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I don't punch a clock,
Nobody holds a stop-watch
It's easy not to do anything
SO IT'S VERY EASY NOT TO DO ANYTHING
I HAVE TO GIVE MYSELF A KICK IN THE ***
AND TO GET OUT AND START TO WORK
AFTER MY FATHER PASSED AWAY
I WAS OUT HERE IN THE FIELD PAINTING
AND A THOUGHT CAME INTO MY HEAD
THAT IT WAS THE MOST AUTHENTIC THING I COULD DO
IS TO PAINT
I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAME FROM HIS SPIRIT SPEAKING TO ME,
THIS PLACE IS THE BACK YARD OF KIBBUTZ URIM
ALL THE PEOPLE OF URIM KNOW THIS AREA
HERE, THIS WONDERFUL THING
THERE'S WORK HERE FOR A PAINTER'S LIFE-TIME
IN 1972 RON GANG LEFT THE CITY OF TORONTO IN CANADA
HE JOINED KIBBUTZ URIM IN THE NORTHERN NEGEV
THREE DAYS A WEEK HE FIXES ELECTRICITY IN THE KIBBUTZ
THE REST OF THE DAYS HE PAINTS
THE LANDSCAPES OF THE DESERT
THAT SURROUND HIS HOME
THE ACACIA TREE IN THE FIELD,
THE RAVINE APPROACHING THE FARM
JUST NOW IT'S STARTING TO GET GREEN
AFTER THE FIRST RAIN
NOW THERE'S A HINT OF A LITTLE GREEN SPROUTING
MAY GOD WILL THE RAINS TO CONTINUE
AND IN TWO MONTHS WE'LL SEE...
ALL KINDS OF FLOWERS -
THE NEGEV RED WITH WILD POPPIES
PLUS DAISIES AND MILLIONS OF FLOWERS
I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES,
IT'S NOT IMPORTANT HOW THEY'RE NAMED
THE FLOWER IS GREATER THAN ANY NAME
THAT CAN BE GIVEN IT
LIKE VAN GOGH, I GO OUT INTO NATURE
COMMUNE WITH NATURE
I WANT THE CONTACT IN THE PAINTINGS
AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO NATURE
I PREFER NOT TO WORK FROM PHOTOS,
TO WORK DIRECTY FROM NATURE
EVEN SIMPLY TO BE A TOOL SERVING NATURE
THROUGH ME THE NATURE WILL FLOW
AND WILL PAINT ITSELF ON THE CANVAS
AS MUCH AS I REMOVE MY EGO FROM THIS STORY...
THE WORK IMPROVES
I THINK THAT EGO, IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE...
IS SOMETHING THAT HINDERS
HERE'S MY SON OZ, NEXT WEEK HE'LL BE DRAFTED
THE SON, OZ, IS AN APPLE THAT
DIDN'T FLL FAR FROM THE TREE
WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT DAD'S PROFESSION?
A PAINTER, THAT'S GOOD
WE NEED A LITTLE ART IN THIS LIFE,
WHERE THIS WORLD IS NOT SO PRETTY
CORRUPTION IN THE GOVERNMENT AND SO ON.
THERE SHOULD BE SOME BEAUTY IN THE WORLD.
IF WE'LL LOOK OVER THE CANVAS TOP,
WE'LL SEE WHAT I'M PAINTING
YOU CAN IDENTIFY THIS PATH
THAT'S ALREADY EXPRESSED
ON THIS SIDE ALL THE TREES ARE PROSOPSIS
OR ACACIA, HERE THERE ARE EUCALYPTUS
HERE'S THE LAND WITH ALL KINDS OF SHRUBS,
HERE'S THE SKY.
ALL IN COLORS OTHER THAN
WHAT WILL BE IN THE END
I VERY MUCH BOND TO THE DESERT,
THE VAST SPACES, THE SILENCE.
ON THE HORIZON ARE SETTLEMENTS,
THAT OVER THE HORIZON....
IS ALREADY THE GAZA STRIP
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WORLD IS SO CLOSE
AND ALSO SO DISTANT
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A CHANCE
TO GET RECOGNITION WITH THIS.....
BECAUSE IT'S LANDSCAPE PAINTING. IT'S PASSE.
IT BELONGS TO IMPRESSIONISM FROM 100-150 YEARS AGO
IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE ISREALI-PALESTINIAN SITUATION
OVER THAT HORIZON IS THE GAZA STRIP
YET, IT DOESN'T EXIST.
AM I HIDING MY HEAD IN THE SAND?
THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE DEALING WITH THAT
I CHOOSE TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING ELSE
I THINK WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THE BEAUTY
THE GOOD THINGS AROUND US,
AND NOT TO BUSY OURSELVES....
WITH NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ALL THE TIME.