tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30114787758627221802024-03-14T02:19:53.488-07:00Henri van Bentum 1929-2022Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger351125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-38848954815192163562023-11-04T10:30:00.001-07:002023-11-04T16:21:27.080-07:00How to Navigate the Legacy Blog of Henri van Bentum, 1929 - 2022<div><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="320" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTb8_n_lcNA44Y7TLQu23IUMjIm9H_JUYunn-zRv4D2IBksBxQAbXiBSLiyQ7RgyyWuUn8bpT1azPr_P7XZnSnd9cD4YZECYPlzoyL9isB0_o7A72xB9-Y_e15GWi5vpEWAi7oR1hIBcesx3kruRo_ueUy0-PgataLD5YDY0T911w6iFr08A5K_pUz/s1600/Henri%20aboard%20Buena%20Esperanza%20en%20route%20Ibiza%20to%20Sicily%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></div></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://henrivanbentum.blogspot.com/2008/08/shipwreck-with-lucky-strike-part-one.html" target="_blank">Henri aboard 60' sloop, en route from Ibiza to Pireaus</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://henrivanbentum.blogspot.com/2008/08/shipwreck-with-lucky-strike-part-one.html" target="_blank">(For the account about this fateful 1961 voyage, see the post of August 26, 200</a>8<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to the legacy blog of artist Henri van Bentum (1929-2022). This site contains several hundred posts covering a vast array of topics, all written by Henri, beginning in 2008 when the blog launched. For a chronological menu of older posts, please see the lower left-hand side of this page. The site is curated by Natasha van Bentum, lifelong partner of Henri for fifty-one years.</span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-13409911098165110662023-05-27T13:21:00.021-07:002024-02-25T13:39:50.824-08:00The Deployment of Henri's Reef off the coast of Vancouver Island - Artist Henri van Bentum, 1929-2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjh8ziKl7yvbQl7P1TSnKKXSNU14PfcX7c9mssXvr40ETsRhXGB-vlzhSL-amSeUvOob5tDHiH_-kgmyfZc582Vb656Oy07SFtAqHpsD6gTYy08lSEnGyG0DJpVTVITEuUqfGpQEA6i4EFLUP8NW7Gysi7kOK8nYKn5Bn3Tk8hFqm3Htp4hHpe_yM/s2119/CORAL%20FANTASY%201965%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="2119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjh8ziKl7yvbQl7P1TSnKKXSNU14PfcX7c9mssXvr40ETsRhXGB-vlzhSL-amSeUvOob5tDHiH_-kgmyfZc582Vb656Oy07SFtAqHpsD6gTYy08lSEnGyG0DJpVTVITEuUqfGpQEA6i4EFLUP8NW7Gysi7kOK8nYKn5Bn3Tk8hFqm3Htp4hHpe_yM/s320/CORAL%20FANTASY%201965%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Coral Fantasy", acrylic on paper, 1965 Henri van Bentum, Private Collection</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In Loving Memory: Saturday, May 27th marked the deployment of Henri’s reef into the Salish Sea off the coast of Vancouver Island, at a dive and snorkelling site located near the Ten Mile Point ecological reserve.
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifodoOZuYtCIIXeydNHJlKfZ2YvelMAID8xNTnDi0qrzl3sd6QTmIjTUKHqQmekxkIh31XfLRk9BTBH1XHs5ly2hgTBwj9eA_QPpqzFDqEU8w2fIR4kuPpvkDSLlEJ1DHvjnFao1ncHyXwLRvyvIAKmIqz4uapRrdE0YKuko8spIX6gibopsHQ_3vP/s4000/Henri%27s%20Reef%20on%20the%20boat.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifodoOZuYtCIIXeydNHJlKfZ2YvelMAID8xNTnDi0qrzl3sd6QTmIjTUKHqQmekxkIh31XfLRk9BTBH1XHs5ly2hgTBwj9eA_QPpqzFDqEU8w2fIR4kuPpvkDSLlEJ1DHvjnFao1ncHyXwLRvyvIAKmIqz4uapRrdE0YKuko8spIX6gibopsHQ_3vP/s320/Henri%27s%20Reef%20on%20the%20boat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
Thanks to the people at <a href="https://www.livingreefmemorial.ca/" target="_blank">Living Reef Memorial</a>, the reef was created from Henri’s cremated ashes, crushed oyster and other seashells, low alkaline cement and sand. The reef has a ceramic plaque honouring Henri</span>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoWH8MarW1_S3nKCjC0ciGthP2uB8TRHwYkNeAZBt6g-JO3t64w5kuPsnoFheovjNuq6DhyvtJ1MOdWI5W78ELK1Ug_Ipng5OVC5aF-zuh7E3jMs-wsxiAjJxhBLlQFMxIJJE3hPpZfN7XCfas52K_YvT7EzqDMiHz1AUkCJxTsRrh55aLu_0DiRd/s4054/Henri%27s%20Reef%20PLAQUE.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="4054" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoWH8MarW1_S3nKCjC0ciGthP2uB8TRHwYkNeAZBt6g-JO3t64w5kuPsnoFheovjNuq6DhyvtJ1MOdWI5W78ELK1Ug_Ipng5OVC5aF-zuh7E3jMs-wsxiAjJxhBLlQFMxIJJE3hPpZfN7XCfas52K_YvT7EzqDMiHz1AUkCJxTsRrh55aLu_0DiRd/s320/Henri%27s%20Reef%20PLAQUE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
Just some of the underwater life (*) that can be found in Spring Bay, with its cold and strong currents are: frosted nudibranch, painted anemone, pink-tipped aggregating anemone, giant plumrose anemone, shiny sea squirt, three types of chiton, plus three types of dorid (leopard, Heath and Hudson), clown nudibranch, mottled star, blood star, green urchin, red urchin, purple urchin, and three kinds of sea cucumber. (*) For this listing, thank you to Sara Ellison, author of the newly-published <i>"Snorkelling Adventures Around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands".</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Soon Henri’s reef will be visited and inhabited by many underwater creatures. </span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">For many years, Henri went on snorkelling / dive expeditions to such faraway locations as the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Indonesia. He had a great love for all creatures of the seven seas.
In addition to circumnavigating the planet by ship three times, in his eighth decade Henri wrote five children’s books, three of which feature coral reefs and the sea.
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ9a65PM0PgFZiyDyOpMDyoVS3tsRmlYuDK5Uyutebb56OuPxx0aHreEFXSft1yKX1z1BldKNKob8Q8IgfcO5CvLI_nBA02joKJ7EGlra8lTqNCCbu9XEjZiM2Fu3P63kWoj7t953bylIhnLAy6u19F0hw-l6XlW0cO2-NjQKbu3mRNQALvi3mCPZ/s3200/Boat%20with%20arrow%20showing%20reef%20at%20back.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ9a65PM0PgFZiyDyOpMDyoVS3tsRmlYuDK5Uyutebb56OuPxx0aHreEFXSft1yKX1z1BldKNKob8Q8IgfcO5CvLI_nBA02joKJ7EGlra8lTqNCCbu9XEjZiM2Fu3P63kWoj7t953bylIhnLAy6u19F0hw-l6XlW0cO2-NjQKbu3mRNQALvi3mCPZ/s320/Boat%20with%20arrow%20showing%20reef%20at%20back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the photo above, the arrow points to the reef at the back of the boat, about to be deployed. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I only learned about Living Reef Memorial after Henri left us to continue his journey, but I know he would have found joy in the concept of “from cremation to creation”</span>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0KtpM5VN8aENa4dW-HEXh-OuELsJ_kyw_fQisHPCu9BYvWj2LVmk6UOiMZJTC_ZmKGS39-qKpKJ3SXt10qWDYfRg1DYy6oxdbnLa0yuUhOqCYJP2st3qoqO0_ejARZiY_Du4h1N0UKL5bcOugfZG82PKk-1wm-YBIbZUEQdtrcZMt8cLwwo_ZJLn/s2888/1%20Henri%20with%20First%20Copy%20King%20Neptune%27s%20Jewels%20with%20Tails%20and%20Fins%20Dec%2012%202016%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2888" data-original-width="2204" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0KtpM5VN8aENa4dW-HEXh-OuELsJ_kyw_fQisHPCu9BYvWj2LVmk6UOiMZJTC_ZmKGS39-qKpKJ3SXt10qWDYfRg1DYy6oxdbnLa0yuUhOqCYJP2st3qoqO0_ejARZiY_Du4h1N0UKL5bcOugfZG82PKk-1wm-YBIbZUEQdtrcZMt8cLwwo_ZJLn/s320/1%20Henri%20with%20First%20Copy%20King%20Neptune%27s%20Jewels%20with%20Tails%20and%20Fins%20Dec%2012%202016%20-%20Copy.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is a photo of Henri, back in in 2017, with his first children's book, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"King Neptune's Jewels with Fins and Tails", hot off the press</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/henri-van-bentum" target="_blank">Link to Henri's obituary.</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Natasha van Bentum</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Henri's partner of 51 years</span></div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-25364756543532840902023-05-26T10:39:00.002-07:002023-11-11T09:41:21.919-08:00More photos from the deployment of Henri's Reef <p> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some screen captures from a video by Living Reef Memorial of the deployment of Henri's Reef exactly two weeks ago, on May 27th. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">More details about the Living Reef can be found in the earlier post, published on the same day (scroll below).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_a-4fD6L-uNoRC5XAbJ9RGH5bqmIw9psJ63irv5DMiRcfOBUWJceEFtQBWL4sSu8FR_GcMBKfdspg6dhKolTxChrys3rRHjvrCAWvcB84QiWloyqh7csZDEBaBk5mbBBWnFPDzx7v4JA9P028yEw3iiRUDjeawsh5iSAWU3WZewZWKapTywfwPfj/s1262/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1262" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_a-4fD6L-uNoRC5XAbJ9RGH5bqmIw9psJ63irv5DMiRcfOBUWJceEFtQBWL4sSu8FR_GcMBKfdspg6dhKolTxChrys3rRHjvrCAWvcB84QiWloyqh7csZDEBaBk5mbBBWnFPDzx7v4JA9P028yEw3iiRUDjeawsh5iSAWU3WZewZWKapTywfwPfj/w400-h224/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The boat left from Esquimalt, en route to Ten Mile Point </span><span style="font-size: large;">and the deployment site</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojddNx8WskZ4-JSeatpoH8pUOOLIC0uPhLV_Zblo0R5ZJ4sD4PeudqbM291GvTyyI1OWRp-ocuaq8alEGF_005CantTtshRNsZJ63VPBzhDWGxrBgX1-7m0bumjzczVFQ-7T3kGLArhBz9HTV9E-hBIMX75yKTjqtwqKPwayH54eM-WjtOyNyCvsU/s1255/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1255" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojddNx8WskZ4-JSeatpoH8pUOOLIC0uPhLV_Zblo0R5ZJ4sD4PeudqbM291GvTyyI1OWRp-ocuaq8alEGF_005CantTtshRNsZJ63VPBzhDWGxrBgX1-7m0bumjzczVFQ-7T3kGLArhBz9HTV9E-hBIMX75yKTjqtwqKPwayH54eM-WjtOyNyCvsU/w400-h221/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking south, across Juan de Fuca Strait to the Olympic mountains </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1yrMwUuiFnx_RC14IfUOOAmwrE-mg96f3tkNRZRKh_3qY074cRaXmwqgiDRy5iXRa2ObhWz7hdD5QVTNT6BBgImXwx6JcZFJUQ9pjjA-uDYyVW2OT5zW8OATUAWhiOSyFyQIVpkQZ7drzCqV-ifPncT3mFbcEk1zmhKTpKOPIYDde2Uw7KGL7FVp/s1271/3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1271" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1yrMwUuiFnx_RC14IfUOOAmwrE-mg96f3tkNRZRKh_3qY074cRaXmwqgiDRy5iXRa2ObhWz7hdD5QVTNT6BBgImXwx6JcZFJUQ9pjjA-uDYyVW2OT5zW8OATUAWhiOSyFyQIVpkQZ7drzCqV-ifPncT3mFbcEk1zmhKTpKOPIYDde2Uw7KGL7FVp/w400-h220/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrPQ9npqkG85UpvdmlKKtrVT1MJoTOXp3iae8lqaE0eOuMtqW7T7-fnbW7ivI5Fci8aKjeti6X_NARLnEcqCwSe2TBXdRlewwdnrZVTe7YuYZ8zZ2V5cEnx8Ar-otnAs5pCr09Yhp5vHdascpeTO5NViP50HBOoYLPzH_kV6BvOA1pB_jc2NwExZW/s1261/4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1261" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrPQ9npqkG85UpvdmlKKtrVT1MJoTOXp3iae8lqaE0eOuMtqW7T7-fnbW7ivI5Fci8aKjeti6X_NARLnEcqCwSe2TBXdRlewwdnrZVTe7YuYZ8zZ2V5cEnx8Ar-otnAs5pCr09Yhp5vHdascpeTO5NViP50HBOoYLPzH_kV6BvOA1pB_jc2NwExZW/w400-h181/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nearing Ten Mile Point </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZevDePHyUe3z5H6Dhbrv2Szjsoe76awNzIOPsjQNqLEMxaEFPVWAAuoM_bD8so7L3ukusg8SrWhNCH6vlLK5B9ESgVHSGL_uNYbuZiK8uzY54jI-iUFW3tJhBhQARkOw4hQmqk51TGDH9g79kQjJNX2i2bTLZIOah9uKhi7E-CW5uQ4qy6bVKtAQ5/s1264/5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1264" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZevDePHyUe3z5H6Dhbrv2Szjsoe76awNzIOPsjQNqLEMxaEFPVWAAuoM_bD8so7L3ukusg8SrWhNCH6vlLK5B9ESgVHSGL_uNYbuZiK8uzY54jI-iUFW3tJhBhQARkOw4hQmqk51TGDH9g79kQjJNX2i2bTLZIOah9uKhi7E-CW5uQ4qy6bVKtAQ5/w400-h226/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The reef prior to deployment (Henri's plaque is on the back, </span><span style="font-size: large;">not in view, see photo below)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8yGNXuVDKrS8VhPzUwXEfnsWX3gnIuRuKeYNC7JbDwXyDDxtOvi7M49xWVQxm6sKYtzvUBsc-FDDPjd3Y483upe5IoAXm2BdSdEPfugB4dq17SwjrYM3CmPa2w_1n4ILiBD5xzk-t_MyUtKCie2yw-XTUteLee0zdoaBZb1Ml1G4_dkKnpjLcPmj/s3200/6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8yGNXuVDKrS8VhPzUwXEfnsWX3gnIuRuKeYNC7JbDwXyDDxtOvi7M49xWVQxm6sKYtzvUBsc-FDDPjd3Y483upe5IoAXm2BdSdEPfugB4dq17SwjrYM3CmPa2w_1n4ILiBD5xzk-t_MyUtKCie2yw-XTUteLee0zdoaBZb1Ml1G4_dkKnpjLcPmj/w400-h300/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The arrow points to the Reef about to be deployed</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk627Kyh9LK1UBEdoShEynxKLYg3s4A0IlHwMfbeQuJT1h6X5O8_AJCOk98JswOBX2pQP2VHnMcDKh7-eNVVVvfQkd9Dn5Wnosd_XxrS9gpLot9bXb2nwGUJPIW-0cUgUk41wiS1-OP7qlg7urLTQQzLOdocykZyZ3zrxjqVVtadqvYYWN0RcvdE_/s4054/7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="4054" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk627Kyh9LK1UBEdoShEynxKLYg3s4A0IlHwMfbeQuJT1h6X5O8_AJCOk98JswOBX2pQP2VHnMcDKh7-eNVVVvfQkd9Dn5Wnosd_XxrS9gpLot9bXb2nwGUJPIW-0cUgUk41wiS1-OP7qlg7urLTQQzLOdocykZyZ3zrxjqVVtadqvYYWN0RcvdE_/w400-h303/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The ceramic plaque on Henri's Reef</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo9dRl0ZPcvhoScUhPLfNEiNC_pzISW0Rm3L6JXQiJUPifeA8qe1zyk_0pA5urbGOVz0xCT9WSZq1tcTW6oz526VjVjT_T3QBdEtdHhGyIO6_QBp1IKU6gSKfz42W_EsSYkcLsbjCFFKoSHGfohLQdQR1KiBTvB2kkU5xFlXibpFHFoKWuUF-U3RZ/s1248/8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1248" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo9dRl0ZPcvhoScUhPLfNEiNC_pzISW0Rm3L6JXQiJUPifeA8qe1zyk_0pA5urbGOVz0xCT9WSZq1tcTW6oz526VjVjT_T3QBdEtdHhGyIO6_QBp1IKU6gSKfz42W_EsSYkcLsbjCFFKoSHGfohLQdQR1KiBTvB2kkU5xFlXibpFHFoKWuUF-U3RZ/w400-h179/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heading back home</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">In Loving Memory </div><div style="text-align: right;">Henri van Bentum</div><div style="text-align: right;">1929-2002</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-2101125588096651452023-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:002024-02-25T13:36:13.153-08:00Henri was a keen Snooker player, he would have enjoyed this:<p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This week my quasi-spoof, quasi-serious document, called <span>"</span><i>The Society for the Protection of Snooker Tables - An Endangered Species</i><span>", was hung in the Billiards Room of the historic Union Club of British Columbia. My beloved partner of fifty-one years, artist and keen snooker player, Henri van Bentum, (1929-2022) would have enjoyed it. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF4SM0bFFCO6dwRYnp336GXWZnECjVkQsmTqqRpUIYGTgUSzvQU-ERms0UEKFbLWBCCTy1kJ2r23nW-IMxwfwE4EdtGemah_m1wlluYr5v0BFoupMZGkSqO2XH6v6vIfxV8sEZwJ8JNaTs68X6ptEsa5tAhL93dbFNwNvW_vowIXcdE0NJTywBbelOz8/s2000/with%20arrow%20View%201%20showing%20document%20from%20distance%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1551" data-original-width="2000" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF4SM0bFFCO6dwRYnp336GXWZnECjVkQsmTqqRpUIYGTgUSzvQU-ERms0UEKFbLWBCCTy1kJ2r23nW-IMxwfwE4EdtGemah_m1wlluYr5v0BFoupMZGkSqO2XH6v6vIfxV8sEZwJ8JNaTs68X6ptEsa5tAhL93dbFNwNvW_vowIXcdE0NJTywBbelOz8/s320/with%20arrow%20View%201%20showing%20document%20from%20distance%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking towards the west wall of the Billiards Room, the red arrow shows the framed document. There are two other </span><span style="font-size: large;">full-size snooker tables in the room, shown below.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG2Zwza4Ig3tct0JBY3nU8i5zTHTQStE9KhalpCPIXJ1NBIF2UPG8bEFmctBmv8EDbSOAto_5sCUmraWP-6wsan2RErnmZKNTdYMbTyyknUGS5TRphURioc5Cq76n8o6fjyOV-g3tRjcBfFMm88fawYCRzezfdoP6MttlULZ4rObeOWp26aJr-xq_Qvg/s5100/Final%203%20use%20this%20one%20jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG2Zwza4Ig3tct0JBY3nU8i5zTHTQStE9KhalpCPIXJ1NBIF2UPG8bEFmctBmv8EDbSOAto_5sCUmraWP-6wsan2RErnmZKNTdYMbTyyknUGS5TRphURioc5Cq76n8o6fjyOV-g3tRjcBfFMm88fawYCRzezfdoP6MttlULZ4rObeOWp26aJr-xq_Qvg/w207-h320/Final%203%20use%20this%20one%20jpeg.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A photo of the late Henri van Bentum (1929-2022), shown in action in the Billiards Room</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtPZGpntJHGZx6rlBkB_Zt3szSFbMXoFWiLaHqun7Ku1FYdVPTV20UxuYtSMOaS48XxNbr1W_wuN2FcuDp3KWI715ufCrckop49c97C4w4jpPBJvEToKt7bEvkRN-SN87w3T7opQe7WKOSc65FqGdOkOVamf9vVVkZVdm1frW3dJ9Ve1hGvsigAQeu38/s2000/Oom%20Henri%202%20-%20in%20action%20April%209%20at%20Union%20Club%20tournament.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2000" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtPZGpntJHGZx6rlBkB_Zt3szSFbMXoFWiLaHqun7Ku1FYdVPTV20UxuYtSMOaS48XxNbr1W_wuN2FcuDp3KWI715ufCrckop49c97C4w4jpPBJvEToKt7bEvkRN-SN87w3T7opQe7WKOSc65FqGdOkOVamf9vVVkZVdm1frW3dJ9Ve1hGvsigAQeu38/w400-h248/Oom%20Henri%202%20-%20in%20action%20April%209%20at%20Union%20Club%20tournament.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">Natasha van Bentum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">July 2023</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-83674592430232522132023-05-05T14:23:00.000-07:002023-05-09T07:23:13.374-07:00Celebrating Light: A Journey Through the Organiverse with Works by Rabindranath Tagore ("Gitanjali") and Henri van Bentum<p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As a way of introducing the Gitanjali / Organiverse project (see post of February15th ), we've linked up with the UNESCO International Day of Light 2023 to introduce one of Rabindranath Tagore's poems (#57, "Light") and one of Henri van Bentum's 'Organiverse' mandalas (#57 of #100 set). The <a href="https://vanbentum.wixsite.com/journey" target="_blank">site</a> has a link to the full project, encompassing all 100 mandalas and 100 poems. </span> https://vanbentum.wixsite.com/journey</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCBh-K0wahPxyu7S6zNmCwP3L9PGfHK94CkJpj6NsXhAR63jLCSiGovlBRAb6NXU_TKCKDOnBBAEZu05YpGv6suVyKCqXCD2u4pWOUklKiXbRLv4lJ7wPdxg7QI8RVr0ExiSAoVahXrk8LhEwA06n_D5kVpj1JzN_I1Xxs7Z4LtmG74OuqS27KFHt/s1345/Quote%20from%20Bashabi%20top%20half%20with%20blue%20background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="1345" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCBh-K0wahPxyu7S6zNmCwP3L9PGfHK94CkJpj6NsXhAR63jLCSiGovlBRAb6NXU_TKCKDOnBBAEZu05YpGv6suVyKCqXCD2u4pWOUklKiXbRLv4lJ7wPdxg7QI8RVr0ExiSAoVahXrk8LhEwA06n_D5kVpj1JzN_I1Xxs7Z4LtmG74OuqS27KFHt/s320/Quote%20from%20Bashabi%20top%20half%20with%20blue%20background.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWSzFl3-Tbq3c3dFV1bc1y6IPIuUrNkiOzwEeqfFZmfyaQVDu6o938yeDoAAeTyPF-7_OEqmA-qEvmDukH-4sSKatRlUaxRvzvsMldbM107lT10pktzmRlz1xHyWCWPsG10gX9oSVmszvPK1CHODnXnxYDAUF4XLyP3GVxQyLXew6djsBhYjvVk7O/s1350/Quote%20from%20Bashabi%20bottom%20half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1350" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWSzFl3-Tbq3c3dFV1bc1y6IPIuUrNkiOzwEeqfFZmfyaQVDu6o938yeDoAAeTyPF-7_OEqmA-qEvmDukH-4sSKatRlUaxRvzvsMldbM107lT10pktzmRlz1xHyWCWPsG10gX9oSVmszvPK1CHODnXnxYDAUF4XLyP3GVxQyLXew6djsBhYjvVk7O/s320/Quote%20from%20Bashabi%20bottom%20half.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-36353989361320448882023-02-15T09:34:00.027-08:002023-05-05T10:37:41.344-07:00Special Edition of "Gitanjali and Beyond" devoted to Henri van Bentum's "Organiverse" mandalas and featuring a reading of the "Gitanjali" song offerings (poems) by Rabindranath Tagore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABnw0oxn6SV8C-wpO8JrQkXEjHVW_DVoSvRj8t6EYgdDZAUxRo-1Kllqvq-UYSL-ijmxzwtIXwi-Mv2oPA5po0N3y6ziU9ICDAU-aYTMAWH8tBRgj8Kw1ZXH3BuuGYzbrbxtSBJ_sJL5HYLaDECeICJpuymC_qABTGud1KbtAMfpcqdDz9HOs3DrF/s1085/COVER%20TAGORE%20van%20BENTUM%20triptych.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="1085" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABnw0oxn6SV8C-wpO8JrQkXEjHVW_DVoSvRj8t6EYgdDZAUxRo-1Kllqvq-UYSL-ijmxzwtIXwi-Mv2oPA5po0N3y6ziU9ICDAU-aYTMAWH8tBRgj8Kw1ZXH3BuuGYzbrbxtSBJ_sJL5HYLaDECeICJpuymC_qABTGud1KbtAMfpcqdDz9HOs3DrF/w400-h181/COVER%20TAGORE%20van%20BENTUM%20triptych.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Cover of "Gitanjali and Beyond", Issue No. 7, Rabindranath Tagore, Henri van Bentum</span></p><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Today the Scottish Centre for Tagore Studies published its annual eJournal, "Gitanjali & Beyond", devoted to a project marrying the 100 Organiverse mandalas by Henri van Bentum (1929-2022) with the 'Song Offerings' (Gitanjali) of Rabindranath Tagore. In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature for "Gitanjali". <br /><br />The concept and production of this project was done by Henri's friend Brian W.E. Johnson, who reads Tagore's poems.</span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtv9QBmZgl0IH7teVhnaymLYGo3XzX5a4K4u_fAq65xmD30aRjoJEor1QWGTmiS1gr2WqSwkAQDoR_kKego3O-E_73LyOznGATJhMFHFYfMFNIvCr3f4T9ZsJij0_Lps0ixiZNe9ZFWnkSHY6yyFLky64ZQHfNaoHJ1Vs4gKHWd-MsqyR4cI4dOcV/s2846/Briwn%20W.E.%20Johnson%20photo%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2846" data-original-width="2727" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtv9QBmZgl0IH7teVhnaymLYGo3XzX5a4K4u_fAq65xmD30aRjoJEor1QWGTmiS1gr2WqSwkAQDoR_kKego3O-E_73LyOznGATJhMFHFYfMFNIvCr3f4T9ZsJij0_Lps0ixiZNe9ZFWnkSHY6yyFLky64ZQHfNaoHJ1Vs4gKHWd-MsqyR4cI4dOcV/w87-h84/Briwn%20W.E.%20Johnson%20photo%202.jpg" width="87" /></a></div>Brian W.E. Johnson</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">"Slow Art" in motion --- painting, poetry, and sound. This special issue of "Gitanjali and Beyond" comprises 221 pages and is intended to be studied quietly over time. <br /><br /><a href="https://gitanjaliandbeyond.co.uk/2023/02/15/gitanjali-and-beyond-issue-7-special-issue-organiverse/">Here is</a> the link. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Below is an excerpt from Dr. Bashabi Fraser's Foreword:</span><br /><br />"When Natasha van Bentum first wrote to me about her husband, Henri van Bentum’s 100 Mandalas (created in 1972) which have been recently structured as reflections on Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali poems, I was intrigued. I asked Natasha to send me samples of this project, and she was willing to send me the entire opus of Organiverse and Gitanjali.<br /><br />The compositions, completed while Henri and Natasha lived on the island of Madeira, are done in pointillism in water colour. They are intricate and intense. The idea of mandalas with their Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, signify a universal search for release from suffering, reaching out towards an unutterable joy.</span><div><span><br />. . . <i>Henri’s mandalas, with their perfect circular pattern, encompass and visualise worlds that unfold from the first blue representation of the pondering universe and go on to explore and explode in colours that come together like the rising sun, the colours of the rainbow, unfurling petals, swirling dreams, bursting stars, crystallising shapes which are infinite in their possibilities and suggestiveness, till the final ones that speak of life’s fulfilment reflected in the image of the rising sun, meditative and expectant in its promise of life’s continuity.<br /><br />. . . Henri’s positive approach to life in spite of the many obstacles he encountered, his courage and success are apparent in these mandalas which defeat the idea of chaos with their cosmic energy that is both transformative and transporting. They represent life itself in its many manifestations and speak directly to the viewer with an appeal that is mesmerising.</i></span></div><div><span><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span><i><span> </span>There is something sacred about their affirmation and celebration of life, a sense of inclusion that is compelling.</i>"</span><div><div style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglerkXXJ6opR3JNm1hs79qx3E8OTuz2O7Us0GpwiKqjMAmjHJz8_fK9pGWj5OEFYSwS1vK11rN-SL9UVA2ABpDCqm_37Ra5ASTsow47yhnUhXWMr3mxYZ3aqYJFky0DGN4IchLygPeGlAogxnyddswokHvcrFRKijvrBhvXGRliTN5EpM9NUImGuwU/s1600/Mandala%2023%20of%20100%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglerkXXJ6opR3JNm1hs79qx3E8OTuz2O7Us0GpwiKqjMAmjHJz8_fK9pGWj5OEFYSwS1vK11rN-SL9UVA2ABpDCqm_37Ra5ASTsow47yhnUhXWMr3mxYZ3aqYJFky0DGN4IchLygPeGlAogxnyddswokHvcrFRKijvrBhvXGRliTN5EpM9NUImGuwU/s320/Mandala%2023%20of%20100%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Organiverse mandala <b>23 of 100,</b> Henri van Bentum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Watercolour on paper, 1972</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Copyright (C) Estate of Henri van Bentum </div><br /><div style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;"><br /></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></i><p>LINK TO FOREWORD AND THE FULL PROJECT: https://gitanjaliandbeyond.co.uk/2023/02/15/gitanjali-and-beyond-issue-7-special-issue-organiverse/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-28447868864820272162022-12-28T14:50:00.000-08:002022-12-28T14:50:01.294-08:00Video featuring excerpts from a few speakers at the Memorial Gathering for Henri van Bentum (1929-2022) held in August 2022<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dear readers - here is the link to a 30 minute video (on YouTube) with some of the speakers at the Memorial Gathering held for Henri van Bentum (1929-2022) on August 13, 2022. See list of timings, below.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/ITUdDfsCPGQ&source=gmail&ust=1672352920849000&usg=AOvVaw3T9Fqdn4czlKx3wnohNlA6" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/ITUdDfsCPGQ" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>ITUdDfsCPGQ</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-PzlqovFrZqF4EVexDLyNAJ1DDNKM81GzZnq2R1yO-T1LEaZ8lQ7W7sYJExamDIrOfkoTLCZfrAZISk9bTYYDKUpxYgKn1WbLE7NXuukCXoDkjK4bZsCK0nqYX41JMieCW7-bPIeMZR18JG2yWS4sOG5bpWNo9CB0P_k2RwblLH73QJaBlbFeLPY/s744/screen%20capture%20start%20of%20video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="744" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-PzlqovFrZqF4EVexDLyNAJ1DDNKM81GzZnq2R1yO-T1LEaZ8lQ7W7sYJExamDIrOfkoTLCZfrAZISk9bTYYDKUpxYgKn1WbLE7NXuukCXoDkjK4bZsCK0nqYX41JMieCW7-bPIeMZR18JG2yWS4sOG5bpWNo9CB0P_k2RwblLH73QJaBlbFeLPY/s320/screen%20capture%20start%20of%20video.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are the timings:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 0:00 - 03:13 </b>- Introduction by Grace van den Brink - the first-ever woman President of the Union Club of British Columbia, and a fellow Snooker player.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 03:14 - 13:00</b> - Seonaigh MacPherson, a long-time friend who is also a professor at a university in BC. Several years ago, Seonaigh helped with the launch of a school for Tibetan refugee nuns, in northern India. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 13:01 - 16.35</b> - Photos and mini clip from a documentary film on Henri, Banff, 1983</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 16:35 - 19.35</b> - Marcus Hissen, Victoria Symphony musician and friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 19:25 - 23:07</b> - Henri's friend, Brian W. E. Johnson, and fellow Snooker player. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 23:08 - 29:14</b> - Natasha van Bentum, Henri's lifelong partner of fifty-one years.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Min. 29:14 to end </b>- includes clips from the documentary made about Henri in 1983, when he lived in Banff --- excerpts from him speaking at his exhibition of "Spatial Rhythms" watercolours at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.</span></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-88523970283419135112022-09-13T18:52:00.001-07:002022-09-13T18:52:00.153-07:00Remembering Henri van Bentum - thoughts from Dr. Kimberly Arcand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8myCm7G1zDsPggwQrZdLGnXh2wCYqnqXVPhLYVnb9yx-5m-oVdQZSePTNho1gPnVI6FxdH5rFWWfSAFBlCjZQ2svCq8PiffqAJNYoxXdjY0bEdSpISO-QPhTlwNyZW1Qa6cx78P6HG8NX0Ev3tzBIB-AvD2-wJRJ3lGAnqJGBy5FUpF2JLwFZjr6/s444/Kimberly-Arcand-333-x-444.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8myCm7G1zDsPggwQrZdLGnXh2wCYqnqXVPhLYVnb9yx-5m-oVdQZSePTNho1gPnVI6FxdH5rFWWfSAFBlCjZQ2svCq8PiffqAJNYoxXdjY0bEdSpISO-QPhTlwNyZW1Qa6cx78P6HG8NX0Ev3tzBIB-AvD2-wJRJ3lGAnqJGBy5FUpF2JLwFZjr6/s320/Kimberly-Arcand-333-x-444.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Dr. Kimberly Arcand,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Visualization Scientist & Emerging Tech lead,</div><div style="text-align: center;">NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Center for Astrophysics / Harvard & Smithsonian</div><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Remembering Henri van Bentum</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">“Art and science are two flowers on the same cosmic vine. They are about curiosity, creativity. They question, provoke. They are thinkers, instigators. They can communicate, make meaning. Art and science, those gorgeous flowers, help us manage and understand the world around us.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />As an artist and color master, Henri van Bentum captured light and life, creating something beautiful, a choreography of color and texture. As a visualization scientist for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, I translate the energetic multiwavelength Universe into something we can experience. We make visible the invisible. <br /><br />Henri and his artwork first came to my attention during the United Nations’ International Year of Astronomy in 2009. His major opus, "Organiverse", became part of my "From Earth to the Universe" cornerstone project, with celebrations by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Victoria Centre.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpp7tnweF4qv-v8BjhQMBEqYLf2-4vZTtz_bObk7ZoD9PZ1MIIblC5FTIP3qyAsGzC0QMEXXwUlSK6MQKR2kvpjza5cQDRnkvaAv40B1DUTF3UwILMlgvd9UOZLoSRMO6qPJyoi6u-4SVUWmaHovTnLAb1uFfXVTN7OPpGNp6vKeWBM7EkI0g4ZVq/s913/Coloring%20Space%202%20lower%20res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="913" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpp7tnweF4qv-v8BjhQMBEqYLf2-4vZTtz_bObk7ZoD9PZ1MIIblC5FTIP3qyAsGzC0QMEXXwUlSK6MQKR2kvpjza5cQDRnkvaAv40B1DUTF3UwILMlgvd9UOZLoSRMO6qPJyoi6u-4SVUWmaHovTnLAb1uFfXVTN7OPpGNp6vKeWBM7EkI0g4ZVq/s320/Coloring%20Space%202%20lower%20res.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">"<a href="https://www.chandra.harvard.edu/art/color/" target="_blank">Coloring Space</a>", a collaboration between NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory (public outreach program) and Henri van Bentum, artist</div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Not long afterwards, Henri and I collaborated on an interdisciplinary sci-art project, an online exhibit juxtaposing some of his Organiverse Starry Night paintings with images of space. (See above example). This resulted in the creation of </span><a href="https://www.chandra.harvard.edu/art/color/" style="font-size: large;" target="_blank">"Coloring Space"</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> which is still viewable on the web site for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPdLtcaSTlpOGIuoJDpkMMoNTdsqV9sTqFn17Y1RBTSgPF0froKZ0wH8_5OqjIDGuf7vc0HIaYdlR3dZMHOVf3fT7J0X-fxO1ZTl3JqRrU7Nu7oxAc_dCNUHCAb5WgCZfjAGoL70pWdzEJ99uE2CYge5eK3U1tHSJFBPFU2gdb8zL60HJcimAtS43/s1665/1999%20pender%20island%20HvB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1665" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPdLtcaSTlpOGIuoJDpkMMoNTdsqV9sTqFn17Y1RBTSgPF0froKZ0wH8_5OqjIDGuf7vc0HIaYdlR3dZMHOVf3fT7J0X-fxO1ZTl3JqRrU7Nu7oxAc_dCNUHCAb5WgCZfjAGoL70pWdzEJ99uE2CYge5eK3U1tHSJFBPFU2gdb8zL60HJcimAtS43/w288-h320/1999%20pender%20island%20HvB.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henri van Bentum, housesitting on Pender Island, B.C.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Our journey through light together would continue. A few years later, when my colleague and I wrote a book called "Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond", we included a small selection of artists, among them, my favorite, Henri van Bentum, with his acrylic on canvas painting “Light Sprang Forth”.</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHwaM_AJTm2i1jKkP3ZBWcBNs0iWuSiuWHK3RvFAR4JhO1fy-XyW0BqGQq_472BERt7lb3MpGqNUsysmFghYIKyiPGo4f9SLniM2JNRl7mA8GGt04t1huKlAfRUVrpY0WMoKnRZP_o7L1q5u-L1HyQd1fjQlL6aaa05d1T0wE2CjfT1VhbbFfZgId/s1199/Light%20The%20Visible%20Spectrum%20and%20Beyond%20front%20and%20back%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="1199" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHwaM_AJTm2i1jKkP3ZBWcBNs0iWuSiuWHK3RvFAR4JhO1fy-XyW0BqGQq_472BERt7lb3MpGqNUsysmFghYIKyiPGo4f9SLniM2JNRl7mA8GGt04t1huKlAfRUVrpY0WMoKnRZP_o7L1q5u-L1HyQd1fjQlL6aaa05d1T0wE2CjfT1VhbbFfZgId/w400-h135/Light%20The%20Visible%20Spectrum%20and%20Beyond%20front%20and%20back%20cover.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">More than that, I had found a friend in him, and Natasha, and we would continue to correspond, sharing parts of our lives, beyond the art, beyond the science. In Henri’s hands, the Universe danced. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m thinking of him now, invisible particles and all light, now all the flowers on all the vines, dancing through our Universe. Maybe I will capture a part of his light (and life) in my own work someday.” </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">___</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You are invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">featuring several existing, and legacy projects. </span></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-76681259861090839262022-09-09T16:22:00.001-07:002022-09-13T17:24:41.371-07:00Remembering Henri van Bentum, words from Dr. Mark Sherman (Henri's family doctor), given at the memorial gathering on August 13th, 2022<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="789" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASo3N3-TcTLwha4B-OQSyejjB3R0jArfUzpEsJmOa2VhCxHNgtVeJtPHtOva5WecSdKylls1GOLYiV-EjlWNrPQjB0DyfrfVpS1vWgmQGCXSKMx0Nc7BMNS_we1T417jCbftPUG_NUqkzrWNXTV0hySNlT7osqv9j0nWPjcMmy0AinZBPoV3jXzOr/s320/Dr-Mark-Sherman-of-Living-This-Moment.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet; text-align: center;">Dr. Mark Sherman, Henri van Bentum's family doctor</div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Good afternoon, everyone. I met Henri and Natasha not long after they moved to Victoria in 2004. One of the "Raging Grannies" Natasha knew had recommended me as a physician. They soon became my patients.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Henri was an easy person to respect, and to connect with, and we quickly recognized our shared affinity for Buddhism and our love of travel and the creative spirit. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't long before Henri had invited my then fiancée and I, for tea and a visit at their small 7th floor apartment overlooking Juan de Fuca Strait.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It was here that I first experienced Henri's opus, the "Organiverse Portfolio" that Henri had created while living in Morocco, and which he completed on the island of Madeira, 50 years ago in 1972: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">-100 small mandalas, all painted in pointillism, "dot by dot", "atom by atom", as Henri would say. Each painting has a diameter of only 8.5 centimetres.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyGOSe77OeGctcdhmugLKvIXlAqdXo2iCqUEPl23TBrMnAdLnOPymM604MV-it8LV_l2DghkKCtRrMdQCJ3FWjNbCDcnMX0l_6lhilTvxjuzGDn5I1lQocfhnTTIaixW0LkohGpBgOGF8BOuOoC1DahzB20-QUDhmHYm-A7EsxyXiGCETivdrgRB6/s4624/Organiverse%20Portfolio%20open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2328" data-original-width="4624" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyGOSe77OeGctcdhmugLKvIXlAqdXo2iCqUEPl23TBrMnAdLnOPymM604MV-it8LV_l2DghkKCtRrMdQCJ3FWjNbCDcnMX0l_6lhilTvxjuzGDn5I1lQocfhnTTIaixW0LkohGpBgOGF8BOuOoC1DahzB20-QUDhmHYm-A7EsxyXiGCETivdrgRB6/s320/Organiverse%20Portfolio%20open.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Shown here are just 8 of the 92 mandalas of "Organiverse" by Henri van Bentum, created in 1972 while living in Morocco, and completed on the island of Madeira. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">(I only learned later it was a special privilege to have held the original Portfolio in my hands, since it was normally kept locked in a metal cabinet for safekeeping.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As someone who is deeply interested in the natural world, as well as human consciousness, I found the Organiverse portfolio fascinating and powerful. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Each painting evoked for me infinite representations of lifeforms representing Nature on both the macro and micro level. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I understood these were visionary works, since Henri had never studied biology nor astronomy. The work arose from a deep place of wisdom, connection and knowing within. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is something I wrote afterwards:</span><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is Life.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">These mandalas offer an immense opportunity for healing and for a</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">heart-based understanding of who we are physically, emotionally and</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">spiritually. A dance of colour, form and contemplation.”</span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">While I miss my patient and friend, Henri, I am as well comforted by how much of him still persists in his paintings and writings; in his friendships and connections; and in his gentle affection that touched me, and so many others.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YLFAD6195bV9Qv-y4SBEd4-Ka4YM8A8Dhx0Wd-EIGC0oxYvnKY0svKHUhzeMMThbl50UnEYGKicRqERlB1sMEODuuDak_-ASIJVnF3Ylb-y1NE7E8PV34Wvo3c3u74BYwQfafj6yMGBrpiVsOJmRgHGUKejZN52sj8JANK05t0VKPt_T1XBNHiJH/s1788/HvB%20Easter%20Island%202000%20blue%20t%20shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1788" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YLFAD6195bV9Qv-y4SBEd4-Ka4YM8A8Dhx0Wd-EIGC0oxYvnKY0svKHUhzeMMThbl50UnEYGKicRqERlB1sMEODuuDak_-ASIJVnF3Ylb-y1NE7E8PV34Wvo3c3u74BYwQfafj6yMGBrpiVsOJmRgHGUKejZN52sj8JANK05t0VKPt_T1XBNHiJH/s320/HvB%20Easter%20Island%202000%20blue%20t%20shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Henri van Bentun at Rapa Nui (Easter Island), February 2000<br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">---<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">You're invited to view "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page featuring several existing, and legacy van Bentum projects.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-62583101925505895722022-08-21T18:52:00.001-07:002022-09-13T17:24:08.971-07:00Remembering Henri van Bentum: words from the August 13th memorial gathering, by Grace Van den Brink - Past President, The Union Club of B.C.<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqABr-h5HR6jBbyaKpHjjHQobzbiq2zEaCNnB2uMEjc7FxEn00dSWaLc6wBW0DnxVAzdMK5r483rl6fLwHWBT0Gci3exA38xzAEmR0XPOg9sUjKxwIX1bQWcJhNScicCufbO7Ynl6QNs8jGROUQtk72wOy3emu-3nNTDp75Ca9DHqESESoWIZZaNF/s1005/Grace%20Van%20den%20Brink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="839" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqABr-h5HR6jBbyaKpHjjHQobzbiq2zEaCNnB2uMEjc7FxEn00dSWaLc6wBW0DnxVAzdMK5r483rl6fLwHWBT0Gci3exA38xzAEmR0XPOg9sUjKxwIX1bQWcJhNScicCufbO7Ynl6QNs8jGROUQtk72wOy3emu-3nNTDp75Ca9DHqESESoWIZZaNF/s320/Grace%20Van%20den%20Brink.jpg" width="267" /></a></p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Grace Van den Brink</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For those of you that don't know me, I'm Grace Van den Brink, and I came to know Henri and Natasha both as fellow Union Club members and snooker players.</span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">First of all, I would like to offer my continued condolences to Natasha, to family and Henri's wide, wide circle of friends, fellow artists and thinkers as we gather on his birthdate of August 13.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Henri was a talented man and he lived such a long and interesting life. Few of us will ever achieve some of all he accomplished.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In his obituary Henri was described as "<i>valiant, steadfast, compassionate</i>". I would like to add the word: <i>Gentleman.</i> No matter what, he never failed, at the very least, to give a wave or a nod or share a few words when our paths crossed in the Club. His and Natasha's support during my presidency here at the Club was always welcome and I felt he was my talisman whenever I would see him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I first met Henri in the Billiards Room when I started to learn how to play snooker. I must say that his stance and shooting style, appeared to my uninitiated eyes, to be somewhat unusual. And yet, he played the game and played it well with enthusiasm, good humour and sportsmanship. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In 2015, Henri played in the spring snooker tournament here at the Club. As you can imagine, there is a bit of a tale behind his win. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For many weeks before the tournament, Henri and Natasha were cat-sitting in Arizona for P.J. Heyliger, one of Henri’s former students and illustrator of his children’s books. Surprisingly, there was not a billiards table to be found within 50 miles – something that Henri and Natasha missed as they would play 4 to 5 times a week here at the Club.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">They flew home on January 16 and the tournament was scheduled for the next day. Now, Natasha said they were flabbergasted when Henri won. Not only had he not practised in almost six weeks, but he was getting over a long day of travelling and was on his feet for seven hours – all this while 85 years young.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFPxcQMyjWVPh2dNYLcZaD8zIWrPNdzsnmMvjgusLXin_iwE9J2E5Nxxn0noJUU_rIu8S4WY17GLMyQ6ssboz3_oAlU9DHT53bbJWqCn0wuv0fOfpRFNAahXgp_7hyRmaKg2ahPXPIZ9HDrjsO_WC22zKTubB3qaJ1mQo-wxcBxQxX_QP1lSahjme/s933/Henri%20with%20Snooker%20championship%20trophy%202014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFPxcQMyjWVPh2dNYLcZaD8zIWrPNdzsnmMvjgusLXin_iwE9J2E5Nxxn0noJUU_rIu8S4WY17GLMyQ6ssboz3_oAlU9DHT53bbJWqCn0wuv0fOfpRFNAahXgp_7hyRmaKg2ahPXPIZ9HDrjsO_WC22zKTubB3qaJ1mQo-wxcBxQxX_QP1lSahjme/s320/Henri%20with%20Snooker%20championship%20trophy%202014.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Henri van Bentum with trophy</span></p><p>Henri’s impact went beyond the Billiards Room. Shortly after becoming a member in 2005, his “From Landscape to Innerscape” retrospective exhibition covering 45 years was featured at the Club, and the Club appreciated his donating his children’s books a few years later.</p></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Henri, you are missed and yet your spirit, creativity, teachings live on as does your love for Natasha. Thank you.</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Grace Van den Brink, Past President, The Union Club of British Columbia</span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">You are
invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering
Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">featuring
several existing, and legacy projects. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-68474942800353052872022-08-21T15:35:00.003-07:002022-09-13T12:24:35.518-07:00Remembering Henri van Bentum - message from Raymond Doucette, former Vancouver neighbour<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwovmyCyl2tozOYn4n-llEVaw_mh8AgrgmAQHSWf5xl7i8Fi15ccF_CJoXl56MBw83XmMpv5fl5DFFZG-XNyWBAf8V3qCub0fg7_OOvyzXIVObPvoEn4_wpLr4co057z_c-ImrzLLzuyd3JSMTYSETRxBCm_lcqi2tQ2zBXCfffjf5UOVIOAIkcyy/s640/Raymond%20Doucette.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwovmyCyl2tozOYn4n-llEVaw_mh8AgrgmAQHSWf5xl7i8Fi15ccF_CJoXl56MBw83XmMpv5fl5DFFZG-XNyWBAf8V3qCub0fg7_OOvyzXIVObPvoEn4_wpLr4co057z_c-ImrzLLzuyd3JSMTYSETRxBCm_lcqi2tQ2zBXCfffjf5UOVIOAIkcyy/s320/Raymond%20Doucette.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our former neighbour, <b>Raymond Doucette</b>, during his lengthy stay in Lalibela</div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: times;">Here is a message from our friend and former neighbour back in the days when we lived in Vancouver. Raymond is a humble but intrepid traveller and wanderer. Henri and Raymond had a regular correspondence from afar. Henri and I were always fascinated by Raymond's accounts of his travels, in particular the lengthy time he spent in Lalibela, Ethiopia, where he assisted in the creation and funding of a job-creating Lodge for local people. </span></i> </span>Natasha<p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">"My solitary bachelor life ended in 1996, after the new neighbours, Henri and Natasha van Bentum, moved in across the hall. <br /><br />They explained they were just house-sitting for six months – actually, they described it as “fish-sitting” -- since one of their main tasks was to look after a huge aquarium that occupied about one fifth of the living room space. <br /><br />They were a bohemian, friendly pair. The six month fish-sitting assignment ended up lasting five years, since the owners decided not to return (they'd moved to northern BC, and rented the apartment to the van Bentum’s). <br /><br />Before long, the three of us visited each other regularly, with Henri and Natasha always inviting me to their place for supper; it was larger than my bachelor studio. <br /><br />Their place was full of Guatemalan, Indonesian and Indian textiles, plus of course Henri’s paintings, and artefacts from their global wanderings. <br /><br />I discovered Henri’s cooking was just one of his talents. And which I avidly anticipated. <br /><br />Before meeting the van Bentum's, I’d never heard a single sea-going yarn. Nor knew anyone like Henri. Or his repartée. And I was soon hooked, intent on experiencing his lively European humour. <br /><br />And his earnest, and vivid accounts of their travels, adventures, and fascinating sojourns. <br /><br />The three of us had similar travel bents – appreciating above all, out of the way, unspoilt places. Which was possible in those days.<br /><br />My memories are also of Henri's profound discipline, his careful, and steadfast fastidiousness --- yet free. As was his art, his integrity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I came over to Victoria in August 2020 for his 90th birthday and brought him a portable solar light from Ethiopia. He was thrilled and showed everyone, saying “<i>Imagine, the light gathered here comes all the way from Lalibela!</i>”<br /><br />Henri took me under his wing. And as an equal. For which I am totally grateful. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>I have appreciated the support, and attention he generously provided. And particularly for a time when I most needed it. </span><span>I've wished I had let him know.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">~~~<br /><i>Postscript:</i> For those who don’t know it, Henri’s blog is an endless source of fascination. It’s still there on the Internet, and will remain as part of his legacy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You are
invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering
Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">
</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">featuring
several existing, and legacy projects. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-45601005367242532592022-08-20T15:40:00.002-07:002022-09-13T12:25:06.564-07:00Remembering Henri van Bentum (1929-2022) Message from the international Circumnavigators Club<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8x-g5ywv4HCSqofW-vE80yCGIEcYMV1dFjwqRfemA1mjTVXGxJbbjr_agDhiJm60YzBODrUGwbUNWr1VzolgLKvKnuydvR1smn2JbwfxXT9LdV0bYVUkP_mMBchT0w5-8vufQPjcO5kdRo0nsU7P6Wg9B_iQ5BbxrPK0wetWH-CREssz_J261XRKg/s252/CircumClub%20logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="252" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8x-g5ywv4HCSqofW-vE80yCGIEcYMV1dFjwqRfemA1mjTVXGxJbbjr_agDhiJm60YzBODrUGwbUNWr1VzolgLKvKnuydvR1smn2JbwfxXT9LdV0bYVUkP_mMBchT0w5-8vufQPjcO5kdRo0nsU7P6Wg9B_iQ5BbxrPK0wetWH-CREssz_J261XRKg/s1600/CircumClub%20logo.png" width="252" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>"Henri van Bentum, artist, was truly a man of the world.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>He was a long-time member of the historic Circumnavigators Club, a nonprofit organization founded in 1902 for people who sailed around the globe (*), and who believed in making the world a better place through friendship and understanding. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>Henri was an esteemed member of the Circumnavigators. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>We will miss him. “Luck to you”, Henri!"<br /></i></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">David A. Mink, President</span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sJIvsBl-bA3u4SuDGUR7tdLDNt94zINr2vWI3hhBz7SeE9-Jra0S9x4G5trhEjOUGrVpd49EFimZxd7JdR4KGG2WcOVpPn0C4XClsqElh1Z3CQe3_Pnmc07sqJSpJf1ynt4sNGqJDi53TxYTOw1D7w3mCc6lVNW0LLcxzeEh5Pa3yJHMOMoMonFe/s2438/Circumnavigators%20Collage2%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2438" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sJIvsBl-bA3u4SuDGUR7tdLDNt94zINr2vWI3hhBz7SeE9-Jra0S9x4G5trhEjOUGrVpd49EFimZxd7JdR4KGG2WcOVpPn0C4XClsqElh1Z3CQe3_Pnmc07sqJSpJf1ynt4sNGqJDi53TxYTOw1D7w3mCc6lVNW0LLcxzeEh5Pa3yJHMOMoMonFe/s320/Circumnavigators%20Collage2%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">(*) The Circumnavigators Club is the only organization devoted to bringing together those men and women who have circumnavigated the globe by any means, crossing every meridian longitude in one direction. The Club's purpose is to encourage global fellowship and understanding. It strives to inspire people to see and absorb as much as they can about the world in which we live. Motto: <i>Through friendship, to leave this world a little better than we found it.</i> <a href="https://circumnavigators.org/">https://circumnavigators.org/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmemx2582nGHt-pDdAkF8WmQ3zFiIzyKjRgvEZCjTegba06EfY1PUw_K6JBf2VOpokovBa-1-G6j5V3sFrECyddBJhLsdmt5D_REfHO1EifBmstriPswEIaHpgi7mSw4FIBeJu2GIjL0-b8XRQ9B11BzUQrWDGpi2N9FPUs1tCje4pbrLdSLaXnMw7/s2142/CircumClub%20certificate%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1634" data-original-width="2142" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmemx2582nGHt-pDdAkF8WmQ3zFiIzyKjRgvEZCjTegba06EfY1PUw_K6JBf2VOpokovBa-1-G6j5V3sFrECyddBJhLsdmt5D_REfHO1EifBmstriPswEIaHpgi7mSw4FIBeJu2GIjL0-b8XRQ9B11BzUQrWDGpi2N9FPUs1tCje4pbrLdSLaXnMw7/s320/CircumClub%20certificate%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Certificate of membership for Henri van Bentum, Circumnavigators Club, 1975</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">You are
invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering
Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">featuring
several existing, and legacy projects. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-30200816784561085432022-08-18T18:01:00.004-07:002022-09-13T12:34:03.793-07:00More from the August 13, 2022 Memorial Gathering for Henri van Bentum: offering by Dr. Seonaigh MacPherson<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNG_MPEFQIdr2BHkE_n1243evYO4jHrOpfVPmSh0nmoqqYFJt94G0WURokxVjk-nV82CPNHemT4VJa6W1zlsxZNrHIbUTUKB8HjiWoFjvLiq1PVMj4ARSDEG4nVGEw1jaIaoIotokTjaOSHRDim0uEx3I7jvho83Dtol6Urxj9KSw66Jb0T3e1RUf/s1600/HvB%20in%20Petra%20OEI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1101" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNG_MPEFQIdr2BHkE_n1243evYO4jHrOpfVPmSh0nmoqqYFJt94G0WURokxVjk-nV82CPNHemT4VJa6W1zlsxZNrHIbUTUKB8HjiWoFjvLiq1PVMj4ARSDEG4nVGEw1jaIaoIotokTjaOSHRDim0uEx3I7jvho83Dtol6Urxj9KSw66Jb0T3e1RUf/s320/HvB%20in%20Petra%20OEI.jpg" width="220" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Henri van Bentum in Petra, Jordan<br /><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></b></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Henri van Bentum: A Life of Amplitude - by Seonaigh MacPherson</b></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"I have been invited to say a few words about Henri as a friend and collector of his art. Yet, my first contact was with Henri as a teacher, so I would like to start there.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Teacher</span><br /></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Our first contact was in a colour workshop Henri offered in Vancouver in 1987. In this workshop, he demonstrated how through three simple primary colours - red, blue, and yellow - the entire universe of colour could be generated. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As evidence, he had us prepare our own colour wheels. This reflected one of the abiding things Henri has shared with me - through instruction or by example - to return to the fundamentals. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was a kind of simplicity, as he called it, or practicality, that was as apparent in his art as in his cooking, which focused on simple, nutritious ingredients combined to produce taste, health, pleasure, and stimulating conversation in equal measure.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The second thing I learned from Henri was creativity in living, not just in art. He modelled and embodied how, through modest means, it was possible to create a life of <i>amplitude</i>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is a rather odd word or phrase that came to me as I contemplated Henri, so I thought to check up the meaning of the term in the Meriam-Webster dictionary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">While commonly known to signify the size of a wavelength in physics, the definitions continued on to describe qualities of character rather than matter. In these cases, amplitude referred to an extent of dignity, excellence, or splendour or, alternatively, the quality or state of being ample as in fullness, abundance.</span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNx8xbLZTBfiHoRcUDXXqAgt7KlxZ9W-ePxcnLMjMYu40arw-pMv7n4RhferB19Z9WN8q0D7i9h-1TTOaSZkE13_vOpDM_lSr2tlzcYDukLewyZCbWxMZj3sWaO1xxDKaTlOJB89ky_cjKOV7F_FQ6-2SETFId_sCnl2Qoc2wkaAUg9ztGaQ9-u3b/s664/Henri%20sailing%20Buena%20Esperanza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="664" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNx8xbLZTBfiHoRcUDXXqAgt7KlxZ9W-ePxcnLMjMYu40arw-pMv7n4RhferB19Z9WN8q0D7i9h-1TTOaSZkE13_vOpDM_lSr2tlzcYDukLewyZCbWxMZj3sWaO1xxDKaTlOJB89ky_cjKOV7F_FQ6-2SETFId_sCnl2Qoc2wkaAUg9ztGaQ9-u3b/s320/Henri%20sailing%20Buena%20Esperanza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Henri van Bentum, crew member aboard "Esperanza", sailing from Ibiza to Italy 1961<br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This encapsulates for me the kind of creativity in living manifested by both Henri and Natasha - the cultivation, through modest means, of a life of dignity, excellence, and splendour that resulted in a sense of a full and abundant life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The third thing I learned from Henri is one of the qualities ascribed to the motto of the City of Amsterdam's coat of arms described on the program: steadfastness. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In this case, he taught me through example and instruction the meaning of integrity, loyalty, and being there.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friend</span><br /></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This final quality of being steadfast was something I valued deeply in our friendship as well - a kind of persistence, loyalty, consistency, and presence of duration. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Over the years, Henri and Natasha offered me a kind of refuge as I moved around the country and globe, a touchstone or reference point to return to over the years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The second quality I valued was the sense of nourishment and enrichment I found over the years in his company. This included delicious meals, as described, which Henri tended to prepare, but extended to the rich colours and textures of his and Natasha's apartment, art, and clothing, collected from around their travels around the globe. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And so too it included enriching conversations and ideas, which were as much a part of the meals and overall experience as the appetizers, wine, main courses, and desserts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Finally, I valued his quality of caring, a kind and generous capacity to take interest in the lives and well being of others. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As many of us, who knew him well appreciated, Henri could be fierce in defence of integrity and high standards of conduct. This ferocity was a kind of circle of fire that, once penetrated or crossed, welcomed us into his circle of care.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Artist</span><br /></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Why do I collect his art? Because just as he and Natasha gave me refuge in their home and friendship, his art and artistic vision continues to give me refuge every day in my home. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When despondent or deflated through one or another reason, I let my gaze fall on one or another of his canvasses to uplift me. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As others have pointed out, it is their use of light, colour, and perspective that give them this capacity to uplift.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As a sidebar, when I frequented Henri and Natasha's house for dinner while completing my doctoral studies at UBC, Henri like to tease me that I was becoming a Paper-Head Dummy (Ph.D.). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There was something very accurate in all that. I recall a doctoral seminar room in which dozens of chairs were stacked at the back of the room with no pictures on the wall, not even a poster. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was as if as we reached this apex of education, we were somehow scaffolded out of our senses, as if beauty and awareness no longer mattered, to be replaced by a kind of abstract conceptualism. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In contrast, while Henri is known as an abstract artist, his approach to the abstract is distinctive - perhaps it might be called an abstract ecology. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It is this unique perspective in his art that invites a sense of connection to realities beyond the ordinary appearance of things - both to the cosmos, as has been well represented here, but also to the biological. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As above, so below. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Indeed, it is this biological resonance in his art that has drawn me to collect his work. In his canvasses, I don't merely see artfully placed shapes and colours, but echoes of our biological embeddedness. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Don't get me wrong: He did not paint them to be representational. Rather, they reflect his unique perception and an imagination that springs from nature itself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In his abstractions, we see the resonance of the microcosm and macrocosm, implicit in the beauty of his forms.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhu0SP2hI3vt71i2MTA6nc5Ql8Hd3pO0zGa72883fM3ncMEFC8YqvgzpfY1LDYcj5MMac6GvnrmilSfDRFFVQ-bX5mG8e2-5-lbnPASX9GQE9SCjuhf6h2kmTyh0JoWRBxop7Vn__620YnRfuCO0B1HuI7pV8EJ9g0rbbSpBg6EjXjns67WR80b_Ua/s1824/Coral%20Dream,%20acrylic%20on%20paper,%201965,%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="1824" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhu0SP2hI3vt71i2MTA6nc5Ql8Hd3pO0zGa72883fM3ncMEFC8YqvgzpfY1LDYcj5MMac6GvnrmilSfDRFFVQ-bX5mG8e2-5-lbnPASX9GQE9SCjuhf6h2kmTyh0JoWRBxop7Vn__620YnRfuCO0B1HuI7pV8EJ9g0rbbSpBg6EjXjns67WR80b_Ua/s320/Coral%20Dream,%20acrylic%20on%20paper,%201965,%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"Coral Dream", acrylic on paper, 1965, Henri van Bentum</div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As an example, I have brought two of my favourite paintings of his. The first is "Coral Dream", an acrylic on paper, the first painting I bought of his when still a doctoral student. I wanted to invest in this rich life of the senses and feel that it wasn't something I was abandoning in pursuit of that paper-head dummy! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To better share with you my experience of these paintings, I perused the Internet for close up photographs of coral and found this image -- (here Seonaigh holds up a picture) --- that shows how closely his perception paralleled coral in the wild.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo40C27IMig-zt6RDgBW_rKi793NEBpC_BxjKhXLVzvTkcFVDnhI78gx_FO3Pbr6cMZJXy2RxldcKYatRjEtIuEgKVnFSxqNjpBMVHufXIgkVM29jC1oHF7mesXSNhH2bzZMOomKuYlMtZCbphFtKjNszL8vSoKzJbxZGzxwIKVaz_9vMKp92evdJK/s1022/Spatial%20Rhythms%202%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20watercolour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="772" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo40C27IMig-zt6RDgBW_rKi793NEBpC_BxjKhXLVzvTkcFVDnhI78gx_FO3Pbr6cMZJXy2RxldcKYatRjEtIuEgKVnFSxqNjpBMVHufXIgkVM29jC1oHF7mesXSNhH2bzZMOomKuYlMtZCbphFtKjNszL8vSoKzJbxZGzxwIKVaz_9vMKp92evdJK/w303-h400/Spatial%20Rhythms%202%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20watercolour.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Spatial Rhythms #2", watercolour on paper, 1983, Henri van Bentum</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Likewise, the second painting, a watercolour, from his Spatial Rhythms series, always reminded me of chromosomes lining up to form DNA. Sure enough, when I looked for electron microscopic images of chromosomes, I found this picture --- (Seonaigh holds up another photo) --- with such close parallels to the abstract painting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In this way, I hope you can join me in appreciating Henri's unique approach to abstract art as a way to perceive our interconnection with the microcosm of the Earth just as it echoes, too, the macrocosm.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, thank you Henri, for having enriched my life and for living a life of amplitude. Thank you to all of you as well for sharing in this appreciation and celebration of his life."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1k5gcxzWHPNviDA0NS6-2enl4MoOmqA0Q3NQ8ZWaEAmUMiEOnfQueH84l-yDZE5lLYrZOzmyx2lykXMZThBpvn4UuCdZ6r5AeKYbJmHDu2AvscyO-ZuNK2NldQG_CwQsfoQGD9ugMfRplBz8LlY8QW2Zyy5NDW7pyCglTtG4uKkp3PG8JQjNOGeu/s640/Seonaigh%20MacPherson%20with%20Tashi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1k5gcxzWHPNviDA0NS6-2enl4MoOmqA0Q3NQ8ZWaEAmUMiEOnfQueH84l-yDZE5lLYrZOzmyx2lykXMZThBpvn4UuCdZ6r5AeKYbJmHDu2AvscyO-ZuNK2NldQG_CwQsfoQGD9ugMfRplBz8LlY8QW2Zyy5NDW7pyCglTtG4uKkp3PG8JQjNOGeu/w200-h200/Seonaigh%20MacPherson%20with%20Tashi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Seonaigh MacPherson with Tashi</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You
are invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering
Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">featuring
several existing, and legacy projects. </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-44036458863692437962022-08-16T18:34:00.014-07:002023-02-02T06:51:30.917-08:00Honouring Henri - by friend Brian W.E. Johnson at Memorial Gathering, August 13th, 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvTu1ugOU7cObo41UllZY24rgLA_4TiAiSzsuY3_onaeA25wShocbvMOOV-Kr3Noq6GS5Rv3UWoEE8rxvrn7NLTS79z8y6__vH_sqjl0SbNpWI6bbxMwoYOFxlZroVmyCa8bnllKgfPORo-GhOYWlukebn8nomm0t8u3s38GGN2aqawAnqa7nxGcu/s1328/Henri%20van%20Bentum,%201961%20-%20lower%20res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvTu1ugOU7cObo41UllZY24rgLA_4TiAiSzsuY3_onaeA25wShocbvMOOV-Kr3Noq6GS5Rv3UWoEE8rxvrn7NLTS79z8y6__vH_sqjl0SbNpWI6bbxMwoYOFxlZroVmyCa8bnllKgfPORo-GhOYWlukebn8nomm0t8u3s38GGN2aqawAnqa7nxGcu/s320/Henri%20van%20Bentum,%201961%20-%20lower%20res.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Henri van Bentum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1929 - 2022</div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Friend and fellow Snooker player Brian W.E. Johnson collaborated with Henri on several projects in connection with Henri's opus, "Organiverse", the series of 100 mandalas, and most recently on a narrated video project marrying poems by Rabindranath Tagore, including "Gitanjali" and "Fruit Gathering", with both the original Organiverse series and the Starry Night edition.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;">On Henri van Bentum, by Brian W.E. Johnson</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A narrated version (by Brian) of the following text is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-zxBCG-HQQ" target="_blank">now available on YouTube her</a>e.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1w3F2povNbNO4bNDtStL_412DmAoGg4A90WVdV3H2xWAKlnuXrDfuUIo6OFlEQRWuKNjzcGDzWPPrrvZh0s06ZoFq461O8v6K_n9_TMxUCPo7x0DFUlTq7pRBlZwR48TV5Rie5M48pEcv3t2Y7asPCwYy308tCy81vSBA98aqnTvMJROAcNplXpY/s670/Henri%20and%20Brian%20at%20Sidney.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="670" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1w3F2povNbNO4bNDtStL_412DmAoGg4A90WVdV3H2xWAKlnuXrDfuUIo6OFlEQRWuKNjzcGDzWPPrrvZh0s06ZoFq461O8v6K_n9_TMxUCPo7x0DFUlTq7pRBlZwR48TV5Rie5M48pEcv3t2Y7asPCwYy308tCy81vSBA98aqnTvMJROAcNplXpY/s320/Henri%20and%20Brian%20at%20Sidney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“There has been much said already, with eloquence and clarity, about the breadth and scope of Henri’s interests and activities, and his life’s experience. It is amazing. <br /><br />I would like to complement some these Macro considerations with some micro mentions. So here are some personal observations and reflections:<br /><br />Today is Henri’s birthday, and he was born under the Astrology sun sign of “Leo” with a strong Pisces influence. The sign of Leo has “Royal” associations and Henri surely displayed these qualities. <br /><br />Henri was the main character in this theatre production, and the rest of us are the cast extras, hanging about and tending to his royal Leo highness.<br /><br />In the real world of the body politic, royal power is borne of the sceptre, representing temporal power in the kingdom. Royalty are feared and respected because of this. <br /><br />However, in the case of Henri van Bentum, it is not the power of the sceptre and the royal army, but <i>rather, an unusually sensitive and receptive presence that somehow casts a regal-like aura. </i><br /><br /><i>Henri lived with enhanced fluid sensitivity, especially to colour, nuances of form, shades and combinations… and, in addition to paying careful attention to detail, Henri embodied an expanded, or perhaps better said, an unblemished sense of wonder. </i><br /><br />These combinations and receptive qualities help to explain how and why Henri would often enhance situations and people simply by his presence, and this in turn, would inspire creativity and highlight beauty, in many diverse situations. <br /><br />Henri and I collaborated on several initiatives, most recently a video project that displays his outstanding <i>Organiverse</i> mandalas in tandem with the poetic verse of “Gitanjali” written by Rabindranath Tagore. </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">The following is Tagore’s poem #96 in this series:</span><br /><br /><div style="font-style: italic;">"WHEN I GO from hence let this be my parting word, that what I have seen is unsurpassable.</div><div style="font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic;">I have tasted of the hidden honey of this lotus that expands on the ocean of light, and thus am I blessed - let this be my parting word.</div><div style="font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic;">In this playhouse of infinite forms, I have had my play and here have I caught sight of him that is formless.</div><div style="font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic;">My whole body and my limbs have thrilled with his touch who is beyond touch; and if the end comes here, let it come - let this be my parting word."</div><div style="font-style: italic;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Rabindranath Tagore, "Gitanjali"</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQTBbY8eHlBTl_eWTJvOwn7ria2dCTbMeGcZAW4Wj8srTrMgUSTYvcIYOkunqysK-_UWabbRXQ8DQ4q9sS8QaEkMPVRCRsOX15ViXAfS1250-G5QTM6z9bVQCA-mmlMi633x4WbOLibfFAUdU50ren18n6oONN9jnkx7Wyx6xROSj1qcws0AxqjZl/s640/2010%20Henri%20birthday%20with%20Brian,%20Sidney.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQTBbY8eHlBTl_eWTJvOwn7ria2dCTbMeGcZAW4Wj8srTrMgUSTYvcIYOkunqysK-_UWabbRXQ8DQ4q9sS8QaEkMPVRCRsOX15ViXAfS1250-G5QTM6z9bVQCA-mmlMi633x4WbOLibfFAUdU50ren18n6oONN9jnkx7Wyx6xROSj1qcws0AxqjZl/s320/2010%20Henri%20birthday%20with%20Brian,%20Sidney.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Henri van Bentum, left with Brian W.E. Johnson</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">August 13, 2010, at Sidney pier<br /><i style="font-size: large;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>---</i></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">You
are invited to visit "<a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">Remembering
Henri van Bentum</a>", a new landing page</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: medium;">featuring
several existing, and legacy projects. </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-44729867760114660642022-07-13T18:50:00.005-07:002022-07-24T06:06:15.883-07:00Henri van Bentum, Artist and Visionary 1929 - 2022<h2 style="text-align: left;">Just launched, here is the link to <a href="https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/" target="_blank">a new landing page</a>, bringing together in one place several projects by the late Henri van Bentum (1929-2022).</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB3sdLTn8V6XvIFy7aQ2cM0G0p_v4dLy_BKW_oakJ60Xvy6wqrlGKEwGHs1_hxZkK9_QQGeAqczBBmr9sgUhBIkmbaFS80tvsayaa9NzNQNcsLf8-7xLOei6mYc3ucZF-Kaz0i0lhGKm5Kfx48yc2PPZSE1F-6EtjYEwaad-2qk_w81aCD8S0zlqi/s1062/use%20this%20one%20for%20blog%20post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="1062" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB3sdLTn8V6XvIFy7aQ2cM0G0p_v4dLy_BKW_oakJ60Xvy6wqrlGKEwGHs1_hxZkK9_QQGeAqczBBmr9sgUhBIkmbaFS80tvsayaa9NzNQNcsLf8-7xLOei6mYc3ucZF-Kaz0i0lhGKm5Kfx48yc2PPZSE1F-6EtjYEwaad-2qk_w81aCD8S0zlqi/s320/use%20this%20one%20for%20blog%20post.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">https://www.rememberinghenrivanbentum.ca/</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-45026915366672019662022-05-12T17:55:00.003-07:002022-07-07T15:49:12.010-07:00In Loving Memory, Henri van Bentum, August 13, 1929 - April 2, 2022<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cUjGQfYtDhU-JGq-aRESKSgSEB6onItv80rbanfHQHP2Jed_Dji26TRl4ydf3nBuuD8i7mGAYJr_AuYzeMyFMXq1YwOamlbdlV4cGJzLkfrRGeTmM1JyAWeXAQ05-5boKaCaxbBpPGNDZ6EIl5wO3SDier2V3pqI8pQjCV_sEbbmiib_3SLXmIhu/s1796/Henri%20van%20Bentum,%201961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1796" data-original-width="1352" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cUjGQfYtDhU-JGq-aRESKSgSEB6onItv80rbanfHQHP2Jed_Dji26TRl4ydf3nBuuD8i7mGAYJr_AuYzeMyFMXq1YwOamlbdlV4cGJzLkfrRGeTmM1JyAWeXAQ05-5boKaCaxbBpPGNDZ6EIl5wO3SDier2V3pqI8pQjCV_sEbbmiib_3SLXmIhu/s320/Henri%20van%20Bentum,%201961.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Henri van Bentum, Artist</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">August 13, 1929 - April 2, 2022</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">“The brightness that leaps from his canvasses </div><div style="text-align: center;">is like crystals seen through a microscope.” TIME</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrSu3sKZWy-NfIlssiGYEHnhOIuiUYLhUjtJ2XjyO5Qtmo5IH-p0cANg_3v4UZZHfI3WlqubD4ssfvRXE48lG_pSNs3k5GlFuRh9bNfu3HS2zgPbyGr9g273v3al2AbNWnZ7Z9mCzA6NeVe0dI0Img3Sz8edzMiZUBQsOGzf5mjCRnVkkhfRop5eK/s666/Like%20his%20life,%20vivid%20strong%20CRopped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="666" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrSu3sKZWy-NfIlssiGYEHnhOIuiUYLhUjtJ2XjyO5Qtmo5IH-p0cANg_3v4UZZHfI3WlqubD4ssfvRXE48lG_pSNs3k5GlFuRh9bNfu3HS2zgPbyGr9g273v3al2AbNWnZ7Z9mCzA6NeVe0dI0Img3Sz8edzMiZUBQsOGzf5mjCRnVkkhfRop5eK/s320/Like%20his%20life,%20vivid%20strong%20CRopped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Artist and colour master Henri van Bentum, 92, of Victoria, BC, passed away tranquilly in the company of his beloved lifelong partner, Natasha van Bentum, on April 2, 2022.<br /><br />Henri was born on August 13, 1929 in the Netherlands. The son of diamond-facetter Hendricus Johannes van Bentum and Antonia Alberse, Henri began painting after WWII in a sanatorium during a long bout with tuberculosis. Later the doctors said ‘taking up painting saved his life’.<br /><br />Cured, he immigrated to Canada in 1957, where two years later in early spring he travelled by train to the Rocky Mountains to paint, a trip sponsored by friend and doctor Wilf S. Goodman.<br /><br />While painting ‘en plein air’ at Moraine Lake, two faculty members of the Banff School of Fine Arts came upon him unexpectedly. When they saw what was on his easel, Henri was invited to attend the school’s summer session (which he didn’t know existed). Having no money, they waived the usual fees.<br /><br />Ironically it was in the Rocky Mountains that Henri discovered he was a born abstract painter, and left representational art behind, never turning back. In Toronto he studied with J.W.G. (“Jock”) Macdonald, his respected mentor. Two one-man exhibitions at Roberts Gallery followed.<br /><br />Henri’s work is represented in over 200 public and private collections. He had solo exhibitions in Paris, New York, Banff, Mexico City, Toronto and Montreal. The Paris exhibition was officially opened by then-Ambassador to France, Jules Léger.<br /><br />Henri freely shared his love of art, especially colour, with others, teaching classes with new Canadian immigrants and lecturing widely throughout Ontario.<br /><br />Henri was a pioneer, as well, of the Artists in the Schools program in Ontario.<br /><br />All this was done despite a facial disfigurement caused by a failed mastoid operation in his boyhood during WWII in the Netherlands, in which he also lost hearing in his right ear.<br /><br />Soon after arriving in Canada, a plastic surgeon performed a pioneering, 8-hour operation that restored some symmetry to his face, but sadly this was undone when the original (mastoid) condition recurred in the late 1980’s and another operation was required.<br /><br />But Henri, a born raconteur, was steadfast. He persevered with sharing and giving teachings despite this disability.<br /><br />In 1972 while living with Natasha in Morocco and on the island of Madeira, Henri created his opus, the “Organiverse Portfolio” – a series of 100 mandalas in pointillism, each 8.5 cm in diameter. Dot by dot, “atom by atom”.<br /><br />Later, back in the Rocky Mountains 1980-85 where Natasha worked at The Banff Centre, Henri embarked on a new series in watercolour, “Spatial Rhythms” and gave a solo exhibition at the Peter Whyte Gallery.<br /><br />Meanwhile the ‘Organiverse Portfolio’, took on a life of its own. In 1975 it had been made into a 35mm film and represented Canada at several international film festivals. In 2005 a limited-edition portfolio of the Organiverse was followed in 2007 by a handheld set, with each mandala on an individual card, contained in a box made from recovered west coast wood.<br /><br />Henri was actively creative until the very end. Recently Organiverse took on yet another form, a digital video production of the 100 mandalas joined with poems by Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali”, produced and narrated by friend Brian W.E. Johnson.<br /><br />van Bentum’s work evokes organic processes of the macrocosmic and microcosmic levels, reminding viewers “what lies above, so below”. This led NASA’s public outreach program of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to launch an online exhibit, “Coloring Space”.<br /><br />The exhibit juxtaposed images of space with a selection of Henri’s paintings. Friend and astronaut Chris Hadfield called the project “a lovely fusion of science and art”. While Chris was Commander of the International Space Station, he took along a memory stick containing all 100 mandalas.<br /><br />Henri was a prolific writer and correspondent with friends around the world. Following a diagnosis of bladder cancer in 2015, Henri wrote five children’s stories, all illustrated by Arizona friend P.J. Heyliger.<br /><br />He was an intrepid world traveller, having been to all seven continents. These travels were undertaken on a shoestring budget. Henri’s mode of travel ranged from foot, bicycle, donkey, camel, jeep, bus, train, freighter and passenger ship to dingy, dug-out canoe, dive boat, sailboat, to Piper Cub and helicopter.<br /><br />Henri circumnavigated the globe three times in the company of his partner of 51 years, Natasha, and was a proud member of the Circumnavigators Club. He was also a snooker aficionado, a passion he continued to practice into his 90s at the Union Club, with its heritage Billiards Room, winning a trophy six years ago.<br /><br />Throughout his rich and varied life, Henri continued to share and give widely. He embodied the motto of his hometown Amsterdam: “Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate” (Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig).</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBo23-6oINu_WP-fAO5hYE-XW1_FwhoiZsyVsSF8TDrlFspqpGyiVJnzWdPVf4tAlt7MkvM2cG8unMu6KWnBKCq0aRWLbl6wlV_hYxivLixyf7JO-aqUDcHpRsHUnks8N5D1WQXi4Z1-Bzw8Jd_c317acxAL6SPSqiNaftjQScFtSREVlrQX-Feq_x" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="793" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBo23-6oINu_WP-fAO5hYE-XW1_FwhoiZsyVsSF8TDrlFspqpGyiVJnzWdPVf4tAlt7MkvM2cG8unMu6KWnBKCq0aRWLbl6wlV_hYxivLixyf7JO-aqUDcHpRsHUnks8N5D1WQXi4Z1-Bzw8Jd_c317acxAL6SPSqiNaftjQScFtSREVlrQX-Feq_x" width="320" /></a></div></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The obituary of Henri van Bentum can be found on the McCall Gardens website, <a href="https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/henri-van-bentum" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-69735810879215365142022-05-11T16:44:00.003-07:002022-06-27T13:47:15.541-07:00Special Announcement : historic works by the late Henri van Bentum from his Private Collection. Now available to purchase for the first time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx3AY97-Z8o_h42Wyi4G9KGKE9XJsgyXTCc2oNGgWU6TCwZX0174ThsJ5hQNoGjQe5KoYzdl0zzMwXDBUXKjkY3qmDOn-V7XxoXpr4poDmDP6JnWfuhL574ZeFzM0DKJXScJ2xUpizw8z8lSC1I4mKQeIpY9dzsphwm0JuagHLgUflauBnoMMoy8U/s3300/Henri%20van%20Bentum%20interviewed%20in%20Art%20Magazine%20July%201969%20page%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx3AY97-Z8o_h42Wyi4G9KGKE9XJsgyXTCc2oNGgWU6TCwZX0174ThsJ5hQNoGjQe5KoYzdl0zzMwXDBUXKjkY3qmDOn-V7XxoXpr4poDmDP6JnWfuhL574ZeFzM0DKJXScJ2xUpizw8z8lSC1I4mKQeIpY9dzsphwm0JuagHLgUflauBnoMMoy8U/w286-h400/Henri%20van%20Bentum%20interviewed%20in%20Art%20Magazine%20July%201969%20page%201.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before his <a href="https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/henri-van-bentum" target="_blank">passing on April 2nd of this year</a> at the age of 92, artist Henri van Bentum authorized me, Natasha van Bentum, his partner of 51 years, to make available a few of his paintings from our Private Collection. Seventy-five percent of proceeds from any sales will go towards the Henri van Bentum Legacy Project, currently in the planning stage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Please note: several of these paintings have not come onto the market for many years, and include works from the late 1950's and early 1960's. </span>(See the end of this post for "<i>What the Critics Say about the Work of Henri van Bentum</i>.")</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvOmDzD69jANi0uFfEThA0LF1ni-ZIJucnADQVyTouxDUSWTgpigvpdgnocWYWPTJ2XccjjoNZD0VNrZ7JW9QPMkhpLd1MM8Cvy1kCix3ZPy1qaVFOg9pk8v650Eq88zeCaSFjNI7c9JgPBxaWFwiiHDiBpogqRDnKyoi0hsf76Rf8f8rknbJ7DlS/s2580/Global%20WarNing,%201964%20Acrylic%20and%20Chinese%20Ink%20on%20Paper,%20w30xh24%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$5,500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2010" data-original-width="2580" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvOmDzD69jANi0uFfEThA0LF1ni-ZIJucnADQVyTouxDUSWTgpigvpdgnocWYWPTJ2XccjjoNZD0VNrZ7JW9QPMkhpLd1MM8Cvy1kCix3ZPy1qaVFOg9pk8v650Eq88zeCaSFjNI7c9JgPBxaWFwiiHDiBpogqRDnKyoi0hsf76Rf8f8rknbJ7DlS/s320/Global%20WarNing,%201964%20Acrylic%20and%20Chinese%20Ink%20on%20Paper,%20w30xh24%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$5,500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span>Henri van Bentum, "<i>Global WarNing</i>", 1965<br />Acrylic and Chinese Ink on Paper, width 30" x height 24", framed under glass</span></div><div><span>Exhibited at Roberts Gallery, 1965</span></div><div><span>Painted long before "global warming" became a common term.</span></div><div><span>Formerly in the private collection of Mr. Leslie George Dawson</span></div><div><span>$17,500</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSd20cmxjNZN0pHhwwYbp1RtMqLpnkehDGoOcS6Si6qVR975xiUDCx8mtS_xsA5xx7ikg-KMsWpWtjgrTozjmsJ3I7M_kaJJM-P8Y2C-zqDKL8wHlZVuWJoPtI82wrw5TQl_kfGEUPkw_zz0rnpa7fMNwN-zkfd5_rKDqQ6Md2Hz4OLp0Fy1V07rsb/s608/Veined%20Ripples,%201965%20acrylic%20on%20canvas%20w30xh24%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20$7,500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="608" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSd20cmxjNZN0pHhwwYbp1RtMqLpnkehDGoOcS6Si6qVR975xiUDCx8mtS_xsA5xx7ikg-KMsWpWtjgrTozjmsJ3I7M_kaJJM-P8Y2C-zqDKL8wHlZVuWJoPtI82wrw5TQl_kfGEUPkw_zz0rnpa7fMNwN-zkfd5_rKDqQ6Md2Hz4OLp0Fy1V07rsb/s320/Veined%20Ripples,%201965%20acrylic%20on%20canvas%20w30xh24%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20$7,500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span>Henri van Bentum, "<i>Veined Ripples</i>", 1965</span></div><div><span>Acrylic on canvas, width 30" x height 24"</span></div><div><span>Exhibited in Paris, France in 1966, </span></div><div><span>at Galerie Raymonde Cazenave, Paris, France 1966</span></div><div><span>Reproduced in TIME Magazine, May 20, 1966</span></div><div><span>Formerly in the collection of the late Mr. Leslie George Dawson</span>.</div><div><span>$17,500</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV164aMBHAkB-FtQpJR71VPnrMIBYDL5nvLc28LZZby4odrKJm89FaKtPjmh04_JFS1FXRf3VxtCmAnOnEhVGmt6HrGTavNmZt5XUGCfNj5wTPEjzy5114yZX15-v74kLz1g2MW8ckc2u4P-mWye7xKHRLXQyEX_eFLRbyNX22DNktdrWZN1lHSBaX/s1400/Long%20Before,%201967%20acrylic%20on%20canvas%20w40xh50%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20$7,500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV164aMBHAkB-FtQpJR71VPnrMIBYDL5nvLc28LZZby4odrKJm89FaKtPjmh04_JFS1FXRf3VxtCmAnOnEhVGmt6HrGTavNmZt5XUGCfNj5wTPEjzy5114yZX15-v74kLz1g2MW8ckc2u4P-mWye7xKHRLXQyEX_eFLRbyNX22DNktdrWZN1lHSBaX/s320/Long%20Before,%201967%20acrylic%20on%20canvas%20w40xh50%20Henri%20van%20Bentum%20$7,500.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span>Henri van Bentum, "<i>Long Before</i>", 1967</span></div><div><span>Acrylic on canvas, width 40" x height 50", framed</span></div><div><span>Formerly in the collection of the late Mr. Leslie George Dawson</span></div><div><span>$15,000</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KXo_slqnJomDYgiV3xst6a2CBSnPkkKz1DpDUrBnIlvrzKNzIT-VIbbxeXu7WeF3UTXAZf9x1MJJxAIhGq0njEgxebZZsExRNTBw3NRRbioV6yQJ4kfrSK3Qnfd61l8FRwuHhlZlv-01-1zyTHedvbU3_HpbE6F5QhDwmzujmNWElef2sH1Khcs2/s2171/Season,%201962%20Ibiza,%20oil%20on%20canvas%20w26xh30%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$4,500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2171" data-original-width="1913" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KXo_slqnJomDYgiV3xst6a2CBSnPkkKz1DpDUrBnIlvrzKNzIT-VIbbxeXu7WeF3UTXAZf9x1MJJxAIhGq0njEgxebZZsExRNTBw3NRRbioV6yQJ4kfrSK3Qnfd61l8FRwuHhlZlv-01-1zyTHedvbU3_HpbE6F5QhDwmzujmNWElef2sH1Khcs2/s320/Season,%201962%20Ibiza,%20oil%20on%20canvas%20w26xh30%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$4,500.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br /><div><span>Henri van Bentum, "<i>Season</i>", 1962</span></div><div><span>Oil on canvas, width 26" x height 30", framed </span></div><div><span>Painted while living on the island of Ibiza, Spain</span></div><div><span>From the private collection of the late Mr. Leslie George Dawson</span><br /><span>$12,000 (canvas requires re-stretching) </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpcSVXVKZXpRhNvefzbVXd7SXaFL3JHWrvWvbjftvTq60Ov-RiGsJT7uLxVSb5M4x66_A9-GdU1M9xSiBeGtXhCLD4Oua7bdRoWx2ofw5YhbTaIb__RKbkjtDX8z3GuhrPSsY267VOQtNNr3tcdPLejzSsWCdkrHWxZDdpzoqEVVSeq1_dWiPCl7d/s1676/Dancing%20of%20the%20Sphere%20use%20this%20one.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1676" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpcSVXVKZXpRhNvefzbVXd7SXaFL3JHWrvWvbjftvTq60Ov-RiGsJT7uLxVSb5M4x66_A9-GdU1M9xSiBeGtXhCLD4Oua7bdRoWx2ofw5YhbTaIb__RKbkjtDX8z3GuhrPSsY267VOQtNNr3tcdPLejzSsWCdkrHWxZDdpzoqEVVSeq1_dWiPCl7d/s320/Dancing%20of%20the%20Sphere%20use%20this%20one.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><span><span><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div>Henri van Bentum, "</span><i>D</i></span><i>ancing of the Spheres"</i><span>, </span><span>1977</span></div><div><span>Acrylic on canvas, width 40" x height 30", framed</span></div><div><span>Painted while living in Ottawa, Ontario, 1977-78</span></div><div><span>$17,500</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdOGyofcsaDlIx-KR0239I_oWOAHknUaEdfZ2o4vaTF175AMwyHgdGPa4eEuVl2Ec9JnrFN9pYljM5DdGekoQfiorkQe5cFFqmYOR4HFP3DqfTZxCurrt3-Sdg0NfU5CDpwt8MjJr3FOScsf-HcTVW5nWCJqI-rZGqB-P4mMk7sTY3JXco-IfL4RY/s2193/Jubilato,%201977%20acrylic%20on%20canvas,%20w30xh36%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$5,500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2193" data-original-width="1821" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdOGyofcsaDlIx-KR0239I_oWOAHknUaEdfZ2o4vaTF175AMwyHgdGPa4eEuVl2Ec9JnrFN9pYljM5DdGekoQfiorkQe5cFFqmYOR4HFP3DqfTZxCurrt3-Sdg0NfU5CDpwt8MjJr3FOScsf-HcTVW5nWCJqI-rZGqB-P4mMk7sTY3JXco-IfL4RY/s320/Jubilato,%201977%20acrylic%20on%20canvas,%20w30xh36%20Henri%20van%20Bentum,%20$5,500.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div><span>Henri van Bentum, "Jubilato", 1977</span></div><div><span>Acrylic on canvas, width 30" x height 36"</span></div><div><span>Painted while living in Ottawa, Ontario, 1977-78</span></div><div><span>Formerly in the collection of the late Mr. Leslie George Dawson</span></div><div><span>$21,000</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkm74OywhXMNT4F1H0grUdOVr7PYo3qyWslVVF-SBUIa1AvAEL8V9_UgPGbuFpkN18HRVnfVkvB81w6QqgGTr9NUQsbRdjl7kOYq8U_Vx1k3Zct2xEDGNWAC2Sm-SJ4QNt4KSYXxAwpcLu9BKshI5O9OgGnYBdfibV7GM054gn24W1piO3DlPCCkdm/s2758/Borealis,%20acrylic%20on%20paper%201964%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1930" data-original-width="2758" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkm74OywhXMNT4F1H0grUdOVr7PYo3qyWslVVF-SBUIa1AvAEL8V9_UgPGbuFpkN18HRVnfVkvB81w6QqgGTr9NUQsbRdjl7kOYq8U_Vx1k3Zct2xEDGNWAC2Sm-SJ4QNt4KSYXxAwpcLu9BKshI5O9OgGnYBdfibV7GM054gn24W1piO3DlPCCkdm/s320/Borealis,%20acrylic%20on%20paper%201964%20Henri%20van%20Bentum.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>Henri van Bentum, "<i>Borealis</i></span><span>", 1964</span></span></div><div><span>Acrylic on paper, width 30" x height 24", framed under glass</span></div><div><span>Exhibited at Roberts Gallery, 1965</span></div><div><span>The only remaining work available in this series</span></div></div><div><span>$17,500</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">SPATIAL RHYTHMS Series - Watercolour on handmade paper</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><div><span><b>About the Spatial Rhythms series:</b> While living in the Rocky Mountains (in Banff, Alberta), van Bentum began a bold, Zen-like series of watercolours that he named "Spatial Rhythms". Henri continued working on this "Spatial Rhythms" series after moving to Vancouver in 1985.</span></div><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><i>"Spatial Rhythms" are a controlled, simple interpretation of inner feeling and symbolism. The work contains elements of music -- such as volume, mood and rhythm, which are translated into tonality, colour and composition."</i></span></div></div><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4bmOhKHEdWqO5Gwb7D6yHS8VXlvK6kmZx5QHeTpFUdCsEKGn-wYf8eJ6yMMqBbo4dig8cjLZnkbhPXaC41JvBzW3nx8I7jhFL3peLGXwucu2RuZDw2CTS1V_5UpBgmS_OopgwAtgME3vECZToOkx0fIgr5D-ZrCxwgMouVhmlixOC3cNtQUHpnu8/s973/Spatial%20Rhythms%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="754" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4bmOhKHEdWqO5Gwb7D6yHS8VXlvK6kmZx5QHeTpFUdCsEKGn-wYf8eJ6yMMqBbo4dig8cjLZnkbhPXaC41JvBzW3nx8I7jhFL3peLGXwucu2RuZDw2CTS1V_5UpBgmS_OopgwAtgME3vECZToOkx0fIgr5D-ZrCxwgMouVhmlixOC3cNtQUHpnu8/s320/Spatial%20Rhythms%2013.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><span><div><span>Example of Henri van Bentum's <i>Spatial Rhythms </i>series, 1983</span></div><div>Watercolour on handmade paper, width 20", height 30"</div><div><div><span>Vertical series, created while living in Banff, Alberta 1980-85.</span></div></div><div>$12,500</div><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzBA5vNa2kco303mdA7mOy9UxpN-4FRvward2yK7zXzAehpzUL65gCBfJxbh2BZghbqreELgOfq4W2mit8EGJJa-FVJV9nYcCausrByRYMIH_uFsV8YlOhnQud753MFLkbNVxJ47YpuLRKzVh_LNLhvUEE0-_tXr_7FurQAeV9hX1j1VWVTCD_Qxu/s988/Spatial%20Rhythms%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="988" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzBA5vNa2kco303mdA7mOy9UxpN-4FRvward2yK7zXzAehpzUL65gCBfJxbh2BZghbqreELgOfq4W2mit8EGJJa-FVJV9nYcCausrByRYMIH_uFsV8YlOhnQud753MFLkbNVxJ47YpuLRKzVh_LNLhvUEE0-_tXr_7FurQAeV9hX1j1VWVTCD_Qxu/s320/Spatial%20Rhythms%207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span>Example of Henri van Bentum's <i>Spatial Rhythms</i>, 1983</span></div><div>Watercolour on handmade paper, width 20", height 30"</div><div><span>Horizontal series, created while living in Banff, Alberta 1980-85.</span></div><div>$12,500</div></div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div></span></div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;">What the Critics Say </span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;">about the Work</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt;">of Artist Henri van Bentum<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">“His microscopic attention to detail comes out most
strongly in evocations of coral seen through the luminous waters of tropical
seas, and in the textures of rock and ice caught in the suffused light of
underground caverns</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">.” <b>TIME Magazine</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">“The best one-man show of abstract art I have seen in
a long time is that of watercolours by Henri van Bentum. While too many artists
seem to torture watercolour for expression, van Bentum exploits the natural
delight of the medium so that it serves his most exacting thought.” </span><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Globe &
Mail</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">“Henri van Bentum’s series of work, <i>“Spatial Rhythms”,</i> reflects his
development into a controlled, simple interpretation of inner feelings; this
series of paintings interprets the elements of music such as volume, mood and
rhythm and are translated into tonality, colour and composition</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">. <b>Peter Whyte Museum, Banff, Alberta</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">When he marshals his colour into circles, then places
them like water drops on the white canvas, van Bentum gets a rich intricacy of
light and depth. Some have jewel facets, while others contain the subtleties of
earth, leaves and bark. </span><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Globe & Mail</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">“Viewing a painting by Henri van Bentum is a stimulus
to the imagination. Perhaps his background as a diamond-faceter’s son is
responsible for the almost crystalline aspect of his work</span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">. The single most extraordinary quality in all his paintings is an
incredible luminosity, a radiance that emanates from within.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Completely introspective in his work, van Bentum is
probably a born abstract painter.</span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> J.W.G. ("Jock") </span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Macdonald, with whom he studied, was one of the first to encourage van Bentum
to develop his individuality, and it is certainly under Macdonald’s influence
that he achieved his present independence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;">van Bentum uses blank space as a positive. The missing element is essential to the
whole. While none of his current work
depicts any recognizable object, it immediately conjures up a mental word
picture of a time, space, melody or situation”. </span><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Canadian Interiors</span></b></p>
</div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Contact: Natasha van Bentum</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">vanbentum "at" gmail.com</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">June, 2022<br /></span></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-6317991819188626382022-04-11T14:39:00.002-07:002022-09-13T13:02:40.374-07:00Written in 1972, reflections by Henri on his "Organiverse" series: background, history, thoughts<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Art, Meditation, Ecology </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Atom
by Atom - Dot by Dot</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6lZCRO96lPgQ0WuvoLH6dtI-Hux_ESnGE_Okgb5Z9XD0SnSl4xoB1jgGSm4C6DkPI9wgwOwWn-b5AeCgK6KbnSx2dJW6Z3qCt7Pj0KXdJgIPurcPg0sZL9i9-0P71pPEYx7OkCtU9KQ/s1600/3+-+Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6lZCRO96lPgQ0WuvoLH6dtI-Hux_ESnGE_Okgb5Z9XD0SnSl4xoB1jgGSm4C6DkPI9wgwOwWn-b5AeCgK6KbnSx2dJW6Z3qCt7Pj0KXdJgIPurcPg0sZL9i9-0P71pPEYx7OkCtU9KQ/s320/3+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Mandala #3 from set of #100, Organiverse</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Pointillism, 8.5 cm diameter, by Henri van Bentum</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Art</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Created in Morocco and the island of Madeira. My work
is in over 225 public and private collections around the world. All 100
mandalas are done in pointillism, dot by dot. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">The original Organiverse portfolio consists of twenty-five pages, each with four spherical drawings 8.5 cm in diameter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"<i>The work of Henri
van Bentum reminds us of organic processes on the cosmic and microcosmic
levels. His work helps me understand the vastness, complexity and beauty of the
cosmos. van Bentum's work is executed with a fine sense of colour and other
elements. I see his work as a paradigm for enduring works of art in the
future.</i>"</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Former Professor Leslie Mezei, Computer Sciences, U of T.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Quote from the former
Curator, National Gallery of Canada, Prints and Drawings:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">“The technique of the [Organiverse] drawings is
comprised of finely-tuned transparent and opaque layers of colour. This play of
contrasts gives the work a three-dimensional quality enhanced by a delicate
luminosity. The colours are complicated and would require a sensitive use of
colour separation. In order to maintain the integrity of the original drawing
imagery and effect, the most articulate reproductive methods would have to be
utilized.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rosemary L. Tovell, Curator, Canadian Prints
and Drawings National Gallery of Canada, 1979<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>Meditation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Organiverse is a meditational aid or 21st century
kasina device. It is used to enhance meditation practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>“Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is Life. These mandalas offer an immense opportunity for healing and for a heart-based understanding of who we are physically, emotionally and spiritually. A dance of colour, form and contemplation.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dr. Mark Sherman, MDCM, CCFP<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>Ecology</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Back in the 1950's I was already looking at environmental issues. I've always advocated ‘Small is Beautiful’ and work on a small scale, using a minimum of resources for maximum results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Click h<a href="http://vanbentum.org/organiverse/handset/handset_project.html" target="_blank">ere for details about the Organiverse rotation handse</a>t which comes with a wood container made from recovered wood
from Vancouver Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-48WlMN5v7FAeBIruYh8acrWvY-dRVSokbHy2RLGGPk3ppiCKZLbqdM_m-i_JnCFU0kKWAxtMhJoaNuZtwCH-bVlkAgSEr_cpC0OAm7V2kP6MaAXKp1lFWEvUXsuG7siOU1_WGy_iCfs/s1600/Organiverse+handset+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-48WlMN5v7FAeBIruYh8acrWvY-dRVSokbHy2RLGGPk3ppiCKZLbqdM_m-i_JnCFU0kKWAxtMhJoaNuZtwCH-bVlkAgSEr_cpC0OAm7V2kP6MaAXKp1lFWEvUXsuG7siOU1_WGy_iCfs/s320/Organiverse+handset+photo.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Photo of the Organiverse handheld set</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>Notes on the original
Organiverse Portfolio</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This unique series of pointillism mandalas was
started in Morocco in 1972. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Natasha and
I were living in the former Phoenician fishing village of Essaouira, and
afterwards moved to the island of Madeira where the work was completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The original Organiverse portfolio consists of
twenty-five pages, each with four spherical drawings 8 cm in diameter. The work
was made into a 35mm colour and sound short film by filmmaker Julius Kohanyi in
1973. He was commissioned for this project by the Ontario Arts Council. Since
that time, the film has represented Canada in major international film
festivals around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">My motivation in creating Organiverse was to have
it reproduced in a limited edition and made available to libraries, art
schools, universities and museums. Although pleased with the film’s success, my
goal had not been realized. The contemplative nature of the work, with its
refined visual sensibility and meditative characters, was lost on the huge 35mm
theatre screens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Over the years, I tried to get the Organiverse
Portfolio printed. However an accurate rendering of the colour was impossible
owing to the pointillist technique (using traditional printing technology). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">However, through a partnership with Hewlett Packard
(HP), the portfolio was scanned and reproduced using the latest HP imaging
technology, in a limited edition of twenty-five sets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">These scans were further used to create the new
Organiverse: Art Meditation Ecology set, featuring each mandala on a separate
card.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>Creation of the new
"Starry Night" edition of ORGANIVERSE<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
Following a successful experiment with HP, we had a reverse
edition of the original Organiverse set created, called “Starry Night”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to thank Joe Carr, Brian W.
Johnson and Garry Sedun for their technical assistance. <a href="https://vimeo.com/vanbentum" target="_blank">Click here to watch videos of both the original, and the Starry Night editions.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucwbbKO-p2O401DSINAlE_RPpfBgjgXEw0XmW9uIOjR21l6B-RLkZBvlivSy0At2zWKnne8BmUprjIdvxs9DHeYHhQQoQbd4ZY_iqiJiuSy889L4E-96Ly85cAs76aABSoV5sIzb2Z8k/s1600/Organiverse+SN+25+low+res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1000" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucwbbKO-p2O401DSINAlE_RPpfBgjgXEw0XmW9uIOjR21l6B-RLkZBvlivSy0At2zWKnne8BmUprjIdvxs9DHeYHhQQoQbd4ZY_iqiJiuSy889L4E-96Ly85cAs76aABSoV5sIzb2Z8k/s320/Organiverse+SN+25+low+res.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mandala #25 from the set of #100, </div>
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"Starry Night" edition of Organiverse, Henri van Bentum</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="statement"></a><b>Statement by the Artist<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"While we are occupied with our daily existence, a
great mystery takes place: Life, evolving in every form, from micro to the
macro cosmos. We on our planet Earth finally begin to realize there may be
other life in the Universe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">With this project, we share insights into this
enigma called life, embracing art, science and ecology a timeless universalism
of growth, evolution or genesis --- we have the microscope and telescope
within, and an unknown destiny. This work also embraces the interplay and relationship
of Colour. It is further a study in organic development. The invisible is made
visible, through dots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We are biologically no more nor less than dots ---
atoms. The planets and even the Sun are only a spot in space, depending from
where you look. We have seen, when astronauts go further and further away from
Earth, our receding planet then quickly disappears into what one astronaut
simply called a dot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We leave our own world behind, and find a new and
alien world, until eventually we leave even that, continuing further to another
dot, only to discover that it is again an unknown giant in space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">All life has a beginning, be it the birth of
plankton, a whale, lichen, an oak tree, a mouse, and elephant or human being.
All comes out of darkness the womb, the cosmic egg. Beyond darkness and
ignorance there awaits Light."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Henri van Bentum, written
in 1972<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-53082514993078136252022-04-08T09:03:00.001-07:002022-07-04T09:04:21.455-07:00"What The Critics Say" -- about the work of the late Henri van Bentum, Artist<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZqvNXXhoTcq7RKuAcE_NRCWqCAiib28CZp2VpTn9sGOX3ittpBCsY7yGw7-K0GH9vDAAmzXSgFXTEwcXTbRKGr0gha_R757thN0nGzetUkElJYn6sFmXehk9tez0_RQJAznzhtJL_toAuV5RpBVuWUrtwdl2SmBI3xj_bLtC9YlZ39VwPvNzoPLS/s2048/Henri%20painting%20in%20Arizona%202015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZqvNXXhoTcq7RKuAcE_NRCWqCAiib28CZp2VpTn9sGOX3ittpBCsY7yGw7-K0GH9vDAAmzXSgFXTEwcXTbRKGr0gha_R757thN0nGzetUkElJYn6sFmXehk9tez0_RQJAznzhtJL_toAuV5RpBVuWUrtwdl2SmBI3xj_bLtC9YlZ39VwPvNzoPLS/s320/Henri%20painting%20in%20Arizona%202015.jpg" width="320" /></a> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henri van Bentum at work on a "Spatial Rhythm" watercolour, Arizona, 2015</span></p><br /><br />“His microscopic attention to detail comes out most strongly in evocations of coral seen through the luminous waters of tropical seas, and in the textures of rock and ice caught in the suffused light of underground caverns.” TIME Magazine<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> “The best one-man show of abstract art I have seen in a long time is that of watercolours by Henri van Bentum. While too many artists seem to torture watercolour for expression, van Bentum exploits the natural delight of the medium so that it serves his most exacting thought.” Globe & Mail<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> “Henri van Bentum’s series of work, “Spatial Rhythms”, reflects his development into a controlled, simple interpretation of inner feelings; this series of paintings interprets the elements of music such as volume, mood and rhythm and are translated into tonality, colour and composition." Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"When he marshals his colour into circles, then places them like water drops on the white canvas, van Bentum gets a rich intricacy of light and depth. Some have jewel facets, while others contain the subtleties of earth, leaves and bark". Globe & Mail<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> “Viewing a painting by Henri van Bentum is a stimulus to the imagination. Perhaps his background as a diamond-faceter’s son is responsible for the almost crystalline aspect of his work. The single most extraordinary quality in all his paintings is an incredible luminosity, a radiance that emanates from within.<br /><br /> Completely introspective in his work, van Bentum is probably a born abstract painter. J.W.G. ("Jock") Macdonald, with whom he studied, was one of the first to encourage van Bentum to develop his individuality, and it is certainly under Macdonald’s influence that he achieved his present independence. van Bentum uses blank space as a positive. The missing element is essential to the whole. While none of his current work depicts any recognizable object, it immediately conjures up a mental word picture of a time, space, melody or situation”. Canadian Interiors<div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-7769610491476940272022-04-07T18:18:00.002-07:002022-12-17T10:16:36.970-08:00<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Please visit the McCall Gardens' website for <a href="https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/henri-van-bentum" target="_blank">Henri's obituary.</a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1V6eWiLIdmyU9UIMYTueU2Za36WI3x68IAubQFTWinV7VLdn1ySBkNOowhGBhtzg6I4BdgB9USXTJsEWYGlCFrucAbExbrCDgM6DPh33bvRHlxcp4hroPWkr6WFbjtowasJluc89EqT-IkmTGU8RHmzNs3PbZiShl40c6DrS-lbq4832ltCg0W-4/s1333/header%20of%20obituary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="1333" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1V6eWiLIdmyU9UIMYTueU2Za36WI3x68IAubQFTWinV7VLdn1ySBkNOowhGBhtzg6I4BdgB9USXTJsEWYGlCFrucAbExbrCDgM6DPh33bvRHlxcp4hroPWkr6WFbjtowasJluc89EqT-IkmTGU8RHmzNs3PbZiShl40c6DrS-lbq4832ltCg0W-4/w400-h119/header%20of%20obituary.jpg" width="400" /></a></h2><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-67618563574699080262022-04-03T18:14:00.034-07:002022-06-26T15:00:25.765-07:00A Blue Light Prayer for the Colour Master Henri van Bentum<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Lnh11gaIUTDwGZcnjU1_NtGpDTJTT_X-yzJS0J-Fc_iJZQ3LNukNZMjAoZ6w9CLj2hAiI4naUQBHebJ5hCRW7CMPLMJ-XRcaTnG9qNhCUY8GNeI_g0aYMi4rRuT-uMUmQBOH4cljID_OcjXK25nIdz8OmPI15ubonxKhd7eMDrUX4gIfG8DA5aDB/s1889/1a%20Khor%20Yug%20%20%20HH%20XVII%20Karmapa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1889" data-original-width="1814" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Lnh11gaIUTDwGZcnjU1_NtGpDTJTT_X-yzJS0J-Fc_iJZQ3LNukNZMjAoZ6w9CLj2hAiI4naUQBHebJ5hCRW7CMPLMJ-XRcaTnG9qNhCUY8GNeI_g0aYMi4rRuT-uMUmQBOH4cljID_OcjXK25nIdz8OmPI15ubonxKhd7eMDrUX4gIfG8DA5aDB/s320/1a%20Khor%20Yug%20%20%20HH%20XVII%20Karmapa.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>To the valiant, steadfast and compassionate (*), <br />venerable Henri van Bentum<br /><br />Who sailed the waves of his incarnation so skillfully,<br /><br />With the blessings of White Tara through space and time.<br /><br />Having drunk the amrita of samsara and nirvana equally,<br /><br />Drawn the primary brushes of eternity<br /><br />Of red, yellow and blue, painting Truth of the organic universe,<br /><br />Unfettered by the limits of word.<br /><br />So generously, you imparted your Leo heart stories,<br /><br />And 'Apologue stories' for all ages throughout the lands and seas.<br /><br />Sharing, always sharing freely,<br /><br />Delivered unhindered from the Great River,<br /><br />Ever having danced with the Light.<br /><br />May His Noble Heart continue to emanate<br /><br />Unceasing waves of pure Wisdom and Compassion.<br /><br />Having laid down his precious body<br /><br />May the Protectors and Guardian Dakinis<br /><br />Guard this Non-Sectarian Master,<br /><br />On the Path that conquers all arising mind states<br /><br />And leads to Total Liberation and Victory.<br /><br />E Ma Ho!<br /><br /><br /><a href="#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMI8jYANkQrnCEv8yvbJtBTbXz_jpUkRuGu7wugxKB9PwcJFNT1Ky0qA418CZk93yOgtg_dluZ4tOrwfQ5Cf9zimxosyyV45t-gm7VT8BJRTADh1a8pU3QQeE6lFMjUMUmGS4J3mLJ7KAuxX6Z-oMuH7_YSkI0KicTj4BLjDpJNZqvnCDDzhvQiEC/s320/3.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Mandala #3 from set of #100, "Organiverse"<br />Pointillism, original size 8.5 cm. by Henri van Bentum, 1972<br /><br /><br />(*) Motto on the City of Amsterdam's coat of arms, Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig, qualities which Henri embodied.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-7818051595417747082022-01-07T11:05:00.008-08:002023-08-29T16:25:46.630-07:00Launch of Part Two: "Organiverse / "Fruit Gathering" <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-oCNyt30dvUWID1pU5zAdmNeq2gRTDQHZykKeDVvPZJoNQNTnDloDbZEVMv_mC2YrGGRh3zMyeNelofBH-PM1O4xoKiM-zgXCekifmdf8R06jXtBsOBOUstnC4upLrDX5um36IMFRaXmwPVYGjrAMJIK-I9kYBpBkAfr8zQw7DCS2dyQnq8QL-U8v=s852" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="852" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-oCNyt30dvUWID1pU5zAdmNeq2gRTDQHZykKeDVvPZJoNQNTnDloDbZEVMv_mC2YrGGRh3zMyeNelofBH-PM1O4xoKiM-zgXCekifmdf8R06jXtBsOBOUstnC4upLrDX5um36IMFRaXmwPVYGjrAMJIK-I9kYBpBkAfr8zQw7DCS2dyQnq8QL-U8v=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiclR1OK8PbTmyeT5_fEE5jNR4HxKk8pO9T9Ih0ciwPVuWitQsN_NJy88pYApRfIPoVFJvXWGA8CWa-UExpbcZUzOjo9sH4GozAm1_h_xCVB224EgBSR8K9kxDYaXeEIjWiSQ9lK3pM8MmqeGTHgzAkLvnOZMC5KsxAVF55YwP3NNr0UlRbStHUwb9=s824" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="824" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiclR1OK8PbTmyeT5_fEE5jNR4HxKk8pO9T9Ih0ciwPVuWitQsN_NJy88pYApRfIPoVFJvXWGA8CWa-UExpbcZUzOjo9sH4GozAm1_h_xCVB224EgBSR8K9kxDYaXeEIjWiSQ9lK3pM8MmqeGTHgzAkLvnOZMC5KsxAVF55YwP3NNr0UlRbStHUwb9=w200-h141" width="200" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Today, Feb. 5th, we are happy to announce the official launch of Part Two, explorations with the poetry (songs) of Rabindranath Tagore, and Henri van Bentum's Organiverse, ("Starry Night" edition). </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This time, it is the “Starry Night” or Bioluminescent edition of my “Organiverse” 100 mandalas, with Tagore’s book of poems “<i>Fruit Gathering” </i>(1916). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkqkKIiJNGRcP3c4W5zHFRBd-wBhlBfmpoxv_dP91KYN3S7U5y3xJ9xzwk0yxLTSNjdbH5yQh2j0ueXOUxvlurs9cPTdDQRhFvCL9qOcwKBDJslz7sMPJS23w6yv-c9062Eunv-1ZHxGAa5lL1IF2qFgDF-6Lp7f89eaneolAIyrRwdkl6GZttGg6_=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="1200" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkqkKIiJNGRcP3c4W5zHFRBd-wBhlBfmpoxv_dP91KYN3S7U5y3xJ9xzwk0yxLTSNjdbH5yQh2j0ueXOUxvlurs9cPTdDQRhFvCL9qOcwKBDJslz7sMPJS23w6yv-c9062Eunv-1ZHxGAa5lL1IF2qFgDF-6Lp7f89eaneolAIyrRwdkl6GZttGg6_=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mandala 25 of 100 set, Organiverse 'Starry Night' edition.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Part Two is produced and read by our friend Brian WE Johnson (BWEJ) of Victoria. We would like to express appreciation for his diligent and thoughtful work. <br /></span><div><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: times;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“Fruit Gathering is a collection of short poems by Rabindranath Tagore. The theme of this book is based on the relationship between God and man, the atom and the cosmos. Tagore uses fruits and flowers to symbolise his spiritual and moral values towards the love for the creator.” </span> </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(Indian Culture) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://henrivanbentum.blogspot.com/2021/12/launch-of-journey-into-organiverse-with.html" target="_blank">For details about “Organiverse”, please visit our Jan. 1st post on Part One, Organiverse / Gitanjali.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/jKY864TrJH8&source=gmail&ust=1693437831668000&usg=AOvVaw0MV3jVwkeibHHbYP1VOsYg" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/jKY864TrJH8" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 1 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp32bc2c6enhancr_card_2750897968" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/jKY864TrJH8&source=gmail&ust=1693437831668000&usg=AOvVaw0MV3jVwkeibHHbYP1VOsYg" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/jKY864TrJH8" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); 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vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; 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color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp1465ecf1enhancr_card_3115122118" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dZK0DeXYeB8&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw15sUyHhg-zbQ8wVTdfRZ2I" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/dZK0DeXYeB8" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 3 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/0A2ujCzfy9U&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw1eBXJ7KLd45H43tNbOfal2" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/0A2ujCzfy9U" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 4 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydpfb584a3aenhancr_card_2827318929" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/0A2ujCzfy9U&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw1eBXJ7KLd45H43tNbOfal2" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/0A2ujCzfy9U" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 4 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/ZTQnNILv8m0&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw02WFZEfcCxmMcHWtQUnusN" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/ZTQnNILv8m0" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 5 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydpf8620dbbenhancr_card_3220825524" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/ZTQnNILv8m0&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw02WFZEfcCxmMcHWtQUnusN" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/ZTQnNILv8m0" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 5 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/Rt1TtsfAW5Y&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw3PYuJ31tJEaXJqbur1HcFw" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/Rt1TtsfAW5Y" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 6 final 44a MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp1b33251eenhancr_card_3149646676" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/Rt1TtsfAW5Y&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw3PYuJ31tJEaXJqbur1HcFw" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/Rt1TtsfAW5Y" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 6 final 44a MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/GS1H_gBUwvc&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw1R4lETjjkJe1z7J3nkGUuW" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/GS1H_gBUwvc" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 7 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp7a4aabd4enhancr_card_2946651159" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/GS1H_gBUwvc&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw1R4lETjjkJe1z7J3nkGUuW" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/GS1H_gBUwvc" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 7 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/AETCBkQ3OYY&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2W8zlFcfDYjPlEViy3awRM" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/AETCBkQ3OYY" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 8 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp3d29169eenhancr_card_2805450796" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/AETCBkQ3OYY&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2W8zlFcfDYjPlEViy3awRM" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/AETCBkQ3OYY" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 8 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/LpjKkiR9WlE&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2Ejx0T9ED4CaGllXYzbVMs" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/LpjKkiR9WlE" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 9 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydp8d7bcf35enhancr_card_3071546080" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/LpjKkiR9WlE&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2Ejx0T9ED4CaGllXYzbVMs" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/LpjKkiR9WlE" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 9 final 44 MP4</h2><p style="color: #979ea8; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/20IiHOLe2So&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2HRvXSbxMGnPJ1iRZuPP_d" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/20IiHOLe2So" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Gathering 10 final 44 MP4</a><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div id="m_-2508611219928323125m_599736579779203194ydpa441aa2fenhancr_card_3403977758" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; max-width: 400px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/20IiHOLe2So&source=gmail&ust=1693437831669000&usg=AOvVaw2HRvXSbxMGnPJ1iRZuPP_d" fg_scanned="1" href="https://youtu.be/20IiHOLe2So" rel="nofollow" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px;" width="400"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-color: rgb(224, 228, 233); border-radius: 2px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-width: 400px; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#000000" height="175" style="background-color: black; background-size: cover; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="transparent" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 2px 2px 0px 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 175px;" valign="top"><table border="0" style="height: 175px; min-height: 175px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px 15px; vertical-align: top;"></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 15px 0px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233); max-width: 400px; width: 398.505px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px 16px 12px; vertical-align: top;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjgg-xMthCURH6xorGi75FIRS6BIXSaEG83YL22nLJFgRUS-Fn7LLbGwMD1W-nr1PBiKNOz2DoLBoM9u8kIIwp2Qs6ODC9kc9D0z6-sYSAtSEZknnEneYwXvO_1hyphenhyphen9daIn7U7q75pk6_FZ2nhrnTo9b6UtJai5y1_-bxFMjitD6Kp0=s0-d-e1-ft" style="margin-top: 3px; min-width: 36px;" /></td><td style="border-radius: 0px 0px 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 24px 16px 12px; vertical-align: middle; width: 314.521px;"><h2 style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; max-width: 314px;">Gathering 10 final 44 MP4</h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 24px;"><div dir="ltr" id="m_4300437921883695046ydpe9356c8dyiv5804644111"><div id="m_4300437921883695046ydp6918b030enhancr_card_1225896075" style="font-family: "YahooSans VF", YahooSans, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 400px;"><br /></div></div></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-31885409940547254282022-01-05T07:41:00.007-08:002023-02-01T15:35:11.788-08:00Launch of "A JOURNEY INTO THE ORGANIVERSE WITH TAGORE", 1st January 2022 - marking the 50th anniversary of "Organiverse". Produced and narrated by Brian W.E. Johnson.<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Having built a nice fire in our woodstove, I sat comfortably watching and listening to Chapter One. The slow pace is just right and the narrator's voice lets the poetry speak without sentimentality or piety. To see each of Henri van Bentum's mandalas in this context is very enhancing - seeing it in relation to the verse, and speculating on further meanings." </i>Marina Bieler</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5GHcSMqceDD4hegSRF8U-awAh9FT9Aq6yZ0dm50z94xJeMcmv1pTkYKjJfjDcQ_DiyMUEetf10htX_wlUYK5YTzeFxonmvLy-x8oS4G4dA5buNCu-dAthLuDJSD2sd5XWjYdfIoyAGpFTYoqmZgRO6CN868_pdlU8QTE5MUWunfZyM-ubRZqTaw3O=s853" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="853" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5GHcSMqceDD4hegSRF8U-awAh9FT9Aq6yZ0dm50z94xJeMcmv1pTkYKjJfjDcQ_DiyMUEetf10htX_wlUYK5YTzeFxonmvLy-x8oS4G4dA5buNCu-dAthLuDJSD2sd5XWjYdfIoyAGpFTYoqmZgRO6CN868_pdlU8QTE5MUWunfZyM-ubRZqTaw3O=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Screen capture of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckxRnxhtQaI" target="_blank">Chapter One</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span><div style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[For direct access to the chapters, go to You Tube</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and search for "BWEJ Poetry Frames"]</span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Henri van Bentum (1929-2022) wrote:</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">"To mark the 50th anniversary of "Organiverse", today we are happy to announce the launch of </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;">"A Journey Into the Organiverse With Tagore",</i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> a series of ten sequential video and audio chapters embracing one hundred mandalas and one hundred poems in total. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">(The links to all ten chapters can be found at the end of this post.) </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><u>Each chapter</u> features 10 mandalas from my “Organiverse” series of pointillist paintings created in 1972, and 10 poems by Rabindranath Tagore from his work “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitanjali" target="_blank">Gitanjali</a>” (Song Offerings). In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "Gitanjali". </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I would like to thank our friend, Brian W.E. Johnson, for his idea of pairing the two, and for his diligent work on producing the videos ("digital poetry frames") which he also narrates." </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgG3IKhsbSjUPVCcrDAFHvGhhEFIqYF8unzLWUxmA7ZTsHFTclj8R4QaM34y4UQsYoGt_eMLU4QY-v-AiV4s1RUOrBePEKAlfT2X_Xwq9WotVXF61a0HchjfpcfXGs7thzxkvZs2fB2HKNeMW9S3OlxEJwXU0maJh4nzV59mXEYAfDrhCj5Wkf6iMcc=s862" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="862" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgG3IKhsbSjUPVCcrDAFHvGhhEFIqYF8unzLWUxmA7ZTsHFTclj8R4QaM34y4UQsYoGt_eMLU4QY-v-AiV4s1RUOrBePEKAlfT2X_Xwq9WotVXF61a0HchjfpcfXGs7thzxkvZs2fB2HKNeMW9S3OlxEJwXU0maJh4nzV59mXEYAfDrhCj5Wkf6iMcc=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rabindranath Tagore</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaoRsDtfybWe1pv33oPLoVpmR1ufsxM_hLN7Q3mOE5YmKhTbdIcabb1Pd1fKycVmxNQZEurAWIfp4-n76nD8uM3Q2oDHtEJdIOOhDzh-HX0CcM7yr1eKQzOC7_AXGOzKNFDUPMBcJXhvOwOmkjQbP7IwwfVHkMAOky_n-SbyjHLuyrx3i7SRyUQflv=s851" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="851" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaoRsDtfybWe1pv33oPLoVpmR1ufsxM_hLN7Q3mOE5YmKhTbdIcabb1Pd1fKycVmxNQZEurAWIfp4-n76nD8uM3Q2oDHtEJdIOOhDzh-HX0CcM7yr1eKQzOC7_AXGOzKNFDUPMBcJXhvOwOmkjQbP7IwwfVHkMAOky_n-SbyjHLuyrx3i7SRyUQflv=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Gitanjali</i> - Song 35</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuywqo_xzgP36wic6QF46dHi_oCjgUR8yNrxbb9QMihXvGslYeOAAqOEiq9jii51CjizKPYBNr9ALNWFqTUv5rq3Iw53ARmOAYA4H7o969ws_GPS8aVR91byye-L6a32rwCMcQwOM2zwHQ3UbwJHAYrJ4omsl3-H4YjC1LHKqncgSw3ZO4YvOPiF-o=s664" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuywqo_xzgP36wic6QF46dHi_oCjgUR8yNrxbb9QMihXvGslYeOAAqOEiq9jii51CjizKPYBNr9ALNWFqTUv5rq3Iw53ARmOAYA4H7o969ws_GPS8aVR91byye-L6a32rwCMcQwOM2zwHQ3UbwJHAYrJ4omsl3-H4YjC1LHKqncgSw3ZO4YvOPiF-o=w151-h200" width="151" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Henri van Bentum, 1929-2022</div><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Words from the Artist about <a href="https://vanbentum.org/organiverse/handset/handset_project.html" target="_blank">Organiverse</a></b><br /><br /><span> </span>“<i>While we are occupied with our daily existence, a great mystery takes place: Life, evolving in every form, from micro to the macro cosmos. Organiverse shares insights into this enigma called life, embracing art, science and ecology a timeless universalism of growth, evolution or genesis --- we have the microscope and telescope within, and an unknown destiny. <br /><br /><span> </span>This work also embraces the interplay and relationship of colour. It is further a study in organic development. The invisible is made visible, through dots. All life has a beginning, be it the birth of a star, a cell, a whale, lichen, an oak tree, a mouse, and elephant or human being. All comes out of darkness the womb, the cosmic egg. Beyond darkness and ignorance there awaits Light and awakening.</i>” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Background:</b> "In the spring 1972, I began creating a set of 100 mandalas (paintings) and named the set The Organiverse Portfolio. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">Organiverse is a meditation aid or 21st century<i> kasina</i> practice. (Kasinas are visual aids traditionally used in Buddhist practice.) The initial ten mandalas were done in Morocco, in the former Phoenician fishing village of Essaouira (Mogador), now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNPg2lrHqSX2RFgJqURj89mM0fIWoNvRklT8v6jzv9p8MMBBOTrFXxPJI7aWCHpuodz6H-0oPpC56PYt0sV807pAVrz1_Y3WVeLF-A_u7dsgWjxDpwEKdoH_1fOmUDFVJY2d-e1Epe3CaTQPi34MuYN5NWTQEUPHbbQyXSwML6M7E0bRY0I5COLO_i=s2127" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2127" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNPg2lrHqSX2RFgJqURj89mM0fIWoNvRklT8v6jzv9p8MMBBOTrFXxPJI7aWCHpuodz6H-0oPpC56PYt0sV807pAVrz1_Y3WVeLF-A_u7dsgWjxDpwEKdoH_1fOmUDFVJY2d-e1Epe3CaTQPi34MuYN5NWTQEUPHbbQyXSwML6M7E0bRY0I5COLO_i=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Essaouira, Morocco - where "Organiverse" began<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">But that summer of 1972, powerful winds were blowing off the Sahara. Sand found itself everywhere in my makeshift studio, located in the <i>medina</i> of the town. This was frustrating. One day out of the blue, I recalled a song from my childhood in the Lowlands: “Sunny Madeira, land of luscious green and flowers”, and I turned to my partner Natasha and said, “Let’s head to Madeira!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">So we set our compass in the direction of Madeira, a volcanic island located 800 nautical miles off the coast of Africa. This is where I completed the remaining 90 mandalas. <br /><br />All 100 mandalas are done in pointillism, dot by dot, atom by atom. The original portfolio consists of twenty-five pages, each with four spherical paintings 8.5 cm in diameter. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWI-CmaOp1u3y0aVGTiEYENZjtNmDZaxTNjF8naofkwRuzlSvaAyOgM1fi3g4v-88ijN8Zlob4EEff0CwpygvaLAGTwZKGyCKMTmcHz6zVYF3YHecOF2dskn1ix-ZbCZJtMJVjLrnBSZjVBywrd-ApenE6x_j3BNGx0HEFaP-LjCtz9cBslo8FVouc=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWI-CmaOp1u3y0aVGTiEYENZjtNmDZaxTNjF8naofkwRuzlSvaAyOgM1fi3g4v-88ijN8Zlob4EEff0CwpygvaLAGTwZKGyCKMTmcHz6zVYF3YHecOF2dskn1ix-ZbCZJtMJVjLrnBSZjVBywrd-ApenE6x_j3BNGx0HEFaP-LjCtz9cBslo8FVouc=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">This small cottage is a former cow shed located on the estate of <i>Quinta Santo Antonio</i> in Funchal, Madeira, where Organiverse was completed in 1972. (On the mountainous terrain of Madeira, cows used to be kept in sheds to prevent them tumbling down the slopes.)</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The concept and production of this 50th anniversary project has been made possible by our friend Brian W.E. Johnson. He has been a steadfast supporter and patron of “Organiverse” for more than a decade." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tips on viewing <i>"A Journey Through The Organiverse With Tagore"</i>: </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">Slow is beautiful and good for healing. This journey is an unhurried and peaceful visual and audio experience. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;">Each chapter takes around 15-20 minutes to view. Ideally the chapters should be seen in sequence (chapters 1-10).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: large;">"Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is life. These mandalas offer an opportunity for healing and for a heart-based understanding of who we are physically, emotionally and spiritually -- a dance of colour, form and contemplation."</i><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Dr. Mark Sherman, MDCM, CCFP)</span></div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"The poems (songs) of "Gitanjali" embody the essence of Tagore’s poetic spirit and devotion, conveying a deep connection to Nature. In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for Gitanjali. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Combined together, this fusion of Henri van Bentum’s artwork and the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore takes the viewer on a new journey of healing and insight." </span><i style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Natasha van Bentum</i></div><div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Here are the links to all ten chapters:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Chapter One - Mandalas 1-10</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srHBrnm5SSM">www.youtube.com/watch?v=srHBrnm5SSM</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Chapter Two - Mandalas 11-20<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ENNrIEneGk">www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ENNrIEneGk</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Chapter Three - Mandalas 21-30<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IOMX3Zt84o">www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IOMX3Zt84o</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Four - Mandalas 31-40<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2MSJoYPNw">www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2MSJoYPNw</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Five - Mandalas 41-50<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pf0xmf-Ulo">www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pf0xmf-Ulo</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Six - Mandalas 51-60<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaRmBc5sXNk">www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaRmBc5sXNk</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Seven - Mandalas 61-70<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnU-ctNMSE8">www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnU-ctNMSE8</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Eight - Mandalas 71-80<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS2qgCH_Jrc">www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS2qgCH_Jrc</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /> Chapter Nine - Mandalas 81-90<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGKgfRz4u8">www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGKgfRz4u8</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />Chapter Ten - Mandalas 91-100<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orhQ0OmTHsg">www.youtube.com/watch?v=orhQ0OmTHsg</a></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTawBS4gypccc6lvpwdQ__5YfTLI2bGwK374TPjnf5_PIGgYPCVOgrFvW0AgQ1ea4tuF2kt7lpX_ocTl43A2YZuUmSWd9OjQsBvPfgLOXXnXwhYFsOYQfk0AuKSNrxT-FoB6cZBIEGEYZj7grsA853tb6NnXbkT7Qj-3a1p_LqD_0lsiR-1WObtqDn=s2869" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2869" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTawBS4gypccc6lvpwdQ__5YfTLI2bGwK374TPjnf5_PIGgYPCVOgrFvW0AgQ1ea4tuF2kt7lpX_ocTl43A2YZuUmSWd9OjQsBvPfgLOXXnXwhYFsOYQfk0AuKSNrxT-FoB6cZBIEGEYZj7grsA853tb6NnXbkT7Qj-3a1p_LqD_0lsiR-1WObtqDn=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">"With appreciation also to my partner Natasha van Bentum, </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">who has been with me on the <i>Organiverse</i> journey since its inception fifty years ago."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-16731408570271885752021-09-05T11:20:00.116-07:002022-11-17T15:15:46.024-08:00"GUARDIANS OF THE ORGANIVERSE" <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Marking Its 50th Anniversary in 2022</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Art, Meditation, Ecology</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">100 Mandalas “Organiverse”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Atom by Atom - Dot by Dot</span></div><br /> “<i>Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is Life</i>”. Dr. Mark Sherman<br /><br />“<i>Organiverse reminds us of organic processes on the cosmic and microcosmic levels. It helps me understand the vastness, complexity and beauty of the cosmos.</i>” Professor Leslie Mezei (Ret.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIawv3V0Kl9fkQlXg2QyAHw9YsnL1stqXKOKLtVQYi6ZJomzwY_NyGS-OukqiCaXw_khJt_Fpl-rJ6uPQAlg1xUiGME_5Pu945xTf8zaQ5-cRo-8EVeKN5oHTBZCRqNd7SwlSdoyUI7yC/s750/Lower+Res+Morocco+map.jpg"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIawv3V0Kl9fkQlXg2QyAHw9YsnL1stqXKOKLtVQYi6ZJomzwY_NyGS-OukqiCaXw_khJt_Fpl-rJ6uPQAlg1xUiGME_5Pu945xTf8zaQ5-cRo-8EVeKN5oHTBZCRqNd7SwlSdoyUI7yC/w200-h199/Lower+Res+Morocco+map.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the summer of 1972, I created a portfolio of 100 paintings, “Organiverse”. The initial dozen were done in Morocco, in the former Phoenician fishing village of Essaouira. Organiverse is a meditational aid or 21st century <i>kasina</i> practice.</div><div><br />That summer, the winds were blowing off the Sahara and sand found itself everywhere in my makeshift ‘studio’. This was frustrating. One day out of the blue, I recalled a song from my childhood in the Lowlands: “Sunny Madeira, land of green and flowers”, and said to Natasha, “Let’s head to Madeira”.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejBpDW8_soVV3kqKO_Ff37pmkGf7Ih2kKugcKKQxkzk_evV3f9ACne5hHZI8KBEWo6QEFhGXIrhPpsZJI1DI8eZQWrumoQoZroMqYPStdD4ogJ8TZR6zz-vXkn0NjVmPi_nBsbe2V0Sqe/s750/Lower+Res+92+Quinta+Property.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejBpDW8_soVV3kqKO_Ff37pmkGf7Ih2kKugcKKQxkzk_evV3f9ACne5hHZI8KBEWo6QEFhGXIrhPpsZJI1DI8eZQWrumoQoZroMqYPStdD4ogJ8TZR6zz-vXkn0NjVmPi_nBsbe2V0Sqe/s320/Lower+Res+92+Quinta+Property.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Circled in red, the estate of “Quinta Santo Antonio", island of Madeira</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EWfizARdH0vw9diw1b-VgJmzWVDvVYCHdqUMlp8My5yR9ESswx8-_RYIdYYKyol7MZYB24JnzpL4OUFiIls2IOUzQdxN1VosHyqsBubR6hzZv9Dn5uNFXtqGUldJz2AzpiX8cacLADU/s400/Converted+cow+shed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EWfizARdH0vw9diw1b-VgJmzWVDvVYCHdqUMlp8My5yR9ESswx8-_RYIdYYKyol7MZYB24JnzpL4OUFiIls2IOUzQdxN1VosHyqsBubR6hzZv9Dn5uNFXtqGUldJz2AzpiX8cacLADU/s320/Converted+cow+shed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>This is the former cow shed on the Quinta estate, converted into a cottage, where Organiverse was completed in 1972. (On the mountainous terrain of Madeira, cows used to be kept in sheds to prevent them tumbling down the slopes</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">.)</span></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNv42VTvhNA7-cBlm9y20Byfu-UnOK-CtHALi-t5WH6Lrpol4qfcU6zfFkRKzoseqotgFr-G_KU2X7bKw8CQEfo1TwWBeRvxjuteILKpHisn6ZfbhoUBOowvl9sm0xgc8f-g3cLsKp0g8/s1729/Organiverse+original+mandalas+001-004+of+100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1325" data-original-width="1729" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNv42VTvhNA7-cBlm9y20Byfu-UnOK-CtHALi-t5WH6Lrpol4qfcU6zfFkRKzoseqotgFr-G_KU2X7bKw8CQEfo1TwWBeRvxjuteILKpHisn6ZfbhoUBOowvl9sm0xgc8f-g3cLsKp0g8/s320/Organiverse+original+mandalas+001-004+of+100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div></b></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Original Organiverse mandalas #001-#004 of the #100 set, in its Portfolio of twenty-five</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>pages - (4 mandalas per page x 25 = 100 total paintings)</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">All 100 mandalas are done in pointillism, dot by dot, atom by atom. The original portfolio consists of twenty-five pages, each with four spherical paintings 8.5 cm in diameter. My intention in creating the work was for it to be used as a meditation device.</span></span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPH95aBpSOh9fEWfULq2EpyIxg3G2MiWKpiA4bt9nrP7UxuDGYHKoNDJWUVmvhttZtANLVKCx90h8cXIaM8UUvuPjPlmzkQOIHQwZEORfmuGk1SIrpCQ-vv7OjT6_1Mdts0U8M7pMq_M/s664/Henri+van+Bentum%252C+1966+Low+Res.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPH95aBpSOh9fEWfULq2EpyIxg3G2MiWKpiA4bt9nrP7UxuDGYHKoNDJWUVmvhttZtANLVKCx90h8cXIaM8UUvuPjPlmzkQOIHQwZEORfmuGk1SIrpCQ-vv7OjT6_1Mdts0U8M7pMq_M/w151-h200/Henri+van+Bentum%252C+1966+Low+Res.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Henri van Bentum around the time Organiverse was created</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><b>Small is Beautiful </b>– <b>The original Organiverse mandalas are just 8.5 cm in diameter.</b> Ever since the 1950’s I’ve been mindful about the environment, unnecessary consumption and waste. I’ve always advocated ‘Small is Beautiful’ and work on a small scale, using a minimum of resources for maximum results.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cuSg8FE_mTi8CJO9ZdV2GEwbgshW0BVHt7SropHrCOs1v6B6fw6LP-7BwkLFZmMTxC2CzlruD1h9SS-xGwHV5SDTDgxzg2r9_OkhFu2fXvz9jrbQ3msaqf-UdCJ0Frs0sBKwEs2gt3sR/s750/lower+res+Organiverse+poem.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cuSg8FE_mTi8CJO9ZdV2GEwbgshW0BVHt7SropHrCOs1v6B6fw6LP-7BwkLFZmMTxC2CzlruD1h9SS-xGwHV5SDTDgxzg2r9_OkhFu2fXvz9jrbQ3msaqf-UdCJ0Frs0sBKwEs2gt3sR/s320/lower+res+Organiverse+poem.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Here is what I wrote about Organiverse back in 1972:</b><br /><br /><i>While we are occupied with our daily existence, a great mystery takes place: Life, evolving in every form, from micro to the macro cosmos. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>With this project, we share insights into the enigma called life, embracing art, science and ecology – a timeless universalism of growth, evolution or genesis. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>We have the microscope and telescope within, and an unknown destiny.<br /><br />This work also embraces the interplay and relationship of Colour. It is further a study in organic development. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The invisible is made visible, through dots. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i> We are biologically no more nor less than dots --- atoms. The planets and even the Sun are only a spot in space, depending from where you look. <br /><br />All life has a beginning, be it the birth of plankton, a whale, lichen, an oak tree, a mouse, and elephant or human being. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>All comes out of darkness the womb, the cosmic egg. Beyond darkness and ignorance there awaits Light. </i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik21y4i8sgEj_EUBO9u180Drkf7fJ6DcgEOdKfFq88-XdlhyYnkjDhvEsZrfSAETXChBbjopopAM2S7Zm9G9aAafO7HadrDvj51UoATSJ_rmYd7Pid6SJbicCcVUrhk91gQvBC3Ld4vNk/s1383/Natasha+red+dress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik21y4i8sgEj_EUBO9u180Drkf7fJ6DcgEOdKfFq88-XdlhyYnkjDhvEsZrfSAETXChBbjopopAM2S7Zm9G9aAafO7HadrDvj51UoATSJ_rmYd7Pid6SJbicCcVUrhk91gQvBC3Ld4vNk/w230-h320/Natasha+red+dress.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>My partner Natasha has been an active part of the Organiverse journey from day one</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Organiverse has seen many manifestations:</b><br /><br />In 1973 and 1974, the work was made into a 35mm colour and sound short film by filmmaker Julius Kohanyi, who studied with Stanley Kubrick. Kohanyi was commissioned for this project by the Ontario Arts Council. Since that time, the film has represented Canada in major international film festivals around the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fafYMGPkrwMrp3XNMh7QhGlzoDsHepwOSpkuWX-mQlxSHWszPz0A_bACGN-lN0aFgevGukxkKcYEozLWPJyWhIGab1qJv08zO-TYDy5dEEYfzk-0UKpmyGwblsGEHv5A11RtOE9u2wM/s510/H-A+Julius+Kohanyi+film+on+Organiverse+1974.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="411" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fafYMGPkrwMrp3XNMh7QhGlzoDsHepwOSpkuWX-mQlxSHWszPz0A_bACGN-lN0aFgevGukxkKcYEozLWPJyWhIGab1qJv08zO-TYDy5dEEYfzk-0UKpmyGwblsGEHv5A11RtOE9u2wM/w161-h200/H-A+Julius+Kohanyi+film+on+Organiverse+1974.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Poster for the 7 min. short film "H-A" based on Organiverse. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The film's creator was Julius Kohanyi, </span></b><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">who studied with Stanley Kubrick.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTIN7TMBte9llg41nXg3KqjG6zSZ4OVSxHHngvfLTNWcmLnwghv9mPPGDn1lYc7J7zzWsTELefacS2n-un2drgcl8Y5h6nSmJ3gz8rhXo6-73KXA2tM1sYnAC0BAdIFYUujKJ84hgJbk/s520/Pioneer+Plaque+better.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="520" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTIN7TMBte9llg41nXg3KqjG6zSZ4OVSxHHngvfLTNWcmLnwghv9mPPGDn1lYc7J7zzWsTELefacS2n-un2drgcl8Y5h6nSmJ3gz8rhXo6-73KXA2tM1sYnAC0BAdIFYUujKJ84hgJbk/s320/Pioneer+Plaque+better.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div>When it came time to give the completed film a title, Kohanyi wanted to use only the symbol for Hydrogen: the two circles at the top left corner of this picture: (if If it looks familiar, this is from the plaque installed aboard Pioneer 11 spacecraft in 1973).</div><div><br />However, he was told a symbol alone wouldn’t “work” for cataloguing the film, so Julius had to give it a name, and he chose “H-A” (for Hydrogen Atom, the first building block of the universe.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Back to the original intention</b></div><div><br /></div><div>My intention all along was to have the Organiverse portfolio of twenty-five pages reproduced in a limited edition and made available to libraries, art schools, universities, museums and a few private collectors.<br /><br />Although pleased with the film’s success, my purpose had not been realized. The contemplative nature of work was lost on the huge 35mm theatre screens.<br /><br />Over the years, we tried to have the Organiverse Portfolio printed. However an accurate rendering of the colour was impossible owing to the pointillist technique. Even the best printing companies were unable to make a realistic reproduction.<br /><br /><b>Scanning Technology Enables Reproduction</b><br /><br />In early 2002, Natasha approached the CEO of Hewlett Packard Canada with a challenge: can their scanning equipment reproduce the “Organiverse” paintings, and be true to their original colours? The CEO assigned Allen Rothwell, their colour specialist, to the job.<br /><br />In late 2002 and early 2003 Allen visited us in Vancouver where we lived at the time. He brought with him the latest HP scanning machine, and scanned all of the paintings to make digital files. I asked him if he could create a ‘reverse’ edition of the images, which he did. Thus, a “Starry Night” version of Organiverse was born.<br /><br />Allen had 25 sets of Organiverse printed in Toronto which were shipped to us a month or two later. This shipment included another 25 sets of the new “Starry Night” edition.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofn4FfF5HJlxaJbLAX_EPUho2OQTWIKdOt5X88CkFF8sv_GzCuL6Tydn_OgnT3_axPgEvdUaYz3lIKzT1jOrxDLoVZ8AyjO7ZxAymYHFQ30VLiBYAZ_OokWi9QQ7Od4lIkcae82MmKI_x/s468/Organiverse+Handheld+Set+shown+is+sphere+number+3+of+100+set+HvB.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofn4FfF5HJlxaJbLAX_EPUho2OQTWIKdOt5X88CkFF8sv_GzCuL6Tydn_OgnT3_axPgEvdUaYz3lIKzT1jOrxDLoVZ8AyjO7ZxAymYHFQ30VLiBYAZ_OokWi9QQ7Od4lIkcae82MmKI_x/s320/Organiverse+Handheld+Set+shown+is+sphere+number+3+of+100+set+HvB.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Example of an Organiverse handheld "rotation" Set</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>In 2006 we entered into another collaboration, this time with friend and fellow Snooker player here in Victoria, Brian W.E. Johnson.<br /><br />Brian had an idea: we could put the mandalas on individual cards, for a total of 100 cards, and house them in a wooden container. We called these a “handheld set”, and you can read more <a href="about:blank">about this on my website here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWcrXpOeRCS1yMm5U8O0J8rL6UpoC-sSk13sG3t4qPXMxMa4tZzDvvKtvN5azqWBUsZK40ndr_pThj-UBxK-odF7pEPxm6t-pguLkLLSMzxr-SsEv-8aq_u3T2krEco6CO3z5v476ZDA/s640/Henri+with+Brian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWcrXpOeRCS1yMm5U8O0J8rL6UpoC-sSk13sG3t4qPXMxMa4tZzDvvKtvN5azqWBUsZK40ndr_pThj-UBxK-odF7pEPxm6t-pguLkLLSMzxr-SsEv-8aq_u3T2krEco6CO3z5v476ZDA/s320/Henri+with+Brian.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Close friend and patron, Brian W.E. Johnson, </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>a staunch supporter of Organiverse and its further evolution</b></span></div><div><br />(Also, here's a link to a previous post<a href="https://henrivanbentum.blogspot.com/2018/01/appreciating-friend-and-patron-brian-w.html" target="_blank"> in appreciation of Brian</a>.)<br /><br /><b>UNESCO International Year of Astronomy</b></div><div><b>Collaboration with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Victoria Centre</b><br /><br />In 2009 Natasha was a volunteer for the UNESCO International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and its cornerstone project, “From Earth to the Universe”. She brought Organiverse to the attention of local astronomers, who included a video that was put together by Garry Sedun, then at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in an IYA exhibit in Victoria, at The Hudson's Bay Centre. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_gYFPkeYdNC7B6LoJkxVsQSqM7UgAq_FhHCo3jxt0T1s3JKKqazq67pzqQQjQ5jxDpa8LNMkNxwADgatB_enLBu9gO9Mo3O-ReYH3mjg3B-RR5pb82kav-U7Z_u-Hfxkr11u0igzVWQ/s652/2009++IYA+FETTU+2+HvB+and+NvB.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_gYFPkeYdNC7B6LoJkxVsQSqM7UgAq_FhHCo3jxt0T1s3JKKqazq67pzqQQjQ5jxDpa8LNMkNxwADgatB_enLBu9gO9Mo3O-ReYH3mjg3B-RR5pb82kav-U7Z_u-Hfxkr11u0igzVWQ/s320/2009++IYA+FETTU+2+HvB+and+NvB.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Natasha and Henri van Bentum, International Year of Astronomy 2009</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Project in collaboration with RASC (Victoria Centre chapter)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>"From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU). Videos of both the original and Starry Night </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>editions of Organiverse were part of the local FETTU event.</b></span></div></div><div><br /><b>Videos on VIMEO</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily one of the RASC members, friend, amateur astronomer and fellow traveller Joe Carr, arranged to have the videos of Organiverse on VIMEO. <a href="about:blank">Here is the link. </a><br /><br /><b>Collaboration with NASA "Coloring Space" project</b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLCuNCFoXRempEumot_kBY_Z8QbA70g9INFMV1ExX7A1ZtdEhnn695p3lWmYJL8l9UeurBMeY0-Akxst_Mh0ajZZ9Lj_FoIPY6Dsc4K1RwSW4h7kVLFBaKCsPXGBP-nINJT0oI-9kSjs/s1560/2010+Chandra+Coloring+Space.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLCuNCFoXRempEumot_kBY_Z8QbA70g9INFMV1ExX7A1ZtdEhnn695p3lWmYJL8l9UeurBMeY0-Akxst_Mh0ajZZ9Lj_FoIPY6Dsc4K1RwSW4h7kVLFBaKCsPXGBP-nINJT0oI-9kSjs/s320/2010+Chandra+Coloring+Space.jpg" /></a></div><br />In 2010, I entered into a collaboration with NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory through their public outreach program. The project was headed by Kimberly Arcand Kowal, Chandra's Visualization Scientist and Emerging Tech Lead. Our collaboration resulted in an online exhibit, "Coloring Space", juxtaposing images from space with a selection of work from the "Starry Night" edition of Organiverse. You can view <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">the exhibit here.</a> <br /><br /><b>Here is a recent quote by Kimberly Arcand, NASA's Chandra X-Ray's Visualization Scientist and Emerging Tech Lead, </b>commenting on the collaborative project described above, "Coloring Space":</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KuoioX4wIrFgBaOA8SJA1mGCmCmHgMkhXP19kQMNRTAuunAQR9M6n3mX_qGtcLf7F2Bj8ZR8LxxX5jSr5S20pIjYQp3wvRImfCDyUHhhRaXAGKbGZ9E0TqjY90TXZGszWlvC7-9RjY0/s1200/KimArcand_WebHome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1200" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KuoioX4wIrFgBaOA8SJA1mGCmCmHgMkhXP19kQMNRTAuunAQR9M6n3mX_qGtcLf7F2Bj8ZR8LxxX5jSr5S20pIjYQp3wvRImfCDyUHhhRaXAGKbGZ9E0TqjY90TXZGszWlvC7-9RjY0/s320/KimArcand_WebHome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><span style="font-size: medium;">"<i>There is such beauty to be found at the intersections of art and science, where we can negate the existence of two spheres and instead reflect on the commonalities and symmetries instead. Organiverse opens that door, bridging the micro to the macro, weaving the art with the science, threading the limited into the limitless." </i></span>Kimberly Arcand<div><i><br /></i><br /> <div><div><b>Astronaut Chris Hadfield on the Coloring Space exhibit:</b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK8lSzQAHwLtUzZiyv9pFhuCcB_hnPUxYRINAhhVNYJlFjLlo1xYfd3mggW3NYD4lydY1h1QUXEnP56Uvu7Yu8D72cKLUxO8w5zlJJG4BOztlfQpXEZliBxaDnZvTYjyxOFxqnx2Uiy8/s930/chris+hadfield.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCK8lSzQAHwLtUzZiyv9pFhuCcB_hnPUxYRINAhhVNYJlFjLlo1xYfd3mggW3NYD4lydY1h1QUXEnP56Uvu7Yu8D72cKLUxO8w5zlJJG4BOztlfQpXEZliBxaDnZvTYjyxOFxqnx2Uiy8/w189-h200/chris+hadfield.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>“A lovely fusion of science and art.”</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Astronaut Chris Hadfield was Commander aboard the Int’l. Space Station, 2013. Chris took with him aboard the ISS a memory stick containing all 100 Organiverse spheres, both the original and Starry Night editions. Earlier, in 2002, Chris was also made an Honorary Member of the international Circumnavigators Club, of which I've been a member since 1975.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other Quotes About Organiverse</b><br /><br />- “Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is Life. These mandalas offer an immense opportunity for healing and for a heart-based understanding of who we are physically, emotionally and spiritually. A dance of colour, form and contemplation.” Dr. Mark Sherman, MDCM, CCFP<br /><br />- “The technique of the [Organiverse] drawings is comprised of finely-tuned transparent and opaque layers of colour. This play of contrasts gives the work a three-dimensional quality enhanced by a delicate luminosity. The colours are complicated and would require a sensitive use of colour separation. In order to maintain the integrity of the original drawing imagery and effect, the most articulate reproductive methods would have to be utilized.” Rosemary L. Tovell, former Curator, Canadian Prints and Drawings National Gallery of Canada, 1979<br /><br />- "Organiverse reminds us of organic processes on the cosmic and microcosmic levels. His work helps me understand the vastness, complexity and beauty of the cosmos. van Bentum's work is executed with a fine sense of colour and other elements. I see his work as a paradigm for enduring works of art in the future." Professor Leslie Mezei, (retired), Computer Sciences, U of T.<br /><br />- "I am extremely pleased with the beauty and depth of the Organiverse Portfolio. It is a ‘Garland of Flowers’ in my daily experience. It is a wormhole entrance into both the depths of the starry night and the inner life process of the biosphere we inhabit. A tour de force that will reverberate down the annals of human cultural history. A unique and magical work of true and lasting significance." Brian W. E. Johnson, Victoria, BC. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WdX3R1XmxmqLb9jr0bKF8akhrUotPib3KnHGeYyGy3q2PYf0-ZbVf9fqoJf2cfYiymSizO2_x8RQbNO8dNfJBD-4EgHguc2gAzSKZ1vZzw-HNCOEpI-LxqRgSTnFhGc6J4aF1at7J-M/s1600/23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WdX3R1XmxmqLb9jr0bKF8akhrUotPib3KnHGeYyGy3q2PYf0-ZbVf9fqoJf2cfYiymSizO2_x8RQbNO8dNfJBD-4EgHguc2gAzSKZ1vZzw-HNCOEpI-LxqRgSTnFhGc6J4aF1at7J-M/s320/23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Organiverse - Mandala #23 of the #100 Set, original edition</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><br /> </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3011478775862722180.post-78044262006649861412021-05-12T08:58:00.030-07:002021-05-14T09:06:40.705-07:00Natasha publishes "A Beginner's Mini Guide to the Solar Wind"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu6X58NRftrTN_gGbUCTXQ172EJxomB7b0HHrjZOUwccVzmTaBqKRBj6T5oumAP68L8iuo0Qnvuqu7qBgIyPpQwcolGpAwS4iir-Em-aCjnjmQQAIQoXGyNx_N5QFtzFS9ARftkCAHto/s1117/nvb+name+on+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="1117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu6X58NRftrTN_gGbUCTXQ172EJxomB7b0HHrjZOUwccVzmTaBqKRBj6T5oumAP68L8iuo0Qnvuqu7qBgIyPpQwcolGpAwS4iir-Em-aCjnjmQQAIQoXGyNx_N5QFtzFS9ARftkCAHto/s320/nvb+name+on+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">This week my life-long partner, Natasha van Bentum, put together a short website to mark International Day of Light 2021 - - - "A Beginner's Mini Guide to the Solar Wind." <a href="https://vanbentum.wixsite.com/solarwind" target="_blank">You're welcome to visit it here.</a></span></h2><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vmO4xBq03J-vGxqr_G24OBy7oQ1SNdz1eN0Bmj48zIHB5objlO8M38g8GInd8VQvJDvL_xBPsQOnjjlTToHhw6KNyWAjnQYJblBu2Q1_djRDHTEeQsFPZbNlNQtG8VzrS0JYM_BkXPc/s2000/from+Solar+Wind+Sherpas+at+Hawaii+edu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vmO4xBq03J-vGxqr_G24OBy7oQ1SNdz1eN0Bmj48zIHB5objlO8M38g8GInd8VQvJDvL_xBPsQOnjjlTToHhw6KNyWAjnQYJblBu2Q1_djRDHTEeQsFPZbNlNQtG8VzrS0JYM_BkXPc/s320/from+Solar+Wind+Sherpas+at+Hawaii+edu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgYx8TUhT3aeJdCOWlZ64fHRTUMyvTSfct0JbsVctNVPmh19MA2_p8KCA98FE2pivkT-y5i5rHWXHLrgOQGnf4qut-1QLm5iBk8hvZU23je1u-9bzjO0x9Nh3Ar0qhmy4BwLb426Q9og/s1320/Sample+for+Home+Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgYx8TUhT3aeJdCOWlZ64fHRTUMyvTSfct0JbsVctNVPmh19MA2_p8KCA98FE2pivkT-y5i5rHWXHLrgOQGnf4qut-1QLm5iBk8hvZU23je1u-9bzjO0x9Nh3Ar0qhmy4BwLb426Q9og/s320/Sample+for+Home+Page.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0