Listen Station
🎨 Pop Pop Dazzled by Every Day and Abstracts of Light and Shadows present: Listen—a découpé visual narrative cut-up on YouTube(s). A look into the past to glimpse the future unknown. I’ve interlaced recent and archived citizen-free news stories with layered sounds and visuals. This process births a new art form, crafting fresh narrative through the cut-up technique—découpé, as the French say. Click on YouTube(s). From one to many—listen. And enjoy the moment!
🎨 Cut-Ups: A method born of dissection and reassembly—written text transformed into new sound and image. Rooted in the Dadaist experiments of the 1920s, it was William S. Burroughs who thrust cut-ups into the spotlight in the 1950s and early '60s. For Burroughs, they weren’t just technique—they were prophecy. Cut-ups unlock hidden meanings, fracture time, and offer glimpses of what’s to come. Whether as divination or creative spark, cut-ups continue to intrigue writers, artists, and dreamers. So have fun—and listen in. News stories and artworks—refined, cut-up, and combined. Word Up!
Faith, Democracy, Nature, and
the Selfish Pursuit of Artistic Truth

🎨Selfishness often gets a bad rap. It’s branded as greedy, thoughtless, a trait best left on the villain’s shelf. But peel away the stigma, and you’ll find that in art, selfishness can be revolutionary—especially when it’s paired with vision, vulnerability, and integrity. Take the Group of Seven: A.Y. Jackson and Lawren Harris didn’t have their fame handed to them, even though Harris had wealth from the Massey-Harris fortune. They worked hard, committed deeply, and “selfishly” pursued an unshakable idea—that Canadian landscapes deserved their own voice in art. 

🎨By rejecting European traditions, they carved out space for a uniquely Canadian aesthetic. Their boundaries weren’t barriers—they were a declaration: We paint what we believe. Contrast that with the Indian Group of Seven (Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.). These artists—Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Alex Janvier, and others—had no silver platter, no institutional warmth. What they had was fierce resolve. Their “selfishness” wasn’t about ego—it was survival. They refused to be typecast as cultural artifacts and instead demanded recognition as contemporary creators. They built their own galleries, funded their own shows, and shaped a legacy that fought erasure with artistic defiance. 

🎨And then there’s Jack Bush. Trapped in the commercial art world for decades, he suffered anxiety and depression. He longed for a life of emotional honesty—one where color, not corporate briefs, spoke for him. Inspired by the Group of Seven and later mentored by Clement Greenberg, Bush “selfishly” chose abstraction, ditching safety for soul. His art didn’t chase trends—it chased feeling. And in doing so, it soared internationally. 

🎨Mindful selfishness, the kind that: Defies conformity to pursue personal truth. Sets boundaries that guard mental, emotional, and cultural health. Turns pain into inspiration. Gives others permission to be unapologetically themselves. Yes, privilege played a role. Yes, systemic barriers shaped outcomes. But at the core, each story is a testament to how “selfish” choices—when made with integrity—can spark transformation in not just the artist, but the world they paint. 2025, Birds of a Feather.

2025, Art Show & Tell and Listen, of a Point of Order, add a little ice cream, my just reward. A young woman, lingering with a tattooed crowd in downtown Edmonton near the library, complimented my artwork. After finishing my rapidly melting ice cream in the 24°C heat, I walked over to her gang to show the backside, titled Disorder. Suddenly, a young man lunged at me. "Get the f*** away from here!" he snapped. Before I could react, the group's matriarch—Mama Tattoo—spoke up. "I like your painting," she said, her voice steady. The young man’s demeanor shifted. He looked at the artwork again, his expression softening. "That's an amazing piece of art,"
2025-11-06, Cut-Up Notes: Even when the words don’t quite land, the improvisation continues — like rummaging through the trash and finding a rose petal stuck to a coffee lid. Not quite the opera, but still part of the overture.
Art Is Freedom
Jodie Smiles after all that...
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2015, Oils The Judge (The Honourable Murray Sinclair) and the Poet, We First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Gifted to the Poet, Elizabeth Potskin. The Listen Station is a space where art, citizen news, and cut‑up narratives meet and bridge gaps. Transforming news stories, sounds, and images into a subjective witness through art. 
Lemon Sparks, Truth Stings
 Maple Syrup🍁US, Sweetness Sings



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Sip it for Health🍋Sip it for Flight 
Left Stage, Exit Right, to Free Myself from the Artifice.

2025-11-13, Painter's Notes: I want to extend a heartfelt apology to the Art Gallery of Alberta. When this photo was taken, I was unaware that the installation had boundaries I had inadvertently crossed. No harm was done to the exhibit, but I regret the oversight and the embarrassment it caused. I deeply respect the integrity of the space and the artists’ work, and I appreciate the Gallery’s commitment to fostering thoughtful engagement with contemporary art.