every once in a while, I'll do just that. Therefor I made the time to set up a conversation through chat. How it went, you can read below.

DG: Hello there Jordy! Thumbs up for winning the competion! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Jordy: No I'm not telling anything about myself. I don't even know you, you could be a perv.....PEDOALARM!

DG: Uh, ok, I guess that makes sense in this day and age. Could you tell us at least why you like reading Dropping Gems?

Jordy: Pff I don't even read your thing, I only googled "free money" and got on this dumb site. This blog is for kids.

DG: .....Uhh.....right.....so, your drawing is intriguing I think, what's the idea behind it?

Jordy: Girls follow the money, you don't know that? Are you gay? LOL When I have this money, I'm going to let the chicks come at me and I have to do nothing.

DG:.....When a girl want you just because of money, don't you think that...

Jordy: GAYALERT!!! LOL Who cares...YOLO

DG: Hey there now, you should watch your language you here me little boy? How old are y....

Jordy: When do I get my money anyway?

DG:..........It should take no more than a couple of days....

Jordy: Good then I don't have to talk to you anymore and be on your shit ass blog looooool bye

DG: What? You better pray I don't come to London you little asswhipe or I'll smack your f....

Jordy: is offline 

DG: .................

While it can not be denied this ending came somewhat unexpected, a bad one I refuse to name it. How could it be, when all it shows is the diversity in DG readers? Only two fans made themselves visible so far, both residenting at the opposites of the age scale. A further sign DG is an agetranscending phenomenon. Little do you realise you are part of it too, at this exact moment.   

Some feelgood music would be very appropriate right now and Illuminate form Orbital is just the thing needed. Orbital is a Brittish duo who make electronic and ambient music while working with other artist for when vocals are needed. For this song, they hired David Gray. 

And now just shut up and enjoy.

                                                    Orbital - Illuminate ft. David Gray