douglas brent smith

you dance to any number of different melodies counterpoint included shadows and obscure warnings aside what matters is the moment of decision the direction (the action) the tree limb that bends in the wind never curses the rain it takes many different notes to complete a symphony and the twelve tones of reason serve as aids not limitations the only lies we tell (whispered to shadows) as rests in the measure (the measure of our beat) the heat from growing pressure cuts the tension with release. -- douglas brent smith 

in the land of collage the parts of the whole are not merely parts of the whole touching convincingly embracing connection they ARE the whole picture functioning as one.                                        the vision                                        amounts                                        to                                        everything. -- douglas brent smith

sleepless resting scattered flecks, invisible wisdom floating sending encoded messages in slumberland tones nearly imperceptable the white noise of unknown visitors walking as ghosts spirits in disguise inside pulsing faces in the mist in the midst of eval or a ion... -- douglas brent smith   

she watched me repeatedly cutting random pictures from stacks of magazines, old books, catalogues, yearbooks, newspapers, and never questioned why and gave secret smiles and all was right whatever else we've done you did make it more fun. -- douglas brent smith The Green Kiss of Departure - collage by douglas brent smith  

 Pillows to Soften the Blow - collage by douglas brent smith, from the journal The Yellow Ages, 1978 Notes: Have you ever been knocked unconscious? I was once during a pillow fight. How is that even possible? Trust me, it is. Or, at least I blacked-out momentarily. I was here, and then I wasn't, and I can almost still see that goose down pillow headed for my face. It wasn't horrible. It was different. I would not recommend it and I would not do it again. All I could think at the time was "thank goodness that I didn't break my glasses."

  Juvenile Spurts - sketch by douglas brent smith

the cityscape skyline triggers figures certain wild untamed sophistication gathered neon electric smoky fast gathered                     forces forces our focus beyond the eye's  tries for unity into the scattered invitation to collage. -- douglas brent smith  

  Mysterious Strangers, douglas brent smith 1979

maybe the cosmic scheme of things looks like a jigsaw puzzle to you because you have a box full of missing pieces but they could easily have been found falling from another puzzle and together (if you can picture this) could be. -- douglas brent smith  

  Grinding Nuts - collage by douglas brent smith, 1978

  she sits writing notations thoughts reflections in her journal and i am filled with stillness she is really here and happy quietly unassuming as traffic on parkway pours by with a steady flow and she goes on radiant, content, perfect. -- douglas brent smith

 Economic Logic - collage by douglas brent smith

  small wrinkles you get from sleeping on one side when you are young they fade away and later on they are here to stay. -- douglas brent smith

  Everything Starts In Pieces, collage by douglas brent smith, 1978

stealing's a way of life in the city if you've got it hold on someone else wants it and will take it looking or not you'll lose it classic redistribution of property (not Marx but marks) here and gone drug money means no limits no fear no more here here and hey robin hood you ain't, and neither am i rockefeller fella. -- douglas brent smith, May 1978 

 Collageland Doodle Delight - sketch by douglas brent smith, 1978

seriously she said do you know that some people are so poor they have to watch black and white TV? as if evidence enough of suffering and i replied (later to the clown who stretched my hoops to balance the laughs) hell there are people who would  eat a black and white TV if they had one. -- douglas brent smith, 1978  

 Cartoon Outside My Window - collage by douglas brent smith, 1978

  we split totally quit                         took off took a cab went                         to lunch detours paramours (here no more)                         we're gone (so long) other places golden traces burned by the self-appointed authoritative church                         (who's church not mayan) snuck off cleared out no trumpets shout no plain fair                         (fairly drawn                         we're gone) take it, embrace it, grab your maze crazy whites tonight's our flight                 ...

  But He Didn't Do The Dishes - collage by douglas brent smith, 1978

night visions deep flights dark nights lit thru flickers flights of flame refections of flowing and knowing the change futures far ahead revealing brisk touches from today this moment alive this moment here, grasping those finger tip stars like diamonds, long brilliant lasting longer long longed for here at  last. -- douglas brent smith  

  Another Mist to Contend With - collage by douglas brent smith, 1978

"i saw your sister down at the Wayside cutting chances into glances like she was the original midnight dancer, understand?" "that may be true but she ain't been seen with you..." "my choice fella gotta whole lotta other  visions on my mind this rocky eve, if you know what i mean..." "no kidding, i'm skidding on outta here before those two a.m.  mayhem stratagems force their fire down my throat but catch this Mr. Bliss -- you keep your face away from my sister, mister..." "oh now, just ain't you too baaaaaaad?" -- douglas brent smith

 Ground Bound Promise, sketch by douglas brent smith, 1978

a dramatist's conflict pivots in place when peace is achieved and there is no drama it is conflict to the form but! is this true? or only ego driven desire for more attention brought by the tension that drama brings with the world unresting drama keeps testing. -- douglas brent smith  

 Variations on the Energy Theory, Sketch by douglas brent smith

  the universal circle o ends where it begins o bends not breaking defined by the space inside equal in pressure and flow o to the space outside o laughing Buddha did know o sweet Jesus did know o nameless eternity do you know peace lives here o when you know. -- douglas brent smith

 The Cubist Kong - sketch by douglas brent smith, 1977

when i learn to leave judgment and criticism instead enjoying others and their differences delights when i learn to accept this place on earth assured as a happy one with a peaceful soul. -- douglas brent smith  

  Sketch: Mustard Seed Truck, douglas brent smith, 1978 Notes: Peter bought a used mail truck which had the steering apparatus on the right side instead of the traditional left side on American vehicles so that the drive could place mail into resident's mail boxes without getting out of the truck. Because of that oddity, Peter said that his truck had a sex change -- it used to be a female truck but was turned into a MAIL truck -- and now was stuck as a male. Those trucks are surprising small inside and of course, only have one seat. Nena and I sat in the back on boxes or folding chairs -- no seatbelts --  on route to our Mustard Seed Theatre gigs. I think that Bob and Harry travelled separately, probably in Harry's car. We didn't get nearly as many gigs as we'd hoped for (after all, we'd hoped to make it our career) but it was fun while it lasted.  dbs

a conflict-free person does not destroy knowing she will always rather remain whole knowing she offers a pathway to peace -- douglas brent smith

 Sketch by douglas brent smith

deep in the night all the joy here beside you feeling our spirits rise and converge deep in the night with the dance of holding folding our arms and our hearts as one deep in the night our darkness behind us the new secrets find us full and alive deep in the night as i turn to kiss you your eyes shine those signs of friendship and love. -- douglas brent smith  

  Sketch: "Concentration on Detail" by doug smith, 1978

always at the right moment you know a smile, a touch, a spontaneous poem and all the lights now happy midnight bright joys come soaring from you to me as we fly wing on wing with our promise of love our tender desire our strength of growing now and until all the candles  flicker out i will hold this flame with you. -- douglas brent smith  

Notes: Peter, Harry, and I started a little touring theatre company we called the Mustard Seed Theatre Company. We had very limited success for an all too brief amount of time. I later revived the name at churches in Chicago, and I'm sure that any search would uncover other theatre companies bearing that name, but we loved it while we proudly wore it on our t-shirts.  These sketches are modest attempts at logos. circa 1977-1978

 flame fast upon the styro foam underbelly of the rapidly freezing uncooperative ozone      (don't let it rain daddy) the initial waves hurt only a few misguided wild winking creatures grazing mesmerized by the new sun by the endless summer by the quick     (what about the cat daddy?) some say the continents shifted tectonic shifts wrecking slumber impact by the billions or so psychogestalt screams of urgently weeping innocents     (how much water do we have daddy?) the parthenon stood the eiffel blinked hancock shuddered general motors flinched but all carefully in place unharmed unscarred     (daddy what's wrong?) noah gasped christ wept and music cloned recklessly moaned recognizable melodies endgame moved into place bartered out castled and kinged winged flashing vacancy vacancy...vacancy...     (oh daddy it hurts) mimes muttered clowns frowned the  whole broken circus city state tumbled down cavernous cravings mist ho...

 What Is Real? sketch by douglas brent smith, (1977) Notes: Cece and I used to play a word game we called "What Is Real?" The idea was that we were all living in a movie, or simulation, or game, and only some of us and some things are real. It seemed a bit advanced for 1977 but I was reading a lot of science fiction at the time and Cece has always had a very open, very curious, very creative mind. It was fun. We'd also draw pictures, sometimes using a surrealist technique known as "exquisite corpse" where you each draw half of the picture, without seeing what the other person has drawn. The paper is folded in half with a couple of lines visible on both halves to show you where to connect the pictures. It was also fun. These sketches are just doodles from one of my journals.

some folks have no business inside an automobile they drive like crazy demons flaming nuts behind the wheel they brake too soon and turn too late to tease the highway horror fate and one day after nine to five they'll crush another once alive a crash at eighty painfully let's hope it's neither you or me. -- douglas brent smith  

oh the adventure of each evening easing softly into your arms feeling gently the warmth you offer the touch and kiss of loving the cool sweet comfort of trusting openly (such open) wings taking flight soaring with splendor in bliss- filled union oh the pleasure of each passion easing softly into you. -- douglas brent smith  

quickly spent all my money at a bar on paradise lane slipping jacks and kings to Fack drinking gin to ease the pain a redhead at the jukebox tossed a glance and smile at me but my libido was incognito and my head was out to sea four sheets to the wind dreaming other people's sins and counting on my quarters all the places that i'd been my hat's my only date tonight my buddy's got the bucks i've got a sweetheart in Chicago who i'm counting on for luck but it's long past midnight and i'm officially flagged drinking shots and eating slices of that cheese tomato pie. -- douglas brent smith

  Sketch by doug smith.

she went to college to earn her degree but midway thru was convinced to run free  some search from within for better results landed her awkwardly inside a cult now she's selling flowers to the cars at the light her parents convinced that her choice wasn't right like a zombie stone-faced tied to the cause the mission requires she side-step the law there must be a dozen or more deep inside armed and well drilled they are ready to fight the blockade does not even phase them a bit they shout to the masses that they will never quit two dozen people on one long lost trip grappling for reason and feeling it slip outgunned and outnumbered they were all apprehended the planned revolution was thoroughly ended. -- douglas brent smith

brick by brick the hard high wall around me began to fall with music so soft only intimate ears could hear when with that wonderful tenderness so overflowing in you you touched my aching concrete cynicism and kissed my world weary mind into dreams of singing laughs of growing and joys of being alive like each bare brick of that wall you slowly, oh so carefully dismounted the doubts freed the fears and with quiet little steps entered my heart in a halo of rebirth revealing that there were once two loves in my crowded carefully plotted closed-hearted life: my rusted roaming van and my faithful guitar and now as sunrise welcomes Spring as living brings new growth i joyfully see three. -- douglas brent smith  

  sketch: Pipe Organ (More of the Pipe Saga), by douglas brent smith During the period of time when I occasionally drew an addition to the Pipe Saga, my dad smoked a pipe. He had sense to quit later, but while he did the smell was wonderful. The pipes I drew were humorous and with a nod to the surrealists, especially Magritte who was at the time perhaps my favorite artist.  On a more fantastical note, I really would like to play that pipe organ, wouldn't you?

(pretty little almond eyes sleeping next to me breathing such sweet loving sighs questionless and free pretty little almond eyes snuggle close to me) with unexpected joy i find you with your welcoming radiance a once illusive happiness floods into my soul reckless and free a thousand wild laughing tingles glowing from the flow of days with you and nights with you and secrets we both know (high brown eyes h.b.e. waking next to me whispering about your dreams such sweet certainty pretty little almond eyes share this world with me.) -- douglas brent smith  

  Analysis Training Sketch with Stars, from journal #12, Never Doubt (1978).