GRZNYC: EXCERPT
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
"Time continues to pass by, yet Siddhartha still misses his son. He understands the love that ordinary people feel now, and when he sees parents with their children, or a man with his wife, Siddhartha understands what they feel like. But this understanding does not dispel the pain of losing his son. He opens himself up to many people who come to be ferried across the river, the obstacle on their journey. Siddhartha is there to bridge them across this gap so that they may continue. Siddhartha knows that he is behaving foolishly, like the rest of the ordinary people, but he cannot make it go away. He is reduced to another state of humility, as he had been after staying in Samsara for so many years. Siddhartha does not share the lifestyle of these other people, yet he understands their passions and their desires in life. He is one of them."
"One day, consumed by his grief, the old man begins to cross the river as he had done before, planning to go to Samsara to find his lost son again. The river laughs at him, and in gazing into the waves he sees his reflection staring back. Siddhartha is reminded of how much he looks like his own father, the Brahmin, and recalls how he had left when a young boy, never to see him again. "Had not his father suffered the same pain that he was now suffering for his son? Had not his father died long ago, alone, without having seen his son again? Did not he expect the same fate? Was it not a comedy, a strange and stupid thing, this repetition, this course of events in a fateful circle?" That is why the river laughs, because Siddhartha had already done the same thing to his own father, yet now when his own son does it to him, he feels such pain and loss. It is all so silly and pointless. Everything moves in recurring circles, and people find themselves in different roles until their lives end. Even in death, they follow a path followed by so many before. The world moves in circles."
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
"Time continues to pass by, yet Siddhartha still misses his son. He understands the love that ordinary people feel now, and when he sees parents with their children, or a man with his wife, Siddhartha understands what they feel like. But this understanding does not dispel the pain of losing his son. He opens himself up to many people who come to be ferried across the river, the obstacle on their journey. Siddhartha is there to bridge them across this gap so that they may continue. Siddhartha knows that he is behaving foolishly, like the rest of the ordinary people, but he cannot make it go away. He is reduced to another state of humility, as he had been after staying in Samsara for so many years. Siddhartha does not share the lifestyle of these other people, yet he understands their passions and their desires in life. He is one of them."
"One day, consumed by his grief, the old man begins to cross the river as he had done before, planning to go to Samsara to find his lost son again. The river laughs at him, and in gazing into the waves he sees his reflection staring back. Siddhartha is reminded of how much he looks like his own father, the Brahmin, and recalls how he had left when a young boy, never to see him again. "Had not his father suffered the same pain that he was now suffering for his son? Had not his father died long ago, alone, without having seen his son again? Did not he expect the same fate? Was it not a comedy, a strange and stupid thing, this repetition, this course of events in a fateful circle?" That is why the river laughs, because Siddhartha had already done the same thing to his own father, yet now when his own son does it to him, he feels such pain and loss. It is all so silly and pointless. Everything moves in recurring circles, and people find themselves in different roles until their lives end. Even in death, they follow a path followed by so many before. The world moves in circles."
GRZNYC: WORD OF MOUTH
Alan Watts: A Seeker of Truth
"[But at any rate,] the point is that God is what nobody admits to being, and everybody really is."
"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."
"Omnipotence is not knowing how everything is done; it's just doing it."
"[But at any rate,] the point is that God is what nobody admits to being, and everybody really is."
"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."
"Omnipotence is not knowing how everything is done; it's just doing it."
GRZNYC: MEDITATIONS
Spring 2011
'An artistic body of work, one which is genuine and unique, should be the documentation of a relationship between two living things; creator and creation - mother and child. That being said, taking an art class is much like taking a class on parenting - I'm sure there'll be technical tidbits you can take away when all's been said and done, but at the end of the day it's still just you and your son or daughter. You'll develop your own voice when speaking to them, your own way of dealing with the mistakes they reflect back at you, sometimes you'll want their attention and other times they'll want yours, and no one will ever have exactly what it is you two share. There's nothing you'll learn in the classroom that cant be learned on a more personal level in that quiet space between your eye and the canvas. There's nothing more valuable to someone genuinely pursuing their art than taking risks and making mistakes - that's what 25 years of struggle and practice has taught me.'
'An artistic body of work, one which is genuine and unique, should be the documentation of a relationship between two living things; creator and creation - mother and child. That being said, taking an art class is much like taking a class on parenting - I'm sure there'll be technical tidbits you can take away when all's been said and done, but at the end of the day it's still just you and your son or daughter. You'll develop your own voice when speaking to them, your own way of dealing with the mistakes they reflect back at you, sometimes you'll want their attention and other times they'll want yours, and no one will ever have exactly what it is you two share. There's nothing you'll learn in the classroom that cant be learned on a more personal level in that quiet space between your eye and the canvas. There's nothing more valuable to someone genuinely pursuing their art than taking risks and making mistakes - that's what 25 years of struggle and practice has taught me.'
GRZNYC: WORD OF MOUTH
Joseph Campbell: A Wise Old Soul
“The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
“The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
GRZNYC: MEDITATIONS
Summer 2010
"May each man be like a sun to his other -
a source of life, a source of love, a source of light."
"We are all but seed-bearing fruit; a sum of beating hearts."
"May each man be like a sun to his other -
a source of life, a source of love, a source of light."
"We are all but seed-bearing fruit; a sum of beating hearts."
GRZNYC: REVIEWS
Review from The ArtSource Newsletter
"New York City-based artist Peter Grzymkowski (Jamaica, New York) is a Zen-slinging, eclectic rock aficionado whose love of life, people and animals can be felt in his provocative blogs. Grzymkowski, which in the artist's native Polish means "thunder-bearer" or "a bringer of thunder", proves his namesake correct with his in-your-face attitude and talent."
"His work is very much in the low-brow, pop art, comix style. He has also created a few works that are influenced by George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. His work’s are fun, fresh and, just like the artist, in-your-face. His paintings are a mix of cabbage patch collector's cards, Robert Crumb toons, and Robert Williams’ masterpieces."
"Grzymkowski is not only an artist and philosopher (his blogs wax poetic on life, the existence of God and the need for love), but an entrepreneur. Grzymkowski has created a series of limited series t-shirts and guitars. Each design has only one run each. This is a genius idea in today's disposable culture, where even prized items like cell phones and MP3 players are easily replaced."
"The real beauty of Grzymkowski’s art is not the novelty of the t-shirts or the "fun" of his work but the level of depth in the artist himself. The series based on Orwell's classic Animal Farm helps illustrate the artist's almost Buddhist concern for animal life."
"People, especially those involved in studio art or the fine arts, dismiss contemporary graphic illustrations and the low-brow genre as less-than-worthy of any sort of attention. What the mainstream art community does not understand is the large following of low-brow graffiti and fantasy genres. Magazines like Robert Williams' Juxtapose are just one of the many that showcase artists from such genres. In Grzymkowski's own blogs, he prophetically talks about the coming Renaissance; it would be of no surprise if this Renaissance is one filled with works from brute artists, rock ‘n’ rollers, car culture fanatics and the like. At least it solves the problem of contemporary art’s need for something to say."
This review, as well as many others can be found at: ArtSource.com
"New York City-based artist Peter Grzymkowski (Jamaica, New York) is a Zen-slinging, eclectic rock aficionado whose love of life, people and animals can be felt in his provocative blogs. Grzymkowski, which in the artist's native Polish means "thunder-bearer" or "a bringer of thunder", proves his namesake correct with his in-your-face attitude and talent."
"His work is very much in the low-brow, pop art, comix style. He has also created a few works that are influenced by George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. His work’s are fun, fresh and, just like the artist, in-your-face. His paintings are a mix of cabbage patch collector's cards, Robert Crumb toons, and Robert Williams’ masterpieces."
"Grzymkowski is not only an artist and philosopher (his blogs wax poetic on life, the existence of God and the need for love), but an entrepreneur. Grzymkowski has created a series of limited series t-shirts and guitars. Each design has only one run each. This is a genius idea in today's disposable culture, where even prized items like cell phones and MP3 players are easily replaced."
"The real beauty of Grzymkowski’s art is not the novelty of the t-shirts or the "fun" of his work but the level of depth in the artist himself. The series based on Orwell's classic Animal Farm helps illustrate the artist's almost Buddhist concern for animal life."
"People, especially those involved in studio art or the fine arts, dismiss contemporary graphic illustrations and the low-brow genre as less-than-worthy of any sort of attention. What the mainstream art community does not understand is the large following of low-brow graffiti and fantasy genres. Magazines like Robert Williams' Juxtapose are just one of the many that showcase artists from such genres. In Grzymkowski's own blogs, he prophetically talks about the coming Renaissance; it would be of no surprise if this Renaissance is one filled with works from brute artists, rock ‘n’ rollers, car culture fanatics and the like. At least it solves the problem of contemporary art’s need for something to say."
This review, as well as many others can be found at: ArtSource.com
