Category: Inside The Mind of DACMan

This is a place of rock, not rocks.  There is one big rock that goes on and on, shaped by the winds.  The rocks I see on the ground are fragments that have been separated  from the mother-rock.  It’s that mother-rock that sends shimmering streams of goose bumps down my arms and legs.  Continue reading Riverbeds and Canyons: Road Less Traveled

As the carvings were hung for the opening of the show, “The Studio by David Alan,” I was elated to find how beautiful they really are.  In the rough Bali studio where the pieces were carved and re-carved by the craftsmen sitting on the terracotta floor, it was impossible to know if their magic would come alive. Continue reading The Muse was Generous with You

I dance through customs
Without shoes or my belt, then,
by The Man, (personally) felt

I once read in an ancient tome on the earliest forms of haiku, that anything in parenthesis didn’t count. You simply said that “extra” word over your shoulder, sotto vocce, or (however you spell it).   Try it.  It adds an imaginative twist that layers meanings and subtlety.  It vanished from use in the late 14th century. Commentator of the time claimed the nobility was getting lazy and simple minded and couldn’t think like a go board anymore. Continue reading I Dance Through Customs

“I want ____” seems to be the mantra that gets an exceptional work-out in my mind.  Unless I’m deeply engaged in something like writing, X-country skiing, watching the Olympics, or reading, I find myself in the “I want” world.  In watching the Olympics, I’m given plenty of commercial breaks per hour to “want.”  I want that truck, I want that hair style, and I want some Doritos.  Continue reading “I Want…”

Control is one of the grandest illusions of all time. This illusion is pervasive and deliberate, but also invisible and unconscious. We really believe we are in control of our lives. The true lack of control of what happens to and around us is masked by routines which form the parameters of daily life. We’ve also made subtle agreements with those around us concerning who controls what areas of our work, home and social worlds. This way either we are personally in control or accept another’s control. In the background we remind ourselves we can change their control over us any time we want, so again, we aren’t faced with the prospect/reality of living a life we can’t really control. Continue reading Control

There is a certain rawness to the Zion carvings we make in “The Studio”.  While this work has a strong lyrical quality, its beauty is expressed through a gritty honesty, not prettiness. From the chisel marks that show, you can almost feel the coarseness of the rock. This character reminds me both of the wood we used to carve the pieces and the rough textures of nature. Continue reading “The Studio” by David Alan: Carvings of Southern Utah

Made Bidadari is a good friend, successful businessman, and a bit of a wheeler-dealer in the Japan/Bali circuit.  He will occasionally call me and tell me he’s hungry.  I always laugh and ask, “how hungry?”  Inevitably his response will be “very, very hungry.”  It’s code language for “I want money.” Continue reading I’m Hungry

Right before bedtime
Drinking a glass of water
Can’t wait ’til morning Continue reading Haiku from Glacier

Each day, I find myself so grateful for my life, our lives, and the foundations on which we build them, yet often take for granted.  In the other world I live in, Asia, life’s foundations shift with the wind, and individual rights are often arbitrary.  Opportunities can be illusive and chimerical.  Countless lives are lost through lack of basic understanding or education.  The work my wife Amita accomplishes with underprivileged children and their families continues to be successful and deeply inspiring to all who know Alpha School.  Her work reminds me of the deeply inspiring work Greg Mortenson is doing in Afghanistan, which is described in his book, Three Cups of Tea.  I believe this book will touch you as well, if you’ve not already had the pleasure of reading it.  Three Cups is a brilliant reminder of what life’s for, and what love, passion, and commitment can achieve. Continue reading Hi Folks!

While creating something such as “The Studio” has been my dream since undergrad art student days, acquiring the skill and patience to sculpt in wood has been low on my priority list. What persisted over time are the gnawing hunger for, and the recurring vision of, things I wanted to make.  For decades I collected ideas and made drawings, hoping someday to find someone who could brings these ideas to life.  I imagined the ateliers of Brancusi or Miro and the studios of Rembrandt being an intense blending of vision, labor, and the drive to create.  I always wanted that blend of energies, and deeply value having it how! Continue reading The Vision: “The Studio by David Alan”