Art. Life. Place. - A Blog
Acadian Redfish - the Fish that Served a Nation
Acadian redfish played an unexpected, but important role in World War II as the United States grappled with shortages of traditional protein sources. To feed both the population at home and the troops abroad, the nation turned to alternative food sources. Redfish was also used to produce fish meal for fertilizer and animal feed, helping to conserve other protein sources, such as soybean meal and meat, for human consumption.
Learning to Fly
Fish. It is one of several four letter f-words that serves equally well as a noun or a verb. The verb only implies the pursuit of the noun - it says nothing of the result. If you spot me that definition, I can confidently say that I have fished. In almost every manner, I’ve fished. I’ve trawled, I’ve trolled, I’ve dipped, I’ve jigged, and I’ve casted. But that doesn’t mean I know how to fish. Believe you me, I am no fisherman.
Haddock or Cod? Know Your Scrod
“Waiter - I’ll have the baked scrod” And with those words uttered from restaurant to restaurant across the Commonwealth and beyond, the confusion began. Scrod isn’t a fish. Wait, what?
Well, it’s a fish - but it’s not a species of fish.
Finding Balance
I took up the practice of rock stacking this summer. It started as a way to pass the time on those endless summer afternoons, but what I found was an extremely meditative practice that’s taught me a bit about life. This post highlights the lessons I’ve learned from stacking rocks.
The Art of Practice
When I sit down to work I focus on bringing projects from conception to completion, rarely deviating to explore new territory or simply sit and work on a technique. Lately I’ve been trying to force myself to take the time to just sit and practice the craft. It’s not a lot of time, maybe just 10 minutes on some days and an hour or more on others. Regardless of the time, the work is focussed on the exploration of technique, not on the quality of the final product. I’m only a few weeks into this, but I’m finding that it’s made me a better artist and opened up new avenues I wouldn’t have considered before. While I’ve found this process immensely helpful, it is still a struggle to find the time, and when I do, to just let go. It seems practice requires practice, too.