All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance

Mike Tyson's controversial Maori tattoo seems apropos on Mr. Netanyahu's right cheek. Hopefully he turns his other cheek to give peace a chance. (this cartoon was first & published in http://www.gmanews.tv/world)

related story: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/tattoo-court-case-could-delay-release-of-hangover-sequel-20110524-1f21n.html

Let's Have a Drug Race!

It really pains me to draw caricatures and portraits of people who have become pariahs because
of their wrong doings. A few died with a heavy conscience. Sad really, they were shining models to the community, now it's hard to explain to young people why adults behave like that.

Take the case of Australian businessman Christopher Skase who duped a lot of people through his invalid corporate moves. I did a caricature of him back in '88 which was published in The Financial Times. A few days later his secretary was on the phone wanting to buy the original drawing. Great! Money's handy and so I obliged (ssh, it was only a 3-figure sum). Sadly, I didn't have a copy to show you.

Then in 1989 Skase turned fugitive. He owed his shareholders more than $700 million! His company Qintex collapsed. He was later discovered in exile by a Herald journalist in..donde? Majorca, Spain (1991) where he spent his last breath, the Australian government unable to claw el ladron back.

Back in the headlines today is Rodney Adler, now a free man with a nice mansion, who was jailed for the collapse of HIH thus brought tears to hundreds of shareholders whose lifesavings was embezzled. It was a $5-billion tragedy (yes, we had our little ENRON here, too!). He's smiling now but what about his victims who think 2 years of jail term for Mr. Adler was a mere slap on the hand. Think again, victims were Australian senior citizens whose life savings were lost. They haven't got a chance to earn that money again. Go on, blame them playing the pokies. Stay home, ol' dudes...your financial rapist is back on the streets! Watch out, Fincorp just collapsed!

And who can forget Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson (drawing above I did for The Australian) who was stripped of his gold medal and world record in 1988. He protested but after extensive investigations he finally admitted to Dubin Inquiry that he was on steroids since 1981! World's jaw dropped! The medals hit the floor with a sickening clunk. How could he?


Yet again in the world news today is the downfall of Marion Jones, that beautifully-muscled woman sprinter (above drawing I did for Sydney Morning Herald last week). She was in tears after telling the world she cheated and lied. How the world adored her until her revelations.

Pity she initially denied allegations..many, many times and with a straight face, mind you. How could she? She seemed such a nice person, and also artistic! She loved art and even posed nude (above image) for a painter based in London

There's a Filipino saying: "Kung ano'ng taas ng lipad, siya ring lakas ng lagapak." (The higher the climb, the harder the fall). But this saying did not dissuade people who wanted to be champions like Muhammad Ali. He lost bouts but never cheated nor fell from grace and proved himself a real champion. The trick then to avoid downfall is never to trick people.

Now how sure are we that the 2008 Olympics will be totally drug-free while the previous Games had lots of drug controversy? Sportsmen are human beings, too after all. The temptation of lucrative endorsements alone is just too much. Don't you think getting a million dollar just for wearing a Nike headband is way too much?

In America alone how many were caught with "horseshoes in their gloves"?

Oh, and don't forget. Not only humans are being doped, horses, too! (above image was cover art I did for a Murdoch magazine in 1987). Don't you think it's unethical? Life forms shouldn't be forced to overperform by using drugs (concocted by man). Well they can pimp my ride and use more ethanol and rocket fuel for a speedier performance but not living things, ever!

I pass no judgment. To cheat is human nature by all depth and scale. People cheat and then regret it later. Why? Sleepless nights? Conscience? Well it depends on gravity of crime, some will say, but isn't it the principle that matters?.. howls the opposition.

Esoteric books will tell us: "Hey, no worries, the Natural Law of Retribution is at work and it will catch up on them." Law of Retrib..sorry? Karmagain?:-)

May I suggest.. change the rules! Allow all athletes to take every sort of drug of their choice. Let 'em run and winners get holiday tickets to a drug rehab.;-)

Corporate or sports cheats, same banana. Corporate institutions are lifeblood sponsors of sports; while sports promote corporate logos. We were taken for a ride, cheered for them, swore for them, and then they prick the balloon. "Sorry I cheated! Please forgive me." Ah, err..okay, we say as a public; but how about those who suffered a direct hit from the admission of truth that came like a tornado without a warning from the weather bureau? Communities are damaged, families hurt and generations disparaged. They are the unseen refugees.

But wait, what has Ben Johnson got to say? From The Canadian Press:

Ben Johnson not surprised Marion Jones admitted to using banned substances

13 October 2007

LONDON - Disgraced Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson says he isn't surprised by Marion Jones' doping confession, and he's now waiting for more athletes to admit they took performance-enhancing drugs.

Johnson ran a record 9.79 seconds to win the 100-metre gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, then tested positive for the steroid stanozolol and was stripped of his medal and time.

"I expected it," the Toronto sprinter said of Jones, who admitted last week that she was using banned substances when she won five Olympic medals at the 2000 Sydney Games.

"But again I believe that everyone on the international level is using performance-enhancing drugs and, you know, it's widespread and it's going to continue on," the Canadian said in a radio interview with Al-Jazeera. "A lot more people (are) going to be also coming forward."

Johnson said current athletes will have a harder time covering up their illegal activities.

Enough of apologetic cliches, we're all victims...and this blog entry is definitely steroid-typed;-) Performance-enhancing drugs? Well then, shall we ban Viagra? LOL ..followed by grim realisation: corporate or sports, either way the ol' dudes cop it!

Okay Ben and Marion, if you're all blameless let's all sing along with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". (translation: Don't Blame Us!)

Don't know the lyrics too well?

Easy, sprint on to this link now.

It's a cleverly done video! Really cool! (relayed to me by friend Uko)

58th

LVIII meant nothing for Nero who left earth AD 68. Well lucky me, I'm still here:-) The Octavians are still partying sans Caligula. Empress Menchay got us much impressed, cooking all day for a little party Saturday night (it wasn't raining, so fortunate; next day was miserable and soaked the muddy lawn again). Friends came and kept me company, some of whom have been partying with me for the past 28 years in Australia.

Thanks guys for coming! Appreciate all your gifts, tucker and bottles. Marami pong salamat. Hope you all had fun that night.


Here are photos I found in my camera. All were taken by Michael, my 17 y.o. son.

Banggaan Art Group members Mario Aldeguer, myself and Ding Roces (with partners Menchay, Irene and Lene.


Christine and Tony Concha, old friends and who are still on FM air. Tune in to 2CCR guys and
hear select Pinoy tunes courtesy of their play buttons.

And here's that big cake good ol' Ric de Mesa brought in before going to work as chef of a 5-star hotel in Sydney. Wonderful baked art was brimming with ube and macapuno! Thanks Ric and Ofie!

Didn't notice ol' friends Mario Aldeguer (with wife Lene) and Ding were taking pictures while the boys were jamming.
Here's Patch patching up missed beats in my vocal renditions.

Guys testing if cake table won't collapse, Menchie giving it a slight kick while Lisa's coaxing me to blow the candles before it does. Ala Paredes looks on. Jim, her dad, would have joined us if he were back in Sydney.

Joey Resureccion provided guitar rhythm music almost all night. Hey man that was swell jamming.

Bert gave me a wonderful guitar gadget. Here he tests the new digital wah-wah (wah-wah naman ako pag di ko natutunan:)

Doing some piano accompaniment for Jonalyn Juarez's golden voice.

Larrikin band warming up. That's Melchor Manila testing the skins.

Yo, Elmer and Dang, great friends. They brought for us a big filing cabinet of tokwa't baboy (torque and piggy:-). Oh man heaven.


My beautiful Menchay finally sat down and ate a piece.

Jonalyn ponders what song to sing next. She prepared a delicious paella dish for us.

Menchay ready for the key.

Jamaica is Jonah's youngest. She hates peanuts!

Jonah congs the congas.

Among creative people..Ding Roces, Ken Moraleda, Paschal Berry and Mario Aldeguer.

Michael played his drum kit and got some encouragement.

A close-up of the metre-square cake:)

Bert Rejante announced a text greeting from Wally Gonzalez.

Jonalyn tries the mic with Menchay.

Neria Soliman, Menchay, Lisa, Rommel, Conrad, Jess and Jerwin

Irene and Ding Roces, me and Michael.

Crowding for the aperture.

Janelle and Jamaica

Ala and Ninea


Michael and Lisa (filling in for Gus)

Anobato? (Macrophotography Puzzle)

Anobato? Ano ba ito? Translate to: What's this?

Most digital cameras today boast of 6X, 10X to 20X optical zoom. Mundane objects become monsters. Cobwebs become cables and flower parts become erotic! Macrophotography is fun. In Banggaan Art Group I started a sort of macrophoto quiz thread called Anobato? For years we've been trading close-up photos of objects unseen before thru normal vision. Macro photography, aside from "revealing", also proves to be a rich source for painting references.

Meanwhile regular guys like us who can't afford an electron microscope shall leave it to genetic scientists. We'll just shoot 'em bugs and toy with our zooms.


Okay, there are two macropuzzles in this blog entry. Any idea what they are?
Give it some time. Scroll down for the answers in my A Scooter Trip Back in Time blog entry.

The Folding Wife

Words written could be acted out. When scripted words turn into flesh they could metamorphose into theatre. Now we’re talkin’!

Shadow knows, so goes the saying. Shadow cast can’t help but reveal element that obliterates or filters source of light. Now behind material that cast shadows is impressive cast of Filipinos and Australians who fed us a very nutritious culture burger in form of small yet awesome theatrical production which I saw last week at newly-refurbished Blacktown Arts Centre.

The Folding Wife is title of play by a young Filipino-Australian writer and dramaturg Paschal Daanton Berry from Adelaide (I did his caricature above). His work came to life via Urban Theatre Projects and Anino Shadowplay Collective. Didn’t have any idea what to see but I got excited by some shadowy stirrings inside the dimly-lit theatre room. The play has already begun even as people were just streaming in. Lots of techie gear in front of audience There was a lone yet energetic female performer, Valerie, sister of Paschal. Siblings are artists and often collaborate in their creative works. She interacted with a non-static background screen that forever danced with a menagerie of textures and vintage black & white images. The visual artist guys responsible for this clever and highly-creative screen projection are Datu Arellano and Andrew Cruz (see below for more info). They are quiet, young men who I’m sure are bound to create tremors in the cultural scene.

Days before the show I caught up with Paschal. He’s a nice, young man who spoke with
a gentle smile.


EA: The Folding Wife , a very intriguing title - is it about origami?

PDB: Ha-ha – not quite – but very similar ideas.

EA: What’s the intention of the play?

PDB: The Folding Wife is an exploration on the idea of people folding into a either the situation or folding into a new culture – it spans across a few years - about 3 women from the same bloodline. It starts off with the grandmother, mother and daughter and it spans across 20th century Philippine history and then migrating to Australia – to the outback.

EA: Obviously, all stage actors are of Filipino lineage?

PDB: It’s actually a one-woman show. Valerie Berry – who just happens to be my sister – is playing the 3 roles – and members of the Anino Shadowplay collective from Quezon city – are here to do the design.

EA: So you are from..?

PDB: I am from Cebu – I got double Waray parents – my mother was from Leyte and my father was from Samar. and I was born in Cebu so I’m very Visayan. I’m 34.

EA:Your idols?

PDB: Ahmm, a lot of people. I’m really inspired mainly by visual artists to tell you the truth – and that’s why I was so attracted to working with the visual artists from the Philippines – and that’s why Anino is here. So in that sense I’ve fallen in love with images more than I do with other writers’ works.

EA: Do you enjoy it more when you combine it with stage acting?

PDB: Yes, I do, absolutely, because I think other people do naturalistic theatre very well but what I’m interested in is the idea of glimpses of images as opposed to what you call linear narrative.

EA: So back to The Folding Wife, really excited about watching it this Saturday so can you give us a nutshell idea – is there angst there? Bitterness? Tell me more please.

PDB: For me it is a very personal work you know for me it was a reaction to my mother’s death in 2001 (sorry about that) and my mother was I guess your classic Filipina migrant. I was just really quite inspired by her I guess her journey to Australia because we came here and lived in the outback (when was that?) in 1984 and I found it very interesting how it is to come from a sort of very conservative background (when you say outback where is it woop-woop) It was one of the last towns in South Australia before the Nullarbor plains.

EA: So there’s tedious details that were injected in the play about outback culture?

PDB: No.. how we dealt with that is we kind of just given glimpses – it’s about girl-selected memory – and it is up to you to fill in the gaps – what she says is you know - its and hour and quarter show so – its experiences are synched.

EA: Would it be a pleasant experience for the viewers? Will there be a residual feeling or aftertaste?

PDB: It’s hard to say being the writer, but in terms of the way I feel about it when I watch it, I think it is a bittersweet experience, because if you are the child of any migrant you definitely resonate with a lot of the sentiments. There is a bittersweet element to being a Filipino – you know – one moment it’s very much about laughter then the next it is about the grand drama of our history

EA: Education?

PDB: I started as a visual artist – I went to an arts school first in South Australia and then I moved on to study acting. And once I actually started acting I just decided I didn’t want to do it.

EA: What are your plans for this play? Is it gonna tour Australia?

PDB: It depends. It’s an awkward one because of the fact that we have overseas artists involved and it’s very costly and so it up to a really good producer to sort of find the finances to sort of give it a longer life. But in saying that I think it’s a very highly tourable show.

EA: Is this genre still very effective despite YouTube?

PDB: Ha-ha – well you know like it’s interesting ‘cos my collaborators from Anino Shadowplay are very much part of that YouTube generation. It’s really interesting when we were sort of looking at it - because they work on designs in the Philippines – we were communicating through YouTube – so in a sense you can’t deny the fact that technology and the short attention span is a challenge for many audiences. I think it’s time to watch beautiful plays on stage.

EA: So - it’s not elitist at all just because you have a limited audience – but how would you balance things up? Sounds like the play is poignantly down to earth and touches on deep-rooted cultural conflicts. You want to share it right?– but don’t you think popularizing it thru plays are quite limiting?

PDB: Look I think there’s a lot of challenging things in the play – in terms of politically – but I think it is well balanced with the idea that with – I mean it’s like anything that you see in the Philippine – you are very much exposed to extremes. One minute you are looking at tragedy and then the next minute about comedy. It’s a deeply Filipino thing and I think we kind of ride that balance.

EA: Do you act yourself?

PDB: I used to – but not anymore.

EA: So you let other people do it for you! :-) After The Folding Wife, any 0ther project in your line of sight?

PDB: Yeah, I’m really interested to sort of develop my relationship with Anino you know – I find them a very exciting collective of young visual and theatre artists – I got really inspired – I got into Asialink, and then Urban Theatre projects also supported me in going to the Philippines to just develop the work. And what I really love about the Philippines is that there’s this freshness and a new approach – a different approach into visual arts. I was there all in all 4 months within a year – first time after a long time.

EA: What do you think of our Filipino-Australian community here - with regards to how they appreciate stage plays?

PDB: For me it is a kind of litmus test – in a sense that I really wanna expose this and this is the reason why -you know this was such an attractive offer from Blacktown Arts Centre because of the fact that the Filipino community is so concentrated in Blacktown and I’m just really interested in that discourse between Filipino artists and the Philippine community because I think we kind of need to communicate.

EA: Any significant awards or feathers in the cap that I should see?

PDB: Ha ha – I’ve been writing for 10 years and I first got my break by winning the Bellboy Young Writer’s award, that was ages and ages ago – seems like a lifetime ago (oh it doesn’t matter) and I think I’ve been given a lot of good opportunities in terms of to be able to develop in the last 10 years as a writer.

EA: Thank you very much - we would be very excited seeing the stage play this Saturday and we hope to see you there – we know you’re a good writer – otherwise you wouldn’t be here would you? :-)

Was about to end the interview but I was with my partner Menchie and she can’t resist to ask a few more questions for Paschal.

MM: I was looking at a new voice company but the Anino Shadowplay was the very first one to get in contact with me and it’s been the most amazing accident. They’re just incredible. So they’re a group?

PDB: Yeah, a collective – based in Quezon City. Two of them came over but in their group it can range from about 8 people to about 20.

MM: So they’re not really actors?

PDB: They’re visual artists – very much from different fields of training - a lot of them are UP grads, a lot of them are Ateneo and other universities.

MM: You got music scoring here?

PDB: Yes. We decided to use scores from very recognisable sources – like we’ve used for our opening Pilita Corales – because it’s my childhood memory of the Philippines and we’ve also used – at some point a Filipino choir - can’t remember which choir – it’s a version of Ili-ili which is you know, region-specific again – so. When I was in Manila, I got exposed to Pinikpikan members so I was very inspired by the music. The female vocalist is quite fantastic.

MM: Any inspiring words for the Filipino youth here in Australia?

PDB: Be visible – I kind of feel that a lot of us Filipinos tend to sort of hide out and do our works in our corners (closet artists) – and I feel like it’s time to - I’m very glad I’ve had a mother who was very inspiring in terms of really – all of us – 3 out of 4 of us are in the arts - and she really encouraged us to have a career in the arts – there was the initial worry about not having enough money for the rest of your lives but when do you ever have enough money?

EA: Art is the only way – do you agree with that?

PDB: Yeah, absolutely – personally yeah.
Enjoy the show

EA: I’m sure we will.


Paschal’s work include Jerusalem Syndrome, The Great Tale, Found Objects, Triptych, Ancestry of My Eyes, Conversations Through the Wall, Defecating Jesus and Querida. Awards include Belvoir Street’s Asian Australian Young Playwrights Award (1996) and a London Royal Court Residency (2000). His work has been presented for Radio National, Griffin Theatre, Australian Choreographic Centre, Belvoir Street, Performance Space, ATYP, Multicultural Theatre Alliance, Platform 27 and Canberra Youth Theatre.


Briefly, Datu Arellano of Anino is a prolific artist—visual and electronic. He’s also a musician and guitarist for the band Dirty Kitchen. He’s had solo exhibitions at De La Salle, CCP, Ayala Museum, Siem Rep at Ankor Wat and numerous others. Visit his site at: http://www.datuarellano.com/

Valerie Berry is sole performer of The Folding Wife. She trained as an actor at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Adelaide. Born in Cebu and has performed with Sydney Theatre Company, The Bell Shakespeare Co., and Urban Theatre Projects among others. Her television and film credits include A Difficult Woman (ABC), Big Sky, Matrix Reloaded and The Great Raid.

Andrew Cruz began with Tanghalang Pilipino and appeared in Dulaang UP, Okasaki Theater Project and Musical Theatre Philippines. He has performed in Uyayi ng Ulan, Mariang Sinukuan and Florante at Laura playing the role of Anino (the narrator).


published Bayanihan News, Sydney, May 2007

Life/Figure Drawing

I can't figure out life drawing before hence I got enrolled at East Sydney Technical College for some advance lifedrawing courses. It was non-certificate and the teacher Noel, a very good artist was kind enough to accomodate me thru Cel Dasilva, a workmate who also modelled in the class. I was barely new in Australia and the experience was an eye-opener. Naked eye focused on naked figure while i rub naked charcoal sticks on cheap student paper courtesy of denuded forests. I guess it doesn't matter what size of paper one draws on but the class prefers big. Reasons? Freer movement of the arm and allowing the body to follow the rhythm of the drawing hand. But then it's so tiring to draw on A1 size paper.

There's a trend in Sydney to go big. Archibald Prize winners for years have been awarded to artists with gargantuan canvasses. Oh they start young I thought.. starting with big, student art paper, using the shoulder joints as fulcrum to draw arcs reminiscent of Da Vinci's human anatomical configuration.

I love cartooning and caricatures but it's only logical to ask "How can one distort (to caricature) reality if one is not familiar with reality?" Thus an art student needs to learn first the virtues of lifedrawing, to practise good draftsmanship, to get less intimidated by foreshortening and develop a sharp eye for good judgment of ratio and proportions-- before going about to distorting reality into caricatures.

"Just draw what's in front of you!" nicely said by Noel as he hovered behind life drawing
students. He never criticized my work and I got worried until he gave an aside "Nice work Edd, a bit overworked in that area tho' but looking good; and not to worry too much about the face, it's figure drawing, remember?" Later I didn't hear any more remarks from him. He became a good friend and often asked Cel and I to attend his solo exhibitions. Oh if I only had some photos of his works, you'll be amazed. He used wax pastels so cleverly to portray life-size, full-figure portraits of his colleagues and the background was textured by rubbing wax pastels on the paper held against the old sandstone walls of the college.

Lifedrawing became an obsession for me after the passing away of my wife, Virginia. I embraced her til her last breath at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; and when she was finally at peace I looked out the window with tears I tried to wipe off with ball of my palm which held a now damp charcoal stick..bowed my head, stared at the gray hospital wall and scrawled "chemotherapy sucks!" I was bitter. She was only 35.

I then embraced lifedrawing like crazy, bringing all sorts of medium to class and experimenting on everything but without much pushing. It was therapeutic.

I discovered limitations of the medium yet accepted solemnly the quality and character of each.I settled comfortably with watercolour. It gave my drawings a sort of surprising fluidity. Downside is it took time for watercolour to dry so wet-on-wet technique was obvious.

However pastel sticks are best to use in lifedrawing sessions. It's convenient to work dry and it's quick to cover large areas just by smudging colours with your fingers. Best to spray the drawings with clear spray fixative later at home.



Oh how I love MSG! No, it's not the dreaded food seasoning. Manila-Sydney Group was the first Filipino-Australian lifedrawing saturday group we set up. There were Eric David, Ding Roces, Tony Ablen and Conrad Velasco and some Australian, French and Brazilian friends, too. I sort of conducted the session using a stop watch. I invited models from ESTC while Eric brought model friends once in awhile. Saturday sessions were often held at Kirribilli and North Sydney Community Centers. After sometime we had the opportunity to show our works and held group life drawing exhibits at Dorian Gray gallery in Paddington, Sydney. (photo)








During those years (late 80's) I organised lifedrawing sessions for the Australian Black & White Artists. It became popular and went on for a few years.
It's quite tricky to organise lifedrawing sessions. I would prefer getting a model for myself if I could afford it. However lifedrawing is more fun as a group, especially if there's four or five of you chipping in for the model's fee. Standard hourly fee based on college lifedrawing class at that time was fifty dollars.

Some people may still be turned off by nude drawings despite the fact that most treasured paintings today, even from the Rennaisance Period are portrayals of nude men and women.

If by definition art is the appreciation of the beauty of nature (including us human beings) then there's nothing wrong with that. The intent of art is good by default. If art is misused then the intent deviates and the outcome often caters to base and self-gratifying purposes. I guess if the intent is without malice the drawing shall evoke beauty even if rendered by a beginner. It's all in the mind they say.

One need not draw vivid, clinical drawings of genitalia. What for? The intent is to interpret the beauty of the human form; that's all. If the intent is sexual then that should be expressed privately somewhere else. Definitely not in the drawing classroom!

Some artists bring their cameras hoping to photograph models for latter studio work to develop their session drawings. "Edd, can I photograph the model?" My quick retort would be " I'll ask her first, if she agrees then it's okay."

There are rules we usually follow. Wikipedia couldn't have said it much better:"-Most schools have standards of conduct for figure drawing sessions, intended to mitigate the potential for sexual harassment. For example:
Some prohibit students from socializing with models before, during, and after class.
-Models rarely undress in front of the class, except to remove their robes when beginning a pose.
-The instructor might be the only person permitted to speak directly with the model.
-Most institutions have rules against anyone touching the model.
-Some prohibit students from modelling at the same institution they attend to avoid awkward/inappropriate interactions when students and models encounter each other outside the classroom.
-Only students enrolled in the class are allowed to enter during a modelling session. "

So far rules are rarely talked about in the group. It seemed common knowledge.

Inside an artistic state of mind we feel protected by laws of correct human behaviour. In college I often get surprised when Noel would announce that the model couldn't make it. He would just look around and with a meaningful glance and a nod the girl beside me would stand up, leave her blank art paper and disrobe before us. Class then breathes en masse a sigh of relief.

Sometimes there would be two models at the same time. Ropes and rags strewn all over the floor to provide interesting backdrops and props for the model. There's even a grill heater for our winter classes. It was the age of INXS and Billy Idol so we get some punk-haired models, too. What a delight to draw those colourful and spiky crops.

There's a civilising effect in lifedrawing. The group is solely intent in interpreting the human figure without malice at all. (In otherwords one can't perv and focus on drawing at the same time;-)

The ambience is like that of a church or a gallery where everything is quiet except for the usual scribbling noise and my intermittent announcement of "Time! Give us a series of 3 minute poses please, just to warm us up, ta."

I'll never give up lifedrawing. Claude Monet, the great impressionist practised it until his death. I might sound biblical if I say "Know thyself, from bones to flesh to spirit."