Jim O'Neil's articles

OK kiddies, story time: Some years back, here in Fairbanks, Alaska, I was exploring one of the old cabins along the creek were the original gold discovery claim for this mining district is at. Two miners had obviously lived there as there were 2 bunks, two stools, etc. I noticed two deep dents torn and worn in to the small table edge, one on each side, which struck me as curious strange. Checking outside, in the kitchen midden, garbage heap, I noticed it was mostly quart bottles, a…

Why yes, you can "Fix" a charcoal drawing (keep it from smearing when touched) using cheap hair spray, rather than stinky fixatives from the art supply stores. I've been told the hair spray will yellow over time, but I've 30-40 year old drawings that show no color change. Lately though, I've been fixing my charcoal drawing with urethane spar varnish applied with a brush. Of course your first thought is but but but, the brush will smear the charcoal all over the place! Ha! not if you apply…

Art is art but location is important and, to state the obvious, art critics are (mostly) pompous asses.

Tis the day after Christmas and all though the house, everybody was scurrying including the spouse. Stockings were scattered all over the floor, and St. Nick's sooty footprints led out through the door. The children are frantic and bouncing off walls, tossing 'round sugarplums and shouting cat calls. Ma with her broom and I with my shovel, shift through the wrapping and dispose of the rubble. Then out in the yard there arouse a commotion, as to what it could be, I hadn't a notion. So I ran…

In my old Jeep With the top down 140 or so miles south of Fairbanks driving a ridge from Delta to the edge Of Donnelly Flats. Pause And look at The flat, arrow straight ten miles Of road bisecting alpine tundra, Clear, absolutely unobstructed view Three miles or so each side. No cars, no moose no caribou Or bears Or cops. So... Let out the clutch Upshift Gas pedal tight against the floorboards Speedometer reading well over a hundred As I leave the ridge and hit the flats…

Fairbanks to Valdez, A couplet and a tease. Three hundred and fifty eight Smooth rough, worn or great Miles. Smiles. Fairbanks, a semi-arid plain Valdez, maritime , with rain. The road between through ranging mountains, Lakes and glaciers, crystal fountains. Alpine tundra, black spruce forests Rain and wind provide a chorus. Donnely flats a sea of mist The dome a shadow through the rain Another passing on the list And coming b…

So! Back in the fifties In the middle of Florida 5, let's see, no, 7, of us had been, caving, spelunking but that's another story. None the less, after spelunking, we all hopped in 2 cars to head back to campus. Now It was a hot day, so we'd left the doors open on the cars. Drivin' back, in our car we suddenly heard a sound from 'neath the seat to my ear it was pretty damn close to a sound I'd head before, the dry repeating rhythm of the rattle of a rather peeved rattlesnake!…

Marrie Smit, here on Ipernity just asked me to tell her a story and since right now it's about 2 A.M. in the Netherlands, where she lives, I figured I better tell her a nice bedtime story so, Marri, here it is!

Five years ago a lynx in the yard. Fifty years ago a bookshelf dancing Off the wall in NYC. Five days ago a raven Sitting in a spruce tree Cussing at an owl On another branch Three feet away. Five months ago Auroras dancing across the sky Night after night After night. Five minutes ago an honest politician. The last, of course Is a bare faced lie, All the rest are true. J O'N, 14 May 2016

From Minto Three Athabaskan brothers, out winter hunting, temperature 40 - 50 below, near village of Minto. See vapor rising from a snow hill. Bear's den. Bear's breath condensing above the den. Vapor rising. Two older brother say to young brother: "Hey! Bear's winter sleeping inside den. Now you kill your first bear! We'll help carry meat back to village." Younger brother say: "No way! You two go I'm scared." Older brothers: "You go kill bear, get me…

Started 10 December 2015 It happens once every four years but it brings many people to tears the long drawn out selection for the presidential election with nothing to choose from but rears. At last night's presidential debate After break she came back a bit late They started without her no one had to out shout her Everyone said it was great! There was a contender named Trump Who spoke, off the cuff from the stump What he says doesn't matter…

Bogland, written by Seamus H., a contemporary I was born in thirty-eight, he in thirty-nine. Bogland. I've never read it nor any of his works but I found myself in sync with him, at least temporally. An article in the Paris Review an interview. Heaney, a Mic from north of Erin Apparently made a living with rhyme For a time But used his laurels To obtain some chairs At universities here and there and there. No fault found with that, He'd a family to support. A wife and 3 child…

. Born in Ohio. Raised in Florida. Lived in New York City for 5 years which was a good reason to move to Alaska, Where I've lived for the last 40 years. Addendum: & during the 75 years to date that I've been on this earth I also...........

Just for the fun of it. Stream of consciousness: Dental visit is it that or another other that interrupted my sleep so deep within the night or morning around three I started my day just sayin'. And now it's five and a bit and I started the coffee brewin' downstairs while meanwhile upstairs up here splashed some watercolors but ahead dead heading in to the future I've got nothing going nothing planned so maybe go with the flow the story of my life seventy five years whodathought ears are itc…

Once back in the early fifties when I was growing up in southern Florida, I found myself up a tree. I was playing in the everglades, which then was my back yard. While most visitors see the glades as a sea of grass, it also includes islands within that grass sea, a few inches higher, but with completely different ecosystems, both flora and fauna. So! On one of those 'islands' I'd climbed up in to a banyan tree (Banyans grow a vertical trunk, send off horizontal branches and then drop down…

1st try moving a photo in to an article, will see if it works.

Sage advice Once upon a time in Japan... OK, so Kōbō Daishi was wandering around Shikoku Island and came across a young Buddhist monk squatting by the edge of a raging stream. There were well placed stepping stones across the stream but, on the first stone there were two weasels, one big one and one little ittsy bittsy one, stretched out enjoying the sun. So! Kōbō Daishi says to the young monk: "Wassup?" The young monk replies: "Downer man, I wanna cross this here…

A story passed on to me by friends when I was visiting in Emmonak, Alaska: Hey, you want to hear shaman story? Youbetya? OK by golly, I'll tell you story: Long long time ago, nobody here, just the people, no white men, no snow machines, no four wheelers, plenty fish, plenty birds, plenty game, plenty of mosquitoes! Good life, good fishing good hunting, the people were happy. Tell the time, you look at the sky. The sky, the winds, the sun, the clouds, they all tell you when it's time t…