Tag Archives: tania

Mark Leysen and The Irascible Group

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mark-leysen-and-the-irascible-group-2009

Here’s the art piece Tania and I made for her dad’s birthday this last week…

Mark Leysen and The Irascible Group
10″ x 8″ x 5″
3D Cardboard Cut-Out Collage

About The Piece

Tania’s dad, Mark Leysen, who is an artist, is the one standing in the foreground, and was deeply influenced by that irascible group of artists known as the New York School of Abstract Expressionism – the group of people behind him…

The Irascible Group photo is from an article in Life Magazine – January 15, 1951. This was the article that sent Jackson Pollock to the top of the art world heap.

Here’s a link to the article and photo online (Google Books)…

Other Links to Mark Leysen’s Art Work

markleysen.com – http://www.markleysen.com/

artnet – a small selection of work -  http://www.artnet.com/artist/424302668/mark-leysen.html

Viewliner LTD – a blog with drawings Mark did in the late 70′s – http://viewlinerltd.blogspot.com/2008/05/mark-leysen-orange-county-artist-part-1.html

And to read his book, Flemish Fries…

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Flemish-Fries-Mark-Leysen/dp/1847287131/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262544332&sr=8-2

Happy Birthday Mark!
…and many more!

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Christmas Card – 2009

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

…from Jon and Tania, Moseley and Suki, Redbot and The Baby Jesus Sacred Hearts Club Band…

Christmas Card - 2009 - 600px X 400px

The Baby Jesus Sacred Hearts Club Band
14.5″ x 9.5″
mixed media on cardboard
Jon and Tania | December 2009
(click on image above – or here – to see the card larger…)

Coming Christmas Morning – The key to the collage images

Are you wondering who all those people are with us on our Christmas Card? Click Here to see the Key to our 2009 Christmas Card Collage… (will be posted at 6:00am Christmas morning – 12.25.2009…)

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My Wife – The Cover Girl!

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The District - Tania on Cover - December 9, 2009

Above: Tania on the cover of The District – December 9, 2009

The District Weekly – December 9, 2009

The new issue of The District came out yesterday with an article that has been much anticipated around our home…

Rachel Powers, a writer for The District, has been putting this article together since the summer, and our friend and professional photographer, Russ Roca, took the photos several months ago.

We had no idea when the story would come out, or that they would choose this photo (above) for the cover shot…

I think it’s a great photo. That’s my beautiful wife, doing what she does everyday – giving her time, energy and love into making other peoples lives better.

I’m very proud of her!

The story is about the amazing place Tania works at called “The Village” which serves the homeless, “mentally ill” population with real care and true compassion.

Long Beach is finally learning about this world-famous and very successful resource in their own downtown.

People who work in the mental health field come from all over the world (right now there is a group from Japan visiting for a week) to do an “Immersion” and find out how the philosophy of The Village works.

The article does a great job of explaining the simple, but radically different approach The Village uses to help remind people that they are somebody of value, to reawaken their forgotten dreams and to both start and continue on that road back to health and stability.

Tania started working there in September of 2005 – how she got there is a story for another time – and since then she has grown in amazing ways.

I feel honored to be a part of her story and to be able to offer her my unconditional support for the work she does.

Article Links

Best Practices – The District Weekly, December 9, 2009

The Village Website – Information Page

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When Ad Placement Goes Wrong

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2009-04-18-when-ads-go-wrong

I saw this online at The Los Angeles Times this morning… a very unfortunate example of the problem with automated ad placement…

What a tragic event… both Tania and I pick up our prescriptions close to where this tragedy took place and that made it a bit more surreal for us.

I couldn’t imagine a worse ad placement coincidence… don’t put “Your Face Here” – and have a nice weekend.

(click image to see larger version)

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Making Buttons for the Collective

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Jon, onehumanbeing making buttons...Spending Time At The Collective…

Today was my first day behind the counter at AAC – Apothecary’s Assistants Collective – as a volunteer staff member. Before I left home this morning I made a bunch of buttons to bring in with me.

That’s me in the little movie pressing the buttons with my button machine. Tania took the photos and suggested the little movie – nice idea :) You can click on the moving image to see a larger version…

I’ll be volunteering there several times a week and learning about how a Collective works, from a budtender’s view (note: a “Budtender” is the person who hands the herb and helps members select their medicine) – a different way of seeing my project, and it has already given me some things to think about for The MMJ Project.

You can follow my project about medical marijuana at The MMJ Project – my ongoing art project about this moment in time and the unique world of medical marijuana in Southern California.

As a user of marijuana for 26 years, and a long time legal patient under Prop 215, I’ve become a solid believer in the use of marijuana as a legitimate medicine.

I have an acquaintance through the collective who is a terminally ill patient. She is still alive 4 years longer than her doctor gave her because of the herb – just one of many stories of health and wellness I’ve heard over the years.

Medical Marijuana Is No Laughing Matter

People giggle about marijuana, but for us patients that have found a safe and easy solution to some of our health issues this is no laughing matter…

Unfortunately for us we have to wait for our political leaders to grow-up and stop treating this with a snicker and wink…

And while they giggle more people get put through the legal grinder for making choices that don’t concern anyone but that person and their doctor.

There seems to be something very immoral and irresponsible for leaders like Obama to make a joke about other’s health concerns. I’m still saddened by Obama’s response and I’m starting to view his agenda with suspicion… just another politician.

Meanwhile… back to the Collective

I took a bunch of photos of AAC while I was there today, and I’ll post those over on The MMJ Project later on.

Have a great week, and remember; 420 -  The International Marijuana Day - is next Monday – April 20, 2009!

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