Category Archives: callings

A little E.R. poem

Posted on May 10, 2015 by rick mobbs

I spent a little time in the Emergency Room at St. Vincent’s this morning. They found some pneumonia and I’m at home with good company (Broadus) and antibiotics. It turns out my ER Doc, Jamie Gagan, is a practicing artist … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, acequia, art, broadus, callings, Dr. Jamie Gagan, nmsu, poetry, stories | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

ann, again

Posted on July 11, 2012 by rick mobbs

A note, and a response. . . New comment on your post “Ann Bunting-Mock” Author : Jeanne Scheerbaum Comment: May, 2012 I just read a wonderful article by Ann Bunting-Mock in American Quilter magazine, January 2008.  Just want you, whomever you are, … Continue reading →

Posted in aan, ann bunting-mock, auld lang syne, callings, love | 1 Comment

firecracker girl turns one: (some of) the year in pictures

Posted on July 5, 2009 by rick mobbs

Happy 4th (now 5th) of July, everyone, and Happy Birthday, Ada Corinna Meridian Swinton. She is a fierce and funny newcomer, strong and determined. The universe is her home, and for now, we are her country. Who knows where these … Continue reading →

Posted in ada corinna, ada's first birthday, amuirin, broadus aurelius, callings, egnima, family, homebirth, joyce ellen davis, logan bunting-mock, love, naomi swinton, orson scott card, painting, uncle pepek, works in progress, yael naim | 3 Comments

alone time

Posted on November 29, 2008 by rick mobbs

is hard to find these days but I have some now and I am puzzling out how to use this blog. I stay away from writing and painting too long – which happens whenever I take a movie job – … Continue reading →

Posted in art, art for film and tv, babelfruit, birdie jaworski, Broadus and Ada, callings, citylights, collaboration, ecphrasis, ekphrasis, faith, film work, first presbyterian church las vegas nm, gallinas magazine, georgia o'keefe movie, homeless shelter, homelessness, image prompts, las vegas nm, let's hope, love, making a difference, naomi swinton, painting, pertussis, picture prompts, poetry, protestpoems, Rev. Randy Campbell, Rosie Lopez, samaritan house, san miguel county, sharon seto, sizzle, spencer and janet swinton, storybook collaborative, Uncategorized, uwc-usa, whooping cough, why does good change take so long?" | 21 Comments

Google’s $10 million, revisited

Posted on October 18, 2008 by rick mobbs

A couple of weeks ago I posted a notice about Google’s 10 to the 100th project. You know, Google’s call for ideas that could change the world and offer to fund the most popular to the tune of $10,000,000. Deadline … Continue reading →

Posted in 10 to the 100th, anger management, art, Bartos Institute, callings, changing the world, collaboration, conscientious objector, draft resistance, ekphrasis, faith, google 10 million, making a difference, pacifism, painting, questionable rights of the state, refusniks, swords into war toys, uwc-usa, war and peace, war tax resistance, war toys | 6 Comments

9/11/08 image post

Posted on September 11, 2008 by rick mobbs

Maybe someone can find a story here? Or a poem? This painting belongs to Broadus, and he would like a story, please. It’s almost bedtime. Sept. 11, 2008 image prompt . The Dragon Prince, by Openhand . A Not-story, by … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, ekphrasis, image prompts, painting, poetry, stories, storybook collaborative | 15 Comments

stolen poem

Posted on September 8, 2008 by rick mobbs

Early Naomi but still a fave. It is sometimes hard to get back to poetry if one is really good at grant writing, speaking, facilitation and training, strategic planning, community organizing and the like. But sometimes I wonder who is … Continue reading →

Posted in art, baseball, callings, naomi swinton, old man and sea, poetry, stories, the writing life | 11 Comments

Praise, pepek the assassin

Posted on August 31, 2008 by rick mobbs

hmmm… can’t seem to let this one go. Joyce (pepek) has changed a line in her poem, Praise, written to accompany the image below. I am posting both versions below. Would love to hear your response to the change… . … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, collaborative storybook, ekphrasis, image prompts, joyce ellen davis, painting, pepektheassassin, poetry, stories | 17 Comments

8/28/08 image prompt

Posted on August 28, 2008 by rick mobbs

(Backstory) 4′ x 3′ approx. mixed media on linen. This picture came out of another time. It grew out of a loose scumble of color on the back of a piece of printed upholstery fabric. The fabric was a fine … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, carol roberts, egnima, ekphrasis, image prompts, painting, poetry, red shoes, storybook collaborative, supernatural bridge | 18 Comments

this is the post that opened the storybook

Posted on August 26, 2008 by rick mobbs

I am catching up here, having been distracted by some 8 weeks on a film crew, and having a baby (well, Naomi had the baby. At home! Welcome, Ada Corinna Meridian Swinton!), followed by driving a moving truck 2000 miles … Continue reading →

Posted in Ada Swinton, alice o'leary, art, art for film and tv, big-time collaboration, Broadus Mobbs, callings, collaborative storybook, damn cat, ekphrasis, friendshp, Grand Canyon, image prompts, making up stories, myths, naomi swinton, painting, picture prompts, poetry, stories, storybook collaborative, tell us a story!, who the heck is alice?, with ah! bright wings, xpalla | 3 Comments

pepek the assassin

Posted on August 8, 2008 by rick mobbs

I haven’t singled out a poet’s work and talked about it specifically, but Praise, by Joyce Ellen Davis struck me powerfully and I wanted to bring it up and see what feedback came in. I love the painting but it … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, collaboration, collaborative storybook, ekphrasis, image prompts, joyce ellen davis, painting, pepektheassassin, poetry, stories, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

something new from the art predator, and more…

Posted on July 21, 2008 by rick mobbs

Lunch-break. The show is winding down and I’m working myself out of a job. That’s the way it works and we are usually ready to be done with the movie at this point, anyway. It never was a calling, just … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, callings, collaboration, collaborative storybook, ekphrasis, film making, film work, image prompts, maria fernanda sosa, nanda, painting, pepektheassassin, picture prompts, poetry, scenic artist, script writing, stories, works in progress, you can't say you can't play | 4 Comments

7/10/08 image prompt

Posted on July 10, 2008 by rick mobbs

Good morning! Time for work, gotta go. Here’s a picture. Backstory, and more about Ada, later! . praise, by joyce davis (pepek the assassin) . The Condor Soars, by Lirone, on Words that sing . Bystander, by one more believer, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, ada corinna, art, awakening, birth, callings, children, collaborative storybook, damn cat, ekphrasis, faith, home birth, image prompts, kiss of the wind, myths, new baby..., painting, picture prompts, poetry, prose poem, stories | 18 Comments

7/3/08 image prompt – harbor lights

Posted on July 2, 2008 by rick mobbs

Hello everyone. Those of you who frequent here know we have been expecting a baby to arrive any day for the last 11 or 12 days now. Maybe it will be tonight, maybe tomorrow. Who knows? In the meantime it … Continue reading →

Posted in art, birth, callings, collaborative storybook, completion, ecphrasis, faith, home birth, image prompts, kids, light, painting, poem, poetry, prose poem, stories, storybook collaborative, thursday prompt | 18 Comments

lots of hummingbirds

Posted on June 21, 2008 by rick mobbs

around the feeder (me) but still no baby. We are in no hurry. Movie has taken over my life. It feels good to be back in the saddle again. More later. Here are links to new work to go with … Continue reading →

Posted in aa, art, art for film and tv, awakening, callings, ecphrasis, electric cow, faith, film work, home birth, image prompts, light, love, myths, painting, picture prompts, poetry, stories, storybook collaborative, the art of recovery, the writing life, works in progress, you can't say you can't play | 13 Comments

starting a show

Posted on June 9, 2008 by rick mobbs

I start Wednesday on a movie in pre-production in Santa Fe. It will be my first show since moving to NM. I’ll be helping to make Las Vegas, New Mexico look like Jaurez, Mexico. Not too big a stretch, actually. … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, art for film and tv, birth, callings, children, collaboration, collaborative storybook, completion, ecphrasis, faith, film work, fun stuff, iatse, image prompts, painting, picture prompts, poetry, scenic art | 9 Comments

enigmatic emblems

Posted on May 12, 2008 by rick mobbs

by enigma, who else? these tapestries are examples of some of the painstaking work she does. (When she isn’t blowing up stuff. She runs a SFX company, among other things.) The tapestries are 200 stitches to the inch. Her blog … Continue reading →

Posted in art, awakening, callings, collaboration, completion, egnima, image prompts, myths, painting, poetry, stories, tapestry | 5 Comments

Darfur Fridge – thursday image prompt

Posted on April 17, 2008 by rick mobbs

(updated contributions to the collective storybook are found on the Storybook pages.) . …..…..….. . Hiking in the woods I found this rusting refrigerator that hunters had been using for target practice. I retrieved the door and it sat in … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, children of war, collaboration, collaborative storybook, crackedheadblog, ecphrasis, image prompts, lucid dreaming, painting, picture prompts, poetry, steel sculpture, stories, thursday prompt, visual journal, whypaisley | 9 Comments

notes upon the windowsill

Posted on March 27, 2008 by rick mobbs

well, nobody asked, but I’ll try to explain it anyway, if only for myself. I can’t remember if the post below – She sits upon a windowsill – started as a journal fragment or as a line that jumped into … Continue reading →

Posted in art, callings, faith, journal, light, light dark, love, lucid dreaming, poetry, recovery, stories, the writing life, wake up dude, works in progress | 5 Comments

the kiss of the fourth wind

Posted on March 26, 2008 by rick mobbs
Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, dreamtime, fun stuff, kids, kiss of the wind, light, love, lucid dreaming, lullabies, poetry, recovery, stories, the fourth wind, the kiss, wake up dude | 15 Comments

she sits upon a windowsill, a little more, a work in progress

Posted on March 26, 2008 by rick mobbs

Very much a work in progress…. She sits upon a windowsill and spies a laughing boy, about eleven, barefoot by the water’s edge beneath the tree’s green reaching hands. The canopy throws its color down and lights the shadows with … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, aan, ann bunting-mock, art, awakening, callings, electric cow, fun stuff, kids, light, love, lucid dreaming, lullabies, poetry, recovery, stories, wake up dude, works in progress | 3 Comments

whereabouts revisited, end of story

Posted on March 23, 2008 by rick mobbs

So we smashed like acrobats, a mess of arms and legs and heads and backs, spinning through the flaming hoops to meet the leaping, happy cats and all those clowns in human suits, and all their senseless chatter. The main … Continue reading →

Posted in art, awakening, bleak, callings, dark, denial, desolation, despair, faith, healing, hope, kids, love, lullabies, nightmare, poetry, recovery, stories, the art of recovery, wake up dude | 9 Comments

whereabouts and wanderlust – the rest of the story

Posted on March 20, 2008 by rick mobbs

Whereabouts and Wanderlust traveled hand in hand. Each one loved the other most and trekked through many lands. Altogether they were happy, blue eyes and blue. Sleeping children brought them flowers, with love, from me to you. And so the … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, electric cow, faith, journal, light dark, love, lullabies, pardon, poetry, recovery, stories | 2 Comments

a light dark poem – a rewrite

Posted on March 19, 2008 by rick mobbs

Sweet sweet engine of mercy, bright flying speck in the sun, tomorrow I’ll be riding a donkey, tomorrow I’ll be on my way home. We will go to the invisible carnival. We will ride the invisible rides. We will not … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, faith, love, lullabies, my theology, poetry, stories | 8 Comments

obama’s speech

Posted on March 19, 2008 by rick mobbs

Transcript Barack Obama’s Speech on Race Published: March 18, 2008 The following is the text as prepared for delivery of Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race in Philadelphia, as provided by his presidential campaign. “We the people, in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, anger management, art, awakening, callings, character studies, faith, hope, love, obama, obama's speech, poetry, politics, race in america, racial healing, recovery, tapestry, the children, works in progress | 4 Comments

border studies – undocumented aliens

Posted on March 18, 2008 by rick mobbs

Back in Montezuma, N.M. after 10 days on the road with 18 UWC-USA students, faculty chaperones, and Broadus, 8.5 years, a great traveler, interested in everything. In place of a Spring Break, students at UWC elect a service-learning adventure. This … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, despair, faith, grassroots leadership, hope, illegal immigration, immigration issues, love, mexican border, poetry, politics, stories, undocumented aliens, uwc-usa, wake up dude | 6 Comments

work in progress 1 poem or 2?

Posted on March 4, 2008 by rick mobbs

1. Sweet sweet engine of mercy, bright flying speck in the sun, tomorrow I’ll be riding a donkey, tomorrow I’ll be on my way home. Ah! The invisible carnival ride, I’m standing in line to climb on. Twirling and spinning … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, dreamtime, electric cow, faith, fun stuff, hope, journal, light, love, lullabies, poetry, recovery, stories, wake up dude, works in progress | 3 Comments

make the law dance – the new mexico PeaceWorks conference

Posted on March 2, 2008 by rick mobbs

Make the law dance and the people will love it. Today the NMPWC ends. New Mexico PeaceWorks Conference creating a better world through social justice http://www.uwc-usa.org/cec/peace.htm       Sponsored By United World College-USA, Monte Del Sol Charter School, Santa … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, anger management, art, awakening, callings, college of santa fe, faith, hope, kids, light, love, monte del sol charter school, new mexico peace works conference, poetry, politics, santa fe school for the arts and sciences, uwc-usa, wake up dude, war, works in progress | Leave a comment

desolation, hope, and more hope

Posted on February 29, 2008 by rick mobbs
Posted in "Blindness", "The Road", aa, art, awakening, bleak stories, callings, dark, desolation, despair, hope, light, love, nightmare, poetry, politics, recovery, stories, the art of recovery, the immorality of groups, wake up dude, war, works in progress | 12 Comments

she sits upon a windowsill (revision)

Posted on February 24, 2008 by rick mobbs

She sits upon a windowsill and spies a laughing boy, about eleven, walking barefoot by the water’s edge beneath the tree’s green reaching hands. The canopy throws its color down and lights the shadows with reflections, the subtle ocher, umber, … Continue reading →

Posted in aa, art, awakening, callings, dreamtime, fun stuff, hope, journal, kids, light, love, poetry, recovery, stories, the art of recovery, the writing life, wake up dude, works in progress | 5 Comments

Ivan Gold

Posted on February 22, 2008 by rick mobbs

I am in Boston this weekend to say goodbye to an old friend. Here is the death notice, which appeared today in the Boston Globe Ivan Gold Of Boston, formerly of New York City on December 23, 2007, writer, teacher, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, aa, art, awakening, callings, hope, Ian Gold, ivan gold, kids, light, love, recovery, stories, the art of recovery, the writing life, works in progress | 12 Comments

ann’s calf (for ann bunting mock)

Posted on February 22, 2008 by rick mobbs

I found this calf in Merida, in the mountains of western Venezuela. The painting began as a scumble of color on a tinted and sanded 2′ x 4′ masonite panel. Then I stalled out. I had earlier painted a series … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, aa, ann bunting-mock, art, awakening, callings, dreamtime, fun stuff, hope, kids, light, love, paul hartley, poetry, recovery, stories | 3 Comments

she sits upon a windowsill- (work in process)

Posted on February 18, 2008 by rick mobbs

She sits upon on a windowsill and spies a laughing boy, about eleven, walking barefoot down the river’s edge beneath the tree’s green reaching hands. The canopy throws its color down and lights the shadows with reflections, the subtle ocher, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, dreamtime, hope, kids, light, love, poetry, stories, works in progress | 4 Comments

Praise

Posted on February 14, 2008 by rick mobbs

I found this canvas in a thrift shop and recycled it. The bright colors are showing through from the original thrift shop painting. I drizzled roofing tar on the canvas and then brought out some of the images which were … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, awakening, callings, hope, journal, light, love, poetry, stories | 10 Comments

overpainting

Posted on February 12, 2008 by rick mobbs

or, how to ruin a perfectly good painting? I am better about knowing when to stop but still sometimes overpaint one. This is one I liked very much as a charcoal and acrylic sketch. Here are some pics of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, callings, dreamtime, light, love, overpainting, poetry, stories, wake up dude | 9 Comments

completed work/works in process

Posted on February 12, 2008 by rick mobbs

A recently completed portrait of Beethoven as a young man. The painting was commissioned by Ron Maltais, the Music Director here at UWC-USA, in exchange for piano lessons for my son, Broadus. I worked from a photo of an old … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, art, beethoven, blacksmithing, callings, chris thompson ironworks, poetry, portraits, ron maltais, steel sculpture, uwc-usa, war toys, works in progress | 2 Comments

selfish lizard- twice resurrected poem of the day

Posted on February 2, 2008 by rick mobbs

Here is a little darkling of a poem that has been rattling around my brainpan. I’ll try to make something a little more upbeat for my next post. The image I have paired here is the 3rd panel in a … Continue reading →

Posted in aa, art, awakening, bleak stories, callings, dark, dreamtime, faith, hope, light dark, love, nightmare, oil painting, poerty journal, poetry, recovery, stories, tapestry of life, wake up dude, works in progress | Leave a comment

Necklace by Broadus

Posted on January 29, 2008 by rick mobbs

Broadus with necklace he made today from yarn and found and carved sticks. Works in progress in background. There is a thin line between finishing a painting and torturing it.

Posted in aa, art, beethoven, callings, kids, light, love, poetry, portraits | 1 Comment

Dreamtime

Posted on January 29, 2008 by rick mobbs

(from a dream I had the night before an art opening. I used it as my artist’s statement.) I asked the man who stood beside the child and held her hand, what he called her. Both of them were muffled … Continue reading →

Posted in aa, art, callings, dreamtime, journal, light, love, poetry, stories | Leave a comment

journal fragment # 1

Posted on January 28, 2008 by rick mobbs

I’m here to find the simple truths that I knew as a child. The dogs make a game of me, the cats curl and sleep upon my body. The daffodils await the rising of the sun. They draw their color … Continue reading →

Posted in 'tis a gift to be simple, aa, art, awakening, callings, journal, love, poetry | 1 Comment