Masqua - Remembering a Truly Wonderful and Gifted Man - Working Thread

Hello writers of ATS.

This month's contest is not a contest. Having lost one of our greatest members this month, I thought it only fitting that we take the time to honour him for his contributions to ATS. When I joined staff, he was not only a mentor, but an amazing friend. As the years progressed, he became even more of a friend, a confidant, a shoulder to cry on or to yell at.

Yet he was always able to bring us back to where we needed to be.

His art and his written words were always beautiful. He always tried to be a better human being than what was expected and made us better in return. Not that he had to be better, Tony was one of the best humans I have ever encountered.

The list of adjectives to describe him could go on forever. This takes me to this month's special event.

I would invite writers and non writers alike, to pick a piece of art that Masqua created over his long career from his website:

Tony Los

Once you find a piece that truly speaks to you, write about it. This can be a poem, a short story, a letter to a long lost loved one. Any of the emotions, thoughts and feelings this piece brings into your heart, we would like to see it put here. There will be a separate thread for actual entries, this will act as the working thread.

I will compile entries for the next 30 days. I would ask that you not post in the other thread that will be created, just so that we can keep everything sorted properly. There won't be any winners, no high fives, no stars or applause given.

I would ask that you post your entry in this thread, and then once I give the go ahead, to post it in the upcoming 'entries' thread so to speak.

This is a thanks we give to a man who changed a lot of us, for the better. I can't count the number of times I was shown the error of my ways by Tony.

Words cannot describe the loss we all feel and that no doubt his family feels. We hope to bundle all of these entries together and send it to his family, as a tribute from his ATS Family. This is not only for those who knew Masqua/Tony. Art is funny like that, most people never meet the people who inspire them through the images they create.

I'm sure you'll find something in his works that touches on the important things in your lives. This OP may seem a little all over the place, but it's taken me over a week to figure out how to put this all down.

So that's it folks. You'll never be forgotten Tony and with this tribute, we hope to give back just a little bit of what you gave to us over your long, beautiful life.

~Tenth

I am not a writer.

But I have subscribed to this thread and look forward to all the entries.

Thx Tenth

I especially love the nature and animal artwork! I don't know if I can fire my dull brain to come up with anything fitting, but I do look forward to all our talented writers giving this a go.

A wonderful tribute, to a wonderful man!

a reply to: Night Star

He would have appreciated any attempt to bring his art to life

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Awww, so true! I will need a day when I'm feeling perkier and inspired and will go through all the paintings again to choose something.

What an amazing line of works! I truly enjoyed viewing those. I love abstract and feel it is more personal both in it's creation from artist and for the viewer to experience. Each piece is like a fingerprint, unique and a direct link to the soul of the artist. I am inspired...
I did not know Masqua here at ATS, but the things I've read seem to put him in a light of kindness and sensibility, showing consideration and passion. It is nice to see the community support here and I hope his family and loved ones will further cherish these acknowledgements from his cyber friends.

I had a tough time picking one so for now I will choose 2 and then decide on one for the entry.



This one jumped out at me, as the color red draws forth an immediate energizing. The paint in the front and center has fauvisitic traits, with heavier paint tones and I like the way it spills from center and over the symmetrical aspect, creating a more organic and ephemeral sensation. The juxtaposition of curvilinear chaos superimposed over the angled lines is a good play of masculine and feminine energies. The balance of negative and positive space is smooth also, encompassing the intention so that the delivery is easily soaked up. The blending of primaries and earth tones both in strokes and background are a nice play on the eyes.

So what does it mean to me? As an abstract artist myself, I recognize the impressionistic approach to capturing a moment of the artists perception feelings, and and perhaps lack of any specific intention at all, just being.
I sense a more personal connection to artist. This piece grabs my attention and makes me feel balanced, a combination of feeling grounded and expanded. It's borders with paint overlapping in a chaotic way makes my mind spin a bit instead of settling in. It feels both active and passive. I would display this piece in living room for whatever that is worth. A piece to ponder and move us…


The 2nd choice, if I may is this one:



Wowzie in it's color and blend of styles and shape. I dig the pointillism gradations, especially the colors used. Again a nice blend of symmetrical and asymmetrical overlays. The border patterns and color make me think of coral and sea anemone, and the green and yellow/orange all give an earthy organism vibe. The use of circles and lack of straight lines add to the organic impression as well and sooth my gaze. I sense a yin and yang which as one who connects with that idea, am affected by the balancing property. The fact that there are both pieces and a whole make me feel the uncertainty in certainty, which is how life unfolds at times. So it seems like a frozen moment of life's random swimming movements.

Tony was indeed gifted and thanks for sharing his work here. They all left me more connected to him, inspired and a bit zennish, which is a state of mind I enjoy. Emotionally, it sparks exuberance and a touch of sadness for the loss. However I must believe part of him will live on through his art, for many to enjoy and admire, and I think that would give him some comforting gratification.


ETA: I just realized the request for writing something beyond an opinion and perception, and I think I got carried away in my appreciation of his artistry and works.
So from the first pic, a poem:

As we ponder and engage the awe in life, we should appreciate the wither
For beauty emerges then subsides

Like a kiss the brief moment can linger, filling the senses with joy
Remain not tangled in the loss that abides

Within the desired there will always stir, ambition to capture
and hold onto the known

Escape if you will the predictive nature and course
Realize the moments and people have grown

While we try to remain so focused
Just as important is to appreciate the blur

Surrender expectation and set aside intent
For it is here so often, a bit if magic will occur

Step outside of the game and look beyond the field
One's senses begin to drift

Seeing a bigger picture and embracing the cosmos
Within there lies a gift

This is a wonderful idea, Tenth.

I will settle with it and see what comes up for me.

Thank you.

AB

Fear not the night with its silver orb glowing and casting shadows
from its dark and velvet stage
for through the darkness flow my wandering thoughts
like crashing waves upon the shore of life, flowing forth then receding back again

Tall trees rise from their earthen floor
waving their leaves in gentle breezes, nature's harmony
and I...I sit by starlight embracing memories
of all the lives that have come and gone
each unique and wondrous, like a precious treasure and touching my own.

Here, I feel the heartbeat of emotions keeping you alive.
Here in the darkness, in the night.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

He once PM'd me. He said I made him laugh.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

"It's not worth it to have a smoke
dangerous for the lungs you see.
Before you know it you will croak.
Cancerous wind of the banshee!"


"But it calms my nerves so that I shoot true
with smokes I can aim on the double;
If they happen to off me before my foe stops me,
then they save that poor bastard the trouble!"

VISION QUEST

For Masqua,
(Such things escape words)



In the place Between
Where breathing and dream
Meet and the mind is awake
while still asleep,
I met a God or a Man
or a shaman

Music came from the stick
Didjeridoo basso swirling
piping growling into the
Circle of Light surrounding
the Man the God the
shaman

I stepped into the Circle
He looked at me
Naked
Powerful
A challenge smoldered
The music stopped

He drew lines in the air
Energy lines cut into
the Light
He stared white eyed
and grim

“You come for the story, then…”
He said, not with words
But through the lines
Into my head and dizzy
I fell into the spell of it
The rhythm of the pulse
of the blood and light and dream


He began:



“At the base of your brain
The Cosmic Serpent
Hides from her enemies
She-He, the goddess
and god of all forms
the double-helix code at the roots
of the whisper and weaving of life

So many Names has this entity been
called throughout the world
For good or ill
It lives in you
in the ground of your being
in the undergirding
of your body
your matrix
Your bones and blood
Your organs and limbs
your conscious human self
the root of the Tree of Life

This is She-He the double-headed
Serpent who births all forms…

She-He fled through the universe
And in flight found
places of Refuge

One such was Earth
And She-He fell into it
It’s face a churning mass
And She-He made of it a Womb
Hid in water and deep in Earth
In mud She-He took the
Elements and Electricity
and made all Forms of Life
From tiny algae and bacterium
To Dinosaurs and Mammoths
Reptiles and Amphibians
Avians and Animals of all kinds
and finally Woman and Man

She-He did all this
To hide the essence of Life
from the Enemy
There within the Plane of Illusion…”




The shaman stopped
Stared at me deeply
the Challenge still spinning
Between us

“Who is the Enemy?”
I asked

He moved his stick
And thumped the
Infinite ground
Before me
Casting lines
and Beating rhythm
And a Vision
Opened…



Drums beat a mandala
We were on the skin of a drum
A drum of all forms
the Vesica Picis
From which all are Born
The Template emerges
The Flower of Life
The creation behind
Creation the Unfolding Light

I was startled into perceptions
of Here and Not Here
Of “In the beginning” and
The ancient Word
Who no mouth could speak
There was nothing but Sound
Breaking my heart with Love

Then it Stopped
Abruptly

A Shattering



He continued staring
After weaving that vision
Like it was nothing
From nothing to nothing
Staring into my soul
Boring into my brain
Flaying my heart
With his unmoving gaze



I stood my ground
I stared back
He grunted finally,
and nodded

The shaman spoke:

“What is the enemy of Life?”

I nodded in return
“Death,” I answered

He smiled

“Who wins?” He asked
Stirring his stick slowly
Eddies in the air
The Golden Spiral
Trailing out galaxies
From the tip

“If it is an Illusion,
Then Death is an illusion
But so is Life…
Forming and reforming
Incarnating - and Reincarnating…”

I paused
Then I smiled

“Yes.” He said

“Then the Pattern wins.
Whomever makes the Projection
of Reality…”

“Yes.” He said
“And what is doing the Projecting?”

He pointed the stick at me
Square at my chest
Then the center of my forehead
Then back to my breast

“Who?” I asked “Not me.”

“No.” He frowned “And Yes.”
“You are merely one part.
But you carry within you
The Whole of it…the tiny
bit of Consciousness that
Dreams the Dream…”

And then I knew.



And Death held no fear
And Life in it’s spinning
of Time and Form
Was like a field of Infinite Flowers
Each a layered Mind
A MASK
of the Infinite Reality
A Fractal Piece of the Hologram…

(Such things escape words)


The Shaman sang
And I fell through the earth
And faded...


And then I awoke

Awakened




- AB



NOTE to TENTH: I realize you said to find ONE piece that spoke to me...and I failed. What I found was a story, and the double serpent spoke first, then the Shaman told me the story of the serpent, and the others illuminated the vision. I'm sorry if this makes me greedy. If it should be narrowed for fairness, please remove the mandala and flower of life. If you have to take one more away, then the cosmic serpent must go. The shaman who weaves the tale survives.

This is a story from my bones, inspired by Masqua's art. Do as you will.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: tothetenthpower

He once PM'd me. He said I made him laugh.

You make everyone laugh

a reply to: tothetenthpower



masqua.ca...
This pic spoke to me.


The art of being still while maintaining the potential of movement.

You don't have to move,
Don't have to demonstrate your freedom.
Just have to understand that the freedom to act,
To move.
Is there.

Potential speaks.
Even when silent.
The stillness foretells
The rolling thunder
Of action.

That's all there is.
Existence the consideration of the act.
Not the act, the freedom to act.
Nothing else.

Get with the plan my friend.
Embrace the chaos of your errors
And fly
Or lie couched
Ready to

edit on 07pSun, 09 Apr 2017 18:51:07 -050020172017-04-09T18:51:07-05:00kAmerica/Chicago30000000k by SprocketUK because: format

a reply to: AboveBoard

They will live in that thread. No entry will be refused.

As many as we get will get posted .

Those were all beautiful.

I am not a writer but here is my contribution.

___________

As I rose, I realised I could still feel. Feel elation. Feel wonderment. Feel curiosity. And, feel pain.

It was at that knowledgeable moment, the pain enveloped me. The realisation that my family, my loved ones, in fact, the majority of the species we call Humans, would remain behind. They would be the ones to suffer while us few would seek a better place. Our journey’s end is peace.

Over the course of history, we have been called by many names; medicine man, medicine woman, healer, witch doctor, wizard, dukun, magician, kahuna, angekok, pawang, magus, sorcerer, and táltos. We are also known as shamans, but what we are truly are nothing in comparison.

Think of a rainbow; an arch of various colours reaching across a space. That is us. We are all different, but all part of the same and reaching for the same destination.

We have loved and some of us have hated. We have laughed and some of us have screamed. We have been leaders and some us have been led. But our commonality is we seek to make a change. Not all of us want to change things for the better. They stay.

My vision is impeded by zigzag patterns but around them I spy glimpses of a brilliant spiral. The higher I rise, the more it takes on a glow. In bemusement, I ponder the last shred of advice remembered; go into the light and seek out your destiny.

No other thoughts reach me as I am now in ecstasy and those that remain are left behind.

___________

Vale Masqua. Thank you for the inspiration: “Flying Shamans” masqua.files.wordpress.com...

HOLIDAY

"Dinner is served" on a crazy dinner plate on a matching crazy dinner tray.
Reminding me of Crazy Dinner Ladies on Crazy School Dinner days.

A huge camera lens stares out from the void to capture the diner's face.
Propeller Blades whirl in shades of Pink as I gaze into the Jet engine's blast.

A Roman shield surrounds and contains; protects us from the maelstrom of swirls.
The garish explosions of colour and form, as scary as a gang of Schoolgirls.

Add Pink for the flesh and Red for the blood as Mustard Yellow oozes between.
The Spikes of the Pikes or the Cogs on a Bike culminating in crashes and pain.

An old TV screen or Radiogram blasts out blatant warnings of war.
As broken stained-glass pulls the yachts far beyond, as they drift slowly onto the shore.

I think... my brain just took a holiday.

G

tothetenthpower




The Man That You knew

You knew who I was from what I created,
Through the words I wrote, the pictures I painted.
The thoughts I shared, the lines I drew,
The best parts of me I've left with you.

Everything that I was and all that I am,
Can be found in each and every one of them.
An intimate look, into my heart and my mind,
In every piece I created, that's what you'll find.

I live on...in the memories of my family and friends,
My legacy...is the moments we shared til the end.
My art...is the gift, I leave to all of you,
So you'll always remember, the man that you knew.

RIP Masqua

Thanks,
blend57

a reply to: blend57

Wonderful! I almost chose that picture myself.

Music, and rain. Two of the most beautiful things in the world. Masqua knows who he is to me, and I will miss him very much.

Farewell Old Soul

something's missing

someone's gone

sailing boundless

sans earthly bond

mind the jib

fill the sail

catch that wave

to the cosmic grail