Happy Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

A little girl has come among us

Meet Rosemary Kelly Meyers, my great niece. The world has just become a better place!

Old Footage of St. Padre Pio

I know I jump around a lot from secular to sacred and what have you but that's just me. I couldn't resist putting a link to this old footage of St. Padre Pio taken in the 1940's and 1950's and beyond. GI's used to go up to see him during world war II.

This footage has just solo Cello behind it. It is very well done.
CLICK HERE

Martha Argerich and Ravel's piano concerto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nym2KdtLNfk

I poster about the master Pianist Martha Argerich playing this movement many posts earlier (CLICK HERE). That video was from 20 years ago. Here she is again, now 20 years older playing it even better. To me she is the bar to be measured against in the world of Pianists. I think all women should let there hair go grey as she has.She has such passion for this piece.

The challenges of a story artist in film

I draw with a digital tablet at work. Hours and hours of time have I spent capturing the written story into image after image after image. We story artists are the ones, along with the editors and director, that oftentimes you will find in the studio on weekends.  I used to feel that Animators were the kings of the Animated movie when I animated, but as I moved into story I began to see how the story artist is the one who must be many things;  Director, Actor, Cinematographer, Choreographer, Key Grip, etc. Not only do we stage each and every shot ( cut to cut) but we act out the emotions and dramatics called for during the time that the film gate opens till it closes in the 'Take'.

The above shot called for my character, 'Eddie,' to be testing a new racing engine and moving through the gears.  It wasn't about speed, but about precision. Here he is taking a curve and is completely lost in the moment - eyes fast on the road, ears on the RPM's of the engine and mind switching from sound to sight and beyond. Click on the image to get a full frame view of it.

And it starts with a blank page.

Joshua Bell - Faure - Apres un reve (After a dream)

This instrumental version of the Song 'Apres un Reve' By Gabriel Faure is worth listening to. Joshua Bell has great tone and emotion.

Our Lady of Kibeho

This is a book all men and women of all faiths must read. We all know of the horrific Rwandan Genocide that took place in 1994. The author of this book, Immaculee IIibagiza, has written of those terrible days from one who lived through them, hiding in a tiny bathroom with several other women for 90 days as outside the window she could hear her brothers and villagers being slaughtered one after another. That book, Left to Tell, is well know and loved by all.

This book, Our Lady of Kibeho, is about a time 10 years earlier when Our Lady Appeared to several children  in Rwanda with messages to give to the government, and all mankind - to let go of the hatred in ones heart. She foretold the Genocide that would come if men would not change and one of the visionaries was show it10 years before it happened!

It can be purchased many places. Available at Imaculee's web store HERE.To find it on Amazon, click HERE.

For further information online about this amazing story and the  children involved, You can start HERE

Brilliant and Moving Puppet Theatre

If you like puppetry, as I do, than you will enjoy this very moving and original act by a master puppeteer.

various sketches

girl in a breeze

Dolphin drawings for a TV series from the
1980's that never aired.

The Old Garage

Richters Garage in Wilmington where my Dad was a mechanic. He raised a good family doing this humble work. It's not about large salaries that makes for a happy family.

St. Charbel

On this day, the Church honors St. Charbel, the holy Lebanese Monk who spent the last 23 years of his life in solitude as a hermit. Many miracles have been attributed to him. For more info, CLICK HERE.

A long time ago

We kids in the 1950's walking our baby sister and cousin.

St.Padre Pio

On going through my slides, I found this one. An old photo taken in 1918 or thereabouts of the Famed Stigmatic Franciscan Priest, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. This particular picture was taken in the Friary Garden where he lived and died. His body had the 5 wounds of Christ imprinted on it–the incident happened in 1918 when he was alone in prayer in the choir loft. He wrote the details of the experience to his Spiritual director in whom he confided with many letters which were released after his death in 1968.

His life is full of the most amazing gifts of the holy spirit, one of which was the ability to bi-locate to parts of the world to help souls in need while never leaving his humble mountain friary. He could read hearts as well- and those who came to confess to him in the sacrament of penance will testify that if they tried to hide any serious sins, he would start naming them, where they took place, and how many times! It could be very un nerving for the man or woman who came to him out of curiosity only.

At his canonization in Rome on June 16, 2002, one can see that this man has touched millions worldwide.

For more photos and a more about his amazing life, CLICK HERE.

Me and my sisters about 1959

Are we the Cuties! Here we are in 1959 or so, Me and my two lovely sisters (Maureen on the Left and Patty in the middle) on Easter Sunday in our Easter clothes showing off our Easter candy. Back then, all the girls wore hats and gloves to Mass. I think I had a suit jacket but must have taken it off for this picture.
We're sitting on the front steps at our house in Lakewood. I still remember the address: 2719 Denmead Street.

Little Brother comic strip

I'm working up an idea for a little comic strip called 'Little Brother'. Here are a few preliminary stylings. It will be about a community of fun loving Capuchin Franciscans. The main character will be Little Brother who gets into all kinds of  innocent mischief.

A new Crucifix

Here is a crucifix I am finishing. With the Franciscan spirit in mind of austerity and simplicity, it is made to look poor,  simple and hopefully devotional. The corpus was a challenge. It is modeled in 'super sculpey around a wire frame. initially I was going to make it to realistic proportions but as I worked it, it began to take on a long extended feel which gave it  a sad and pitiful look. Even though the muscular structure is incorrect something said to continue in the form it was going in.  I still have to attach it to the cross. The crown of thorns was made from some old rusty wire I had.

A Lone fairy

One of my more detailed storyboards that I do for a living. This particular one  shows a lone fairy in the woods passing by a stream with waterfalls.

New greeting Card

Here is a greeting card I just had printed. I thought I would take one of my drawings and see what it might look like on a greeting card. I don't like the over ' commercialization' of art –and here I am doing just that.  No coffee mugs, Tshirts or bags, I promise!

The Angel

Found this pen and ink drawing I had done while exploring a story idea. The story never materialized  but here is one of the drawings.

Martha Argerich-2nd movment of Ravel's Piano concerto in G

The virtue of Music

A page from my sketchbook.

As I post this, neighbors across the way are playing music. It is rock and roll. What is it about loud, too often bad guitar playing that young boys are drawn to? What is it about loudness that says that it is good?
Where are the parents when children show interest in music? Why not a cello, or a harp or perhaps a lute or nylon string guitar? Why aren't the kids saying, 'teach me about the orchestra'?

Why must it always be electric and not acoustic?

little boy seeing a bad spirit.

Just found this old Illustration I did of a young boy avoiding temptation with Rosary in hand.

more pen and ink drawings.

There never seems to be enough time to explore drawing. All my life I have drawn starting when I was a kid copying characters from Mad Magazine in the 1960's. I never took drawing seriously until I started keeping a sketchbook 25 years ago. Now, it is part of me. Here are a few sketches. I like the human figure and the story we all tell.

News flash: M. Louis Jadot released from Prison.

PARIS - Late last night, M. Louis Jadot (the famous thief) was released from Prison by the Warden on account of good behavior. M. Jadot had assured the state that he had sworn off his former life of crime. However, it is now being reported this morning that upon his release, a commotion broke out at the prison gates. It appears that the Warden realized, albeit a tad too late, that his false teeth had been stolen right out of his mouth. The suspicion points, most unfortunately, to M. Louis Jadot who was sent to prison 1 year ago for stealing the same. A nationwide manhunt for his arrest has just now been ordered.

Louis Jadot

Meet M. Louis Jadot.  A rather odd little fellow is this one. Forever getting thrown into prison and escaping only to be found again and the cycle continues. What's strange is that Louis gets caught in the oddest places; a monastery where the police notice an odd black ball trailing behind his long Black Monks habit; a circus where it is discovered that one of the trapeze artists has a ball and chain hanging; or at the opera where a tenor seems to walk rather oddly dragging a big black ball and chain. He was even once caught while performing in Swan Lake, the giveaway: his pirouettes knocked out six of the nearby dancers on account of the heavy ball that swung wildly.

Ah, poor Louis! Alas, all he wants to do is have fun in life but can't help but steal watches, false teeth, wooden legs and other trinkets of his travels.

What animation is capable of..

I'm feeling Wacky

I felt a need to do a silly drawing to show that I still have a wacky and lighthearted side.  What do you suppose this little guy is thinking?

Fr. Peter Banks OFM Cap. and Mission Santa Ines

This past weekend My wife and I went to visit my good friend Fr. Peter Banks at the old Mission Santa Ines (Santa Inez) near Solvang. The Mission lies inland from Santa Barabara California. It is the 19th of the 21 California Missions and is run by the Capuchin Franciscans. My good Friend, An Irish Capuchin and lover of the poor, Fr. Peter Banks, was there to greet us. He is the vocations director for the Capuchin Order in the Western United States. He would rather be serving the poor in Watts,( where he had been for many years) but he has been called (no doubt by his humble being and love of Jesus) to serve as vocations director. Here are some pics from the visit.

Art and Adventure: Bunny Hunting

Ben Hatke's latest little comic strip of daily life with his kids. Check it out.


Art and Adventure: Bunny Hunting

in progress

Being Good Friday I wanted to show this. It is a digital painting (sorry). I still have images to add

around the Corpus.

The beauty of Music

The sound of the Italian style Triple Harp is wonderful. Here is a performance by Maria Cleary on harp and Davide Monti on baroque violin. Their duo is called Arparla.

They don't come much cuter than this!

Meet 'Grigio' (Italian for Grey). This most cute and sweet little fellow was dropped off at a shelter 3 days before Christmas. Last Sunday, Linnea could wait no longer for a cat (our 4 year old cat 'Mezzo' disappeared on Christmas day, taken away most likely by a coyote), so we went to a cat adoption at the local pet and feed store. As soon as I saw this little guy, I knew he was the one. So we broght him home and named him for his color.  But a little bumpy road lay ahead.  He was very thin, though active; yet we were given medicine to help him along. He stopped eating and drinking at one point and because of his frail size we became very anxious.  His little sweet heart was always appreciative and he loved to cuddle in linnea's lap for hours on end.  I figured it was time to enlist someone whom I knew could help this little fellow pull through- St. Padre Pio!  I felt a little foolish asking God, through his servant St. Padre Pio for help. With so much suffering and need in the world it seems trite to ask for the health of a cat - Yet God, who is the creator of all things big and small and holds them into existence finds no request to small if done out of love.  So I took out a 3rd class relic of St. Padre Pio, blessed little Grigio with it with the sign of the cross then placed the relic under his bed.

Within a few days or less, he began to recover quite well. Eating, and drinking became more frequent and he began to leap and toss about like a healthy little kitten. He is still small and delicate and probably will always be. Linnea and he have bonded tightly- as she does so well with cats. I am thankful to God and St. Padre Pio for the little fellow's health. His simplicity and meekness (is as much as a cat can aquire virtue!) truly remind me of the unfathomable love of the creator for his creatures.

Another note; the Ceanothus trees are in bloom here in Topanga and they are Spectacular. He is a picture of one on our hill side.

Fr. Peter Banks, Capuchin Franciscan and friend of the poor.

Click on the picture to see a PBS documentary about Fr. Peter Banks and his work in Watts, Los Angeles California. He is truly a fine example of one who follows the Gospel in the Spirit of the humble   and simple St. Francis of Assisi.

Be a good samaritan

We all are given a chance to help our fellow man. We don't have to do it in a big way as this short film by Catholics in Entertainment shows.

New! ICEL about to issue plain song settings for the Mass

Finally we might start singing Sacred music rather than religious music at our Masses! the ICEL (international commission on Ennglish in the liturgy) is comming out with plain song (chant) settings for the Mass. On the right column is a link to download the new plain song settings from the CMAA (Church Music Association of America). Though they aren't officially out yet, They have been given permission to email them out to those that ask. Finally! No more 'sugar-sweet' secular melodies that do nothing to bring the heart to compunction and Awe at the Sacred Mysteries.

New Painting:The Young Soprano

Here is a new painting. The title is 'The Young Soprano'.

The inspiration is from a Sunday a few weeks ago. In the Parish church where I go for Mass, there was a woman looking over the sheet music and rehearsing her part. Her voice was well set and she, just looking at a section of a Handel Oratorio, was practicing her part without any care who was listening or watching. I was dumbfounded; to be able to sight read music (either sung or performed) to me is a gift to be admired. This young lady with the beautiful voice raised my spirits so I thought I would honor her. In this painting I imagined a singer, during Handel's time, practicing in the warm glow of a candle's light.

My newest book- Capuchin Days

I have a new book out. Back in the 1970's I lived with the Italian Franciscan friars in Italy. This book tells of the experiences I had.

The Holy Fire

Every Year on Holy Saturday in The Eastern Orthodox Church, a most amazing miracle happens at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. From within the tomb of Our Lord, a bright light appears coming from the stone slab He is said to have laid on. Candles are lit from this strange light and passed around the church to the crowds awaiting. The Fire has no burning properties-one can put one's hands into it, put it up to ones face, etc. It has the look of fire yet there is no burn. The first written account of this miracle was in the 4th century. This little video clip shows a portion of this event. The Holy light will only appear with the invocation of an Orthodox Archbishop. The Patriarch who enters the tomb explains what he sees and how this comes about. Read more about it HERE.

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Being the Feast of St. Francis I thought it opportune to add a drawing of him to this Blog. His life and history have had a profound impact on the Church.

He came at a time when there was much laxity and overindulgence in the Christian world, both lay and clerical. God always sends great saints in times of great need.

To get a glimpse of the romantic spirit of this poetic lover of 'Lady Poverty' (he considered riches and possessions as dung) I suggest reading "The Little Flowers of St. Francis" (i Fioretti). There are many editions and it has been around for more than 500 years. He had so many biographers that his life (though he lived in the 1200's) is well documented.

Pax et Bonum.

Fleeing the world

I have just finished a piece called FLEEING THE WORLD.

It presents the viewer with a woman, looking back over her shoulder and hand outstretched. By her gesture we are told to stop; to not follow but let her go on into the dark arched tunnel.

What inspired this work was a good deal of thought and reading on a subject quite un related yet not really. I have been reading and reflecting on St. Francis of Assisi and his love of solitude. There was always a little bit of the eremetical calling in him. He prefered remote mountain places for his abode. During the time before he left the world he was wont to go up into the old Etruscan tombs on Mt. Subasio (or caves) and there to give himself to continual prayer to better know the God who was calling him to an intimate and most dramatic calling.

Many are the great hermits and anchorites of centuries past who fled society and it's corruptness to the spirit.

And so my woman does the same. She wants no attention from the world, no praise for her act. She seeks only paradise and the things of paradise.

Mary, the 'Morning Star', prepares for the New Day

With the coming of Aug.15 and the feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother oF God, I thought I might post a painting of Her I just finished. I've taken the title 'Morning Star" (Stella Matutina) from the Litany of Loreto as the title for this work.

The Romance of St. Francis

I've been doing quite a bit of pen and ink drawing these days of Capuchin Friars. Ever Since I lived among them in Italy in my early 20's, I have had a great fondness for the Order. Here is a little sample of one such work.

The Love of drawing

I thought I would put up a pen and Ink drawing of mine. Drawing is probably the most enjoyable form of Art that I do. Though I paint, drawing is something so old and so common to mankind...

If you look closely, the man is pouring milk from a bottle.  I do that myself almost every evening - with a cookie as well.

My book A VISIT WITH CHRIST

For the last few months I have been working on a book which is finally published. I wrote it and did the illustrations. It is mainly for the catholic reader thirsty for some spiritual refreshment but all Christians should find it refreshing . On the right column of this blog there is a link to the book at the publisher where you can preview it and order it if you like. Unfortunately, they require that you create an account with them before checking out. Very annoying!

-J.R.Howley

feast of the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God

The first of January is dedicated (in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church) to Mary, the Mother of Christ. 

"Do whatever He tells you" she says in the Gospels.  Amen.  Happy New Year.

ALSO  I HAVE A NEW WORK FOR HARP click here to download. 

It is titled Impromptu 8.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I could not let this day go by without putting a drawing up. Unfortunately the one I wanted to show had problems kin the scanning process. It was an ink on paper. Instead, here is a digital sketch.

Song of Repeats

As life sometimes seems to go in a circle from life to death to life, I composed a playful work that repeats, adding to itself, various other instruments. If you so wish, take a listen to my 

SONG OF REPEATS.

Divine Mercy Sunday

When Our Lord appeared to  St. Faustina  with the Divine Mercy message and asked that an image be painted of Him, a painter was commissioned. However, when she saw the final work she broke down in tears as it did not capture the splendor of Our Lord as she saw him in her vision. Being a lover of the Blessed Saviour and an artist, I thought I might humbly do a painting  as well with the prescribed words, "Jesus I Trust in You" on the image and the two rays of light emanating from His Divine Heart. While working on this, my mind began to imagine Our Lord with features more from the region He was from rather than the European style we here in the West are used to.  Not that the great painters of the past have in any way diminished his Majestic Presence -no, but more in thinking with how the Icon painters (writers is what they are refered to even though they paint) of the Eastern churches approached their work. 

May the Divine Mercy be a source of hope for all of us on this vast and difficult passage. Amen.

On His last journey to Jerusalem The Christ stops to notice a flower...

As Holy Week approaches, I imagined that Our Lord might have stopped along the way to admire a flower. This little image is a pen and ink sketch from my sketchbook. I wish I had more time to do these sort of little images.

I thought back when I played in a band.....

Tonight on my drive home I was thinking about various moments in my past. One such time was my days of playing lead electric guitar in a Blues band in Long Beach. I would be terrified now if I had to get up in front of a crowd and play, but back then it was different -maybe I was less self conscious (or was it a few beers) but all in all it was a lot of fun. 

So here is a track I wrote some years back and recorded. it's called JAZZ AT 6:10 PM (click on the title) and it's a fun groove that I finished recording one night at 6:10 pm.

As usual this track can also be found on the right hand column of this blog

ASH WEDNESDAY THOUGHT, 2008

The season of Lent has arrived and once again I am aware of man's insignificance. But a passing shadow, we humans come and go - and are gone.  On this brevity of existence (which we will all feel sooner or later) is a composition of mine based on. It is an orchestral meditation of sorts for organ, glass armonica and orchestra. The title is: O HOW SHORT THIS LIFE DOTH SEEM. (click on the link to hear it)

I composed this short work probably 7 years ago.   In case you are wondering, " What the heck is a glass armonica?" CLICK HERE and find out. You'll be amazed to know that our own Benjamin Franklin is the inventor or this unusual instrument.