Jamie Dykstra's Home

Drift into the depths of the night, soar on the wings of the wind, get flattened to the ground by an overeager Labrador Retriever. It's all up to you!






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Exhibition
Come visit the gallery for a quick and easy display of artwork by category.

Expedition
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My Blogoney

Magical Art? ~ by Jamie Dykstra ~ 10/15/08

Lately, I've been dabbling with some concept art, part of which is a large area of stonework making up the background. A few days after I started on it, a contractor knocked on our door, said he was moving away and had some left over flagstones to clear out. He gave us a really good price on them and offered to put them in himself. Well, there was a section that did need some work done and it was a great deal, so we took him up on it. As I watched him work, I thought, "Wow, this is really ironic: I'm painting a picture of a stone floor while this guy is putting in a real one." Coincidence? Maybe. I think I'll draw a million dollar check from Ed McMahon for my next project.

Transporting Crabby ~ by Jamie Dykstra ~ 10/2/08

So on the news they're featuring this "hitchhiking crab" that snagged a free ride on the top of a large jellyfish. Some people, including me, are wondering how it got there. But more, I'm wondering why it got there. The news people say it was trying to find cheap transportation across the ocean, but I don't buy it. I think it was trying to find Nemo.

Toying Telemarketers ~ by Jamie Dykstra ~ 9/15/08

I love those automated telemarketers. "...This is your final notice. Please press 1 to take advantage of this offer. This opportunity will not be offered again this season." Nevermind the fact that this season ends in seven days. They'll be calling back in a week.

Seeing in the Light ~ by Jamie Dykstra ~ 11/5/07

As I take the opportunity to browse through a number of arts and crafts shows going on this past weekend, something beyond the array of arts and crafts, and cars and booths, and pets and people catches my attention. It begins in an artist's booth, when I venture upon a colorful, loosely done painting of a sunset.

Seeing me eyeing it, the artist hurries over and plucks it off its display hooks. "Look at it in the light," she says, hastening to a spot where the sun is shining. "Come, come, you must see. Look at the play of colors. See that?"

Of course, she knows how much of a difference lighting makes. Although not everyone is as bold, she is not the only one who insists on having her handiwork viewed in the sunlight.

Geodes particularly fascinate me, so I couldn't help but stop for a second look at some tiny intricate ones that had been cut open and crafted into hinged boxes.

"Hold it up to the light," the craftsman advises. "Go ahead. See how it sparkles?"
He even has some pieces set up so that a tea light could be put behind them and shine through them, which he very lovingly points out as I try to tear myself away.

But none is so extreme as the effect of a gold ring with what looks to be a black stone in it. The lady at the jewelry display booth singles it out.

"What color do you think it is?" she asks about the gem. "You would say black, right? Take this one over to the light and look at it."

As I hold it up to the sunlight, sparks of red, orange, and green flare up inside a dark brown gemstone.

"It really fires up, doesn't it," she comments with a smile. "Most people think it's onyx, but it's actually hungarian opal."

It is remarkable how much light can change the appearance of an object, as any experienced artist, cinematographer, or salesperson can tell you. So I wonder, what kind of light are we seeing things in? Do we continue struggling to see things clearly, when we are still in the dark? Or do we put these things in the light, so that we can see them for what they really are? Perhaps there are some things we would rather stash away in the dark. Or perhaps the light we are using is tainted or dim and we must move into the true sunlight first.

There is a saying that one should never buy a car at night. We are unable to make an accurate assesment apart from good lighting. Something might look really good that one night, but wake up one morning and you might find yourself greeting an unpleasant surprise. Or who knows but that some black object, when held up to the light, contains the sparkle of an inner beauty we would scarcely have imagined.

What kind of light are you standing in?