Rick's Storybook Collaborative is Back!

Rick loved to share his work and he loved to meet other creative souls. His family would like to continue the Storybook Collaborative, a monthly image prompt for writers. Below is a quote from Rick’s original blog, Mine Enemy Grows Older, explaining how he used his image prompts. To carry this collaboration forward, we will post one of Rick’s original pieces for YOU to write about. Please leave your poem, story or note in the Comments below. Hope you enjoy writing about this first piece of work. It’s called “Read!” and it was created on a giant piece of glass.

“Welcome to the Storybook Collaborative. The paintings are original pieces I created and used as prompts for writers on my blog, Mine Enemy Grows Older. I did this weekly for about 8 months and hosted the results of the collaborations. While I reserve all rights to the images, those who wish to use the images for for their own creative, non-profit purposes have my permission to do so. The results of previous collaborations are collected on these pages.

I started this blog after moving to northern New Mexico from coastal North Carolina. Feeling the loss of my creative community, I started posting works in progress as a way to push myself forward and connect with other writers and painters.

For the first eight months or so I offered original narrative images as weekly image prompt for writers. The Storybook Collaborative pages document the collaborations.

Sadly - for I have enjoyed the adventure, and meeting so many interesting, creative souls - keeping the blog has has taken a back seat to sleep, family, work obligations and the birth of our Mountain daughters. I'd like to get back to it and still hope to one day. Until such time I am delighted by your visit and hope you will leave a comment and come back for more.” Rick Mobbs

Read!+Mixed+Media+on+Glass+3'+x+4'.jpg

Whoops, I totally forgot that I set up this blog.....

 

I've never been a blogger, never read a blog, and know absolutely nothing about blogs.

Well, that's not exactly true, I know that Rick had a really cool blog, with image prompts that led artists from around the world to write poems, songs and stories related to the images that he posted. It was fun, it was vibrant and it was creative. It was a place to express yourself to the world and not be judged, much like an ordinary visit or encounter with Rick. 

It would be fun to keep his blog going, but I'm not sure how. I've posted my last two birthday rants from facebook below, but after this, not sure what direction to go, or if to go at all. If you have suggestions or would like to post your own rant, please let us know! You could post in the comments below or send an email via the CONTACT bar on his site.

If it's your first time on his blog, (scroll down to RICK's ORIGINAL BLOG) dig in. there's some good stuff from lots of artists buried in these old posts. Happy reading.

Stephanie

Shooting Stars and Wild Hogs February 28, 2016

 

Welcome to my annual rant about my Favorite Brother on his birthday. Usually I would post a photo, but I have such a strong image of our last visit, I thought I'd share that instead.

We were all together, at the beach house in North Carolina. Too many for all of us to fit, so Betty and I stayed at a big log cabin on the water down the street. The road from one house to another is fine during the day, but at night, there's just black sky and stars.

One night in particular, we all stayed up until at least 2am. Betty had gone home early which left me to get home on my own. Of course, Rick said he would walk me home. And of course, I took him up on it. Not just because it's in the middle on nowhere and I think it's a little creepy at night, but also because I'm afraid of spiders.

If you know Rick, you know he is often covered in paint, which suits him. But on this particular night, he was wearing clothes that I had given him….khaki JCrew shorts and a pink Brooks Brothers button down shirt, untucked of course…and barefoot, I think. He ran in front of me down the long dark road waving his arms wildly so that none of the webs that may have been made during the night would get on me. I ran behind him and held on tightly to the tail of the pink shirt.

We stopped because we realized it was the perfect night to see shooting stars. We sat in the middle of the street and looked up. A star fell out of the middle of the universe and dropped right down the middle of the sky. There's nothing like a Carolina night.

The moment was quickly disrupted by loud snorting right next to us. Really, really loud snorting. We jumped up and ran through the darkness to the cabin and never looked back. I'm pretty sure that Rick would have left me in the dust if I hadn't been able to keep up with him. (Turns out NC has wild hogs....who knew)

We ran right past the cabin and out to the long pier. We sat there talking for a long time. About life, about family, about art, about the future. When it was time for him to leave, I watched him walk down the long road alone in his pink and khaki clothed self and I smiled and thought about how lucky I am to know him.

Happy birthday my Favorite Brother. You can't imagine how much I love and appreciate you.

Favorite Brother February 28, 2015

 

Happy Birthday Big Brother.
Thanks for teaching me lots of good stuff.

Thanks for teaching me not to speed. When I was sixteen you threw an apple, as fast as you could, at a tree and told me that I would explode like that if I ever got in an accident while speeding. I have been driving like a little old lady ever since.

Thanks for bringing so many interesting people into my life throughout my formative years. From the countless people that we met on the streets in Boston to the people that you brought to our dining room table, you have taught me to see the good in everyone. Even the really strange ones.

Thanks for punching a guy in the face when he tried to grab me. You taught me to surround myself with protective cavemen. Thanks to you, I married one and I'm raising two.

Thank you for being there when Dad was dying. I remember you stole a black plastic mattress from a gurney so that I could sleep on the floor next to him in the hospital. Glad we were together that night.

And thank you for being there when Mom was dying. We were all taking turns helping her through the night when she was at Betty's. I remember waking you up and telling you that I couldn't do this alone. It was my first and last night shift. You must have told our siblings that I was pathetic and I thank you for that.

You are my Favorite Brother and I am so lucky.
Love you.