Chicago Building

It is late in the day in Chicago. Only one person is still working in this building. Can you see the light? I once worked in such a building. I don't do that anymore. I have seen the light...and many other strange things.

Mysterious Curtains

This image orginally started as a picture of some curtains. I believe they are the ones we had in our house in Florida. But then I have been mistaken about what I believe many times in the past.

Tired Purple Flower

Looks like how I feel about now - dried out and a bit crispy around the edges. Late night.

State Flower of Iowa

Whatever

Green Heart Leaf

Fairytale Rose

Early Christmas

Artificial imagination. Photoshop manipulation. Visual masturbation.

Gingkos On Pavement

A friend once told me that you will live forever if you find a Ginko leaf growing in the shape of a funnel. These ginko leaves are not shaped like funnels. They will not live forever. They will have to settle for looking nice against the asphalt.

Fall Finale

What can be said about fall? Nothing that fall gives two hoots about I am sure.

First Snow - Nov. 2005

I will look back on this picture and wonder why I took it. But right now the flakes are beautiful. Some of them are the size of...of...of...well, large fluffy snowflakes.

Rejeanne's Chicken

RDA, my life partner and wife, made this chicken. The chicken is plain. RDA is not

Dr. Science - Stone People's Life Cycle

Stages of the Stone People’s Life Cycle
(© Dr. Science)

The chart above depicts the life cycle of the Stone People, creatures I first discovered while on a trip to Japan. Dr. Science is a person who lives in my head and thinks that he knows a lot. Email me if you have more interest in the Stone People, and Dr. Science. I have more of their adventures available to those who are interested in this sort of thing.

The following describes the contents of the pictures on Dr. Science's chart. You may want to print out a copy of the chart to look at as you read the text. It will make things clearer.

1. Vacancy: This stage in the cycle is not comprehensible by humans. Stone People themselves only grasp it dimly - they are conscious of themselves during the vacancy stage but are not cognizant of their surroundings. A black hole is the closest humans have come to understanding the state called vacancy.
2. Particles: Similar to Black Holes, the vacancy emits streams of radiation containing sub-atomic particles. Humans have begun to define these particles using super colliders. The Stone People enjoy being particles very much – while in this state they are able to freely disappear and reappear and change their composition at will. Also, the bounds of time do not apply to them while they are in this state.
3. Hydrogen: Some particles combine to form protons and electrons which are the basis for the hydrogen atom. Hydrogen is the basic building block of our universe. The Stone People do not like this state. While they are hydrogen, their consciousness is bound to the hydrogen atom and hydrogen has very little going on. Hydrogen is atomic monogamy - one proton and one electron. That is why it is so anxious to turn into something else.
4. Sun: The heat and gravity of the Sun (or suns) fuse the hydrogen atoms into progressively heavier and heavier elements. The Stone People like being in this stage. They say it is like visiting Florida after spending a cold winter in outer space.
5. Elements: The elements humans have defined in their periodic table are but a few of the total elements available for the Stone People to inhabit. Ever the jokester, Mr. Science draws cartoons to represent the elements that are not known to humans.
6. Our Universe/Life: This is the Stone People’s favorite stage. While here they can physically change their shape into any form of life currently hanging around. Further, they can migrate between our universe and the infinite other universes available. They inhabit a multi-verse. They have the freedom they had in the particle state plus the pleasure of interacting with an infinite variety of other conscious life. Additionally, while in this stage the Stone People get to play the role of gods with humans. They try to guide us with people like Zoroaster, Moses, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha and the like but we are stubborn and refuse to relax. We keep trying to figure things out. The Stone People are touched by our child-like insistence on placing ourselves at the center of everything and seeing ourselves as the most important beings in all dimensions for all time. The Stone People don’t understand us but they love us anyway.
7. Decomposition: Strictly speaking, decomposition begins for the Stone People (and us humans) as soon as they enter this universe and life. The Stone People (and some humans) do not fear this process. They simply see it as a natural transition to the next stage. The Stone People do not understand the tragedy of Hamlet, for them it is like a Monty Python skit. When they read the line, “Alas, poor Yorick!” in Hamlet, they crack up.
8. Atoms: In this stage, the form Stone People inhabited in this world returns to atoms and eventually to boring hydrogen once more.
9. Particles: In this stage, the Stone People get one last chance to party before returning to the mystery of vacancy (see stage one). It is sort of like New Year’s Eve for them.
   

Picture of Nothing

This was a picture of a leaf. Then I used the sharpen and bas-relief filters in Adobe Photoshop. Now it is a picture of nothing. Still, I find it pretty to look at.

Minnesotan Sleeper

I saw this man at a coffee shop in Minnesota. He tried and tried but he could not stay awake. It was around lunch time. I guess he should have had the expresso.

Purple Flower

This flower exists only on paper. I hope that it does not experience identity theft.

Eggs In Blue

Smelling eggs is not fun. Eating them is.

Self Portrait

A self portrait. Not very attractive I must say. I must have had gas that day.

Dancing Shoes

Long ago I danced. I seem to have forgotten how. The shoes appeared in my head as I was walking one morning. They seemed to want to dance. I put them on paper. Perhaps they will dance soon. Perhaps I will dance before they do.

RDA Rose

This rose decided to be pink. I do not know why. Because it made the choice for pink it is now immortalized on the internet.

RDA Leaves Part Deux

Leaves for RDA

REPOST from July 20 - Dream

My pictures are done with ink pens on archival paper. Most of the time, like with this picture, I simply start making dots and let them go where they will. I sometimes sketch out the image in pencil before beginning and then erase the pencil after I have captured the image in ink.

The originals generally are 8.5"x11". It takes anywhere from a few thousand to over 1 million dots (an average of 100 dots per minute) to fill a page.

If you like the image use it as you wish. I like hearing from people who use my pictures - mailto:daleshankins@yahoo.com

Toronto Lady

Another Iowa City day. I saw this lady in Toronto and brought her home. She has difficulty with cars.

Strange Leaves

Fall Weeds

These blond weeds knew they were posing for a picture. I told them several times. Despite this they allowed an ugly stick to jump in front of them.

Patches and Romeo

Something witty was supposed to be written here but it was not. Our cats, Patches and Romeo, looked very hard for the witty saying but they could not find it.