SciFi & Fantasy Artwork by Joel N. Barkley

Oh my, your truelly good at what you do. Once, someone was asked what it takes to be able to work as an artist and he anwered "luck", but in your case I wouldn’t narrow it down to that. The paintings are imaginative and very well made; your talent, passion and hard work really shows. Personally, I like drawing and painting, but I think I’d like to work with something that has to do with biology.

Joel N. Barkley replies: "Thanks Touba! To make money and support yourself with art is no easy task and I am not there yet. I hope that soon I can find a way to support myself with the sales of my art. I would like that very much. Thanks again!"

Well, let`s say that your gallery is ...*cannot find the words*...wow...just brilliant. I like your style , the colouring...oh, yeah - everything
*bow to your talent*

Joel N. Barkley replies: "*Long low bow* I am fortunate to have such compliments and attention. I am honored. Thank you."

Thank you! I do hope you’ll become famous some day soon, anything else would be shocking. I showed your art to everyone at school and at home, and they all loved it (espescially my mom). A couple of people in my class are even using your photos as desktops and all I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you yet regarding purchase, it’s just that I’ve been broke a lot longer than I though I would be, and also I don’t have possibility to pay with paypal "/ But I’m still thinking and trying to work something out!

Joel N. Barkley replies: "No worries Amalie, everything happens for a reason they say. Besides, I like having people all over the world enjoying my art! I can use all the advertising that I can get! Thanks for being so supportive!"

wow! amazing pictures i am so jealous of you emense(not sure how to spell that word) artistic skills! oh your totally awesome btw ^^

Joel N. Barkley replies: "Thank you thank you! As long as people get a real charge out of my art and take a big boost of energy from the experience, then I am happy and feel I have accomplished my goal!!! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a note!"

Out of words..? Or did you just lose interest? That’s fine, I just stopped by to take another good look at your art and say hi.

Joel N. Barkley replies: "Me out of words? Please. You must be joking. My parents have been visiting from out of state for a while. They have been with me 24/7. No time for much else.
Which words were you interested in. Perhaps a critique of human cultural evolution or more detailed views on human psychology centered on our emerging awareness as we evolve from animal instinct towards the next step in our evolution of hyper-consciousness? (oooooo! This guy sounds full of himself) Or perhaps a rash assessment of quantum mechanics that disagrees with current theories about black holes. (Yaaayy!!)
Besides the fact that I am always incredibly preoccupied, my head is either buried in several books or projects of various sorts. Did I not reply to one of your posts? I can get very distracted at times, so If I neglected to respond or didn’t finish a conversation, then I apologize and ask that you remind me we were. Besides do you know how hard it is to carry on an intelligent conversation when your hovercraft is full of eels?!!! You’re the brooding, thoughtful writer/virtuoso. Tell me how you plan to escape the time/space continuum when you get bored with the rest of human existence. Hhmmmmmm......."

Wow, did you prove me wrong. Anyway, speaking of existence and hyper-consousness, if all knowledge can be traced back to being empiric, including the references we use that give words meaning and we know that we exist because we can think (Cartesius), wouldn’t that mean that the conclusion that we exist have the same validity as the thoughtprocess leading up to the conclusion, which in turn is empiric, hence proving the existence of the rest of the world aswell? Tricky question. are you up it?

Joel N. Barkley replies: "Well, that’s a big if. One should always consider that knowledge, empirical data and the meanings of language are all suppositions created by and contingent on human perception. Which, in my opinion, is at best, a very slippery slope, especially when considering factors like our binocular vision, for example. Consider that our vision, which a great deal of empirical data is founded on, has holes in it, along with blur zones that can’t be assessed with true empirical precision. We currently have evolved to "see" a rather small portion of the light/energy i.e. radiation that we "know" to make up the universe. If you’ve kept up the progress of the study of quantum mechanics as detailed by its pioneers(Bohm)these physicists have shown us, scientifically speaking, that a particle doesn’t actually exist anywhere until we think about it and that only at that precise moment can we observe its existence. So attempting to prove the existence of an entire planet of particles based on experiential supposition based on another supposition doesn’t really get us anywhere. And don’t assume that empirical knowledge is the end all be all of substantive discussion or logical/rational thinking. This universe is full of things humans can barely perceive let alone rationally categorize, so if you are serious about creating frontiers is human thought I recommend you expand your research to include various sciences as well as metaphysics. Besides, why concern yourself with the question of the existence of the rest of the world when you have barely explored your own universe. Like the song goes "Nothing more than you can feel, then that’s all there is". Think about it. Feeling is what propels thought. You should be feeling your way through the universe, not thinking."

Ok, what are you really? This is the most incredible, elaborate answer I’ve ever gotten on any question. Ever. But let me pick it to pieces: I never stated that everything we perceive is true to anyone else other than to ourselves, or that we as human beings can observe everything, my question only stretched itself as far as regarding if there is some kind of semi truth to the existence of the world. If a tree falls and no one can hear it, did it make a sound? Sound waves still ought to travel through the air, even if no one is there to perceive them, so the only logical answer is yes. Of course one can only observe an existence when acknowledging it, but is it not impossible to acknowledge something that is not there? Light can only get reflected (or absorbed) when hitting materia. Another thing my question did not mention was the relation between abstract thoughts and empiric knowledge, which was quite deliberate. That is too fuzzy for elfwood. Maybe I need to think less, but since thoughts can influence feelings and the other way around, I think one only has to balance these two elements. I read a lot of fairytales and one by HC Andersen sums up that penultimate thing you mentioned; people are like bugs, each on our own little leaf. We investigate that one leaf and then start telling great stories about the entire tree.

Joel N. Barkley replies: "What is your definition of truth? When you use that word it seems as though you consider it as a way to identify something that can not be further deconstructed and as such forms a kind of universal constant. That’s a cozy little rhetorical couch. Again I am wondering at your fascination with semi-truthing the "world". If your wish is to expand the sphere of collective consciousness of our planet then I would expect to see more specifics, but when people just bounce loosely connected, recycled theologies back and forth it becomes nothing more than ego stroking. And yes it is possible to acknowledge something that is not there. We do it all the time. Tomorrow has not yet arrived and we still perform tasks contingent on its appearance. We all work our fingers to the bone and study our butts off because why? Because we acknowledge a belief that convinces us that in time we will arrive at our all rewarding goals. But linear time is a weak concept at best. Truly, it is the simplest illusion to perceive, once we re-experience the reality that the existence of the universe or I should say the multiverse is persistent as one moment that does not end. And so you have said that you "deliberately" choose not to mention your perceived connections between abstract thoughts and empiric knowledge because.... I can only assume that you would like to perceive yourself as a fisher of wise men seeking to find an intellectual equal. Tell me Obiwan, have you found an equal yet?"

My definition of truth is following; all of the conclusions one can reach by using flawless logic.
I don’t care about collective consciousness and if my ego where any greater, I’d need a bigger body. The reason for why I asked this is because I was simply wondering and not because it would give my life some sort of meaning. Am I perhaps asking the wrong questions? What would you consider being a good question then?
I don’t think someone can acknowledge something that is not there, I would say it’s merely a form of "misinterpretation", based on that humans tend to use inductive reasoning. An example would be hallucinations. One misinterprets the information the cells in the brain receive, because of what that information usually tells somebody, but that does not change the fact that the information as such exist.

What wonderful conclusion could someone possibly reach when thinking about the connection between abstract thoughts and empiric knowledge? Clearly there is some kind of bond between them, but in order to investigate that further, I would need more information regarding the minds of human beings, as well as the physiology of the brain and that information has great holes in it. No one even knows how the memory works.

I know several persons that are intellectual, but I don’t think there is such a thing as an equal to anything, regarding anyone. And if one could share their consciousness with someone else, then wouldn’t there no longer be two, but only individual left?
Well if I’m Obiwan, then who are you? Luke Skywalker perhaps; never straying from the correct path, always wanting to do the right thing?
Now mr Skywalker, you’ll have to excuse me; my gigantic ego and I have to go and prepare for tomorrows lab on copying mitochondrial DNA (I love copying DNA, it’s so much fun when one succeeds).