8:30 a.m. Alms Collage

Get out now. Not just outside, but beyond the trap of the programmed electronic age so gently closing around so many people at the end of the century. Go outside, move deliberately, then relax, slow down, look around. Do not jog. Do not run. Forget about blood pressure and arthritis, cardiovascular rejuvenation and weight reduction. Instead pay attention to everything that abuts the rural road, the city street, the suburban boulevard. Walk. Stroll. Saunter. Ride a bike, and coast a lot. Explore. - John R. Stilgoe, OUTSIDE LIES MAGIC (1998) I had the honor of having Professor Stilgoe as my undergraduate department advisor. To this day, he teaches the art of exploration--looking, noticing, examining--as it relates to the built and natural environments. His lectures and seminars were among the most profound I've ever experienced. Stilgoe's words have deeply influenced my series "LAyered." As a native New Yorker, I've always been fascinated by cityscapes. Walking down a street, funneling the torrent of visual information, asking questions about what I see is for me a kind of mindful practice. And sometimes, that practice has me crossing paths with actual masters of mindfulness. One day, while strolling down Hollywood Boulevard in Thaitown, I noticed a sidewalk shrine brimming with offerings. Curiosity piqued, I wandered into the nearest business, a market packed with enticing foods and wares imported from Thailand. I asked a clerk about the shrine: Who's responsible? When does it receive fresh offerings? His first answer was somewhat vague; the community tended to it. Perhaps he sensed my slight disappointment, because as I turned to leave, he told me to come back on Saturday around 8:30 a.m. I'd then see a lot of activity surrounding the shrine. When I came back on Saturday morning, I saw this otherwise generic strip mall come alive with Buddhist activity. The sidewalk, parking lot and storefronts were filled with adherents and monks from the nearby temple engaged in devotional exercises--almsgiving, sitting in meditation circles, carrying on in quiet contemplation. This is a public street in an area of Los Angeles that I know pretty well. I live in Hollywood. But until that day, I had no idea how this particular area was transformed on Saturday mornings by an ethnic and religious pageant animated by faith, charity and tradition. This is L.A. in all its layered splendor. "8:30 a.m. Alms" 36 x 36 x 2.5 in. Acrylic, sumi ink, cotton rag mat, 99.9% pure silver leaf, vintage map, resin, on deep-cradled wood panel

Collage:Paper on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:36 W x 36 H x 2.5 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.