Truth

The Invisible Balisong

2011-01-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

I've been flipping balisongs for the past few months. It's a lot of fun. I found a scrap piece of polycarbonate (bullet proof glass) laying around my studio, so I decided I would make a balisong out of it. This is just how my brain works. I've made a bunch of balisong so far, here is the latest.

The Invisible Balisong
Blade length: 4"
Handle lenth: 6"
Full polycarbonate construction
SS screws
Bronze washers

Quote

2010-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Then, everything ends, and everything begins!"

-Revolver Ocelot

Framing Leadership

2010-12-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Check out this video.

vision

2010-11-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

Light is a language. It has infinite words and letters. It is fundamental to existence. Light is in limbo floating between matter and space. Light is a fulcrum, a bridge, a foundation, a root ball, a nutrient.

More knives

2010-10-30T20:25:00.001-07:00

I've made a few additions to my knife collection, so I took a new group shot.

Le SWAT

2010-10-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

On August 24, 2010 My fiance and I took a trip to Paris France. It was a life changing experience. Paris is a magical place of beauty and culture. We stayed at Hotel Aiglon in Mont Parnasse. If you were wondering, no the parisian weren't rude, they were kind and helpful, and most everyone that works in the hospitality industry spoke english. I visited a bunch of museums, went to a knife shop, ate croissants, walked the streets and drank espresso.

I visited Le Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum, which was absolutely mind blowing. A visit to Le Louvre is mandatory while in Paris. While there everything I learned in art history 101 at AIB was brought to life and punctuated. The Mona Lisa is all hype and the french sculptures where defiantly my favorite. I also went to the Musee D'orsay where I saw Van Goghs and Gaugains and tons of beautiful sculptures. Unfortunately I could film it there, because in that museum I saw the most awesome little sculpture of a woman with a marble body, ivory arms and face and a bronze hat, it was over the top gorgeous.

We took an awesome boat ride up the Seine river and kissed under the Eiffel tower.

Watch the video

2010-06-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

I was looking at a star and I noticed something. I realized that the spikes of light that shined out in all directions were just an illusion. We can only see the light that enters our eyes. We can't see light going from point A to point B, we can only see light going from point A to our retna. The twinkle we see when looking at a star is light shimmering off particles in the atmosphere between that star and your pupil.

What I've come to realize is that light is everywhere. We only perceive it as it leaves it's source and as it reflects off of matter. Light would appear vastly more pervasive if we could see it fly perpendicular to our sight line. I envisioned in my mind the sky if we could see the light of stars growing outward like a bubble. Then I realized that the only place in space where was no light was where there was matter. Matter reflects light and casts a shadow.

There was nothing. A void. Then god said "Let there be light" and it was good. That light entered the void and turned nothing into space. That space is the building block of our universe.

Knives

2010-04-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's hard to admit, but my first knife was a swiss army knife I stole from my dad when I was little. Later I got a 5 inch folder with a wooden handle marked 007. I lost those knives, but my interest was sparked. I went to the knife store to get a new knife. I got a Benchmade monarch. When I was at the knife shop I met this beautiful lady that worked there who had long grey hair, she told me about Spyderco and I liked them so bought a few. I got an endura and a police model. Then I lost the police model, the endura was confiscated by the cops and the BM got me expelled from high school. Sometime later I got a new endura, it was my only knife. I broke the tip-off of it. I sent it to spyderco to have it fixed and they refused, So I refused to buy anymore knives from them. I set off to find a better knife than a spyderco. I tried kershaw. I got an AO blackout, it was one of the 1st assisted knives ever. I loved it, but it was stolen. Then I tried SOG. I got a flash II, a pentagon elite and a trident. I lost the flash, gave away the trident and still have the pentagon. I still couldn't find a knife as cool as my Spyercos. Then came back around to Benchmade and picked up a 710. It's been mostly benchmades since then, with favorite being a 630bk. I've started buying Spydercos again. I bought endura 4 with reenforced tip the day it came out, I'll a get a Szabo folding fly when it comes out.

The Answer

2010-03-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a little time-lapse video I made this morning. The actual video is only around 15 minutes but since everybody has ADHD now-a-days I shrank it down to 2 minutes. Turn up the volume.

I'm like a triple threat. Painter, film-maker, rapper/producer, what will I conquer next. Video-games?

2010-03-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

Damn. I hate making comments about current events. My blog is about sharing timeless wisdom. Unfortunately a whale trainer was killed by a whale. A Killer whale. It's sad. People are vilifying a captive animal and a woman that loved whales has brought a lot of heat on her friends. That orca has killed 2 other people.

I guess people shouldn't trap killer whales in pools and force them to do tricks.

Garden of Eden.

2010-01-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

A lonely God creates Adam, and then modeled Eve out of Adam's ribs. Eve sinned by eatin an apple from the tree of knowledge and brought death.

Sorry, but I have to suggest that humans kill and always have. Killing is how we became human. We have always known how to kill and we will never forget. An earthling; flora or fauna gave it's life so you have dinner tonight.

Poem

2009-11-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

Swat is the flyest guy alive
Flyer than all the bees in a beehive
I strive to revive the drive
in my people so we can survive until 3005
I
Im the most under-rated overrated mc
I'm most creative innovative native.
Of this Boston city, it's a pity it's gritty
I rep the Bean for infinity, cuz it's where I lost my virginity

My mind is 10x more refined that Einstien
Im arragance is asinine combine with the divine
press rewind if you missed a line
cuz this is hotest flow you'll hear in your whole life time.

Swat simultanitly witness
I'm the fittest dude gitting down to business
The papratzi is constantly stalking me
SWAT all over your tv.

2009-11-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid my brother did a science project on fossil fuel. My Dad did a lot to help my brother make a good project. It was a very good depiction of the way fossil fuel is accumulated. It had a few small T-rex cut-outs that represented the ancient organic material that becomes oil over time.

Then when I was 17 I had to put my car in the shop. When I was riding the bus home, I felt like I had brought my car to the doctor. That personification of my dear ol' hoopty lead to a train of thought about the the life-like quality of cars. When you turn them off, they sleep. When you turn the key they wake up. They have an engine that beats like a heart. They inhale oxygen and exhale carbon-monoxide. Cars have the equivalent of arms, legs, bones and skin, and headlights are in a strange way perfectly opposite to eyes. You're the brain and the steering wheel and gas pedal are the nervous system. And They eat gasonline, which is the life juice of cars.

What is gasoline or the oil that it comes from? How does a liquid hold so much fire? Why can that liquid bring a car to life? What is oil for?

Oil is liquid life. It is light. It is light captured by the earth through the photosynthesis of green leafy earthlings. Life forms hold liquid light as fat until we die at which time we relinquish it to planet. The Earth is accumulating light in the form of oil.

I told you the Truth. Oil is one of the main things that transforms when you know the Truth.

Gathering light for our home is purpose of all life on Earth.

The asteroids, moons, planets, stars, black-holes

2009-11-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

If you look at our species today, we are now capable of things that seemed magical just a few decades back. We are evolving at a fast pace. What will we become? It seems obvious to me, but much too scary for joe average to face. We are so close to understanding our place in the universe in this form. What will we do when we all know why humanity exists? I know the truth. All I can say about it right now is that is hard to swallow. I found the truth right in front of my face. It's right in front your face too, but you can't see it.......

Alright!....Alright I'll just say it. The theory of evolution is no theory. It's an accurate description of the way life came to be on this planet. When you look in the sky you see a populated universe. The asteroids, moons, planets, stars, black-holes and galaxies that inhabit the universe came to be through evolution as well. Evolution is the is process of creating life. The life on Earth is made of light. Light is the life force of the universe and every star shining life/light is part of the same family, just like us humans. The world holds, a diverse menagerie of life forms and it's hard for us to get our mind around the idea that we all came form one another and is even harder to grasp the idea that stars could have a similar connection. The Universe was populated by stars. No big-bang. Each star born is made by the ones that came before it. And before there were stars, more primitive spherical objects ruled in their absence.

There I said it. It seems like common sense. To some this idea will sink into your mind like it was always there. To others this theory will conflict with your faith or some thing you learned in science class.

The proof of this theory is all around us. We are insignificant on a universal scale but even we little human have a part to play in the making of a star.

There is more truth to share.

incomplete

2009-11-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

I like to finish what I start, but sometimes you have to move on. That's what happen to this painting. I was just doodling with a paintbrush and I kinda liked what came out. The problem is that this painted needed more work than I could dedicate to it. Oh well. At least it makes this blog post look cool.

Check it out

Where there's fire there's smoke.

2009-11-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was chilling with my homies, we got into an existential conversation. I was talking about the sun and light like I often do, when I asked a funny question.

"If the Sun is a giant burning fireball releasing light and heat, where's the smoke?"

Everyone answered "I don't know." I came back with the answer

"Jupiter."

Jupiter is a gas giant planet. A giant bubble of the sun's smoke gathered over time with the use of gravity. I know what I'm saying isn't all technoscientific, but this is a clear illustration of my personal belief that the Sun has created the planets that orbit it, and that planets play a vital role in the reproduction of stars.

Be patient I will elaborate.

Kora 18"X24"

2009-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Kavas had a beautiful baby boy a few months ago. I love her and him, so I painted the little dude. If you need something fly like this for living room hit me up

hotswat@gmail.com

2009-11-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

A lady got mauled by her neighbor's pet chimp. The chimp tore off the poor lady's face. Most people are seeing this as an example of why chimps shouldn't be kept as pets. I am noticing that the animals we look down apon desevere more respect than they get.

I've often heard detractors of the theory of evolution say stuff like. "I didn't come from no god damn monkey!" as if it's an insult to desendant from a great ape. I feel that even in our highly evolve state we should feel no supiority to the ape, because there has been a major trade off.

The frailty of the woman and massive power of the chimp is a testament to physical stenghth we reliquished to gain the brain power to ponder the abstract. And sure a man aserted his power by pulling a gun and shooting that rampaging mistreated animal, but we musent forget that he didn't build that gun and in a way everyone of the 2000 people in the gun manufacturing plant collaborated in excecution of that chimp. Those factory workers were helped by the Chinese that invented gun powder and the African's that invented iron.

We must one day realize that life is hard and that everyone of us sturdy enough to survive deserves the life we possess.

My heart goes out to Charla Nash. The woman's fortitude is immeasurable.

The Circular System

2009-11-12T04:02:00.000-08:00

People strive for perfection. We never seem to find it. Some people say that "Nothing is perfect". I think they are absolutely correct. We search for : good, beauty, love, light, power, life and eternity. We fight: hate, death, darkness, weakness and evil. Little known to the masses is that perfection lies in the middle of these too extremes, invisible. Perfection is nothing.

Nothing is the state of non-existence. Even though nothing doesn't exist there are many thing that portray it's traits like: zero, birth, darkness, space, present, life, death, neutral, circles and balance. Here is where you can find perfection.

There are many thousands of ways to describe the universe. But I like to keep it simple. Positive Zero Negative. I call it the PZN system for short

Before the universe there was nothing. Then either GOD said "let there be light" or the Big Bang occurred. They sound like the same thing to me. What is important is that there was nothing out there for a long time. I see this as a story of macroevolution. The fact is, that nothing evolved into time. Nothing plus time equals space. Time plus space equals light. Space plus light equals matter. This hierarchy is creation, and a proper understanding of it makes life a lot more meaningful, because it shows we have a lot more in common with the universe than we thought.

Positive Zero Negative is the framework of time and everything that exists within it. Time holds three forms Past, Present, and Future. The past is equal to negative. The Present is equal to zero. And the future is equal to positive. Time is the perfect illustration of the PZN system because it is clear that nor the past or the future exist. We realize there couldn't be today without yesterday as a foundation, and it is clear that we will be able to build upon today tomorrow. But we must understand that yesterday is gone forever and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Leaving only this present second in existence. The future is pulled into the present them pushed into the past.

There are three dimensions that correlate with the PZN system. There is Height, Width, Depth. The images we view on paper are two dimensional, but on paper height and width are interchangeable, depending on the orientation of the paper. And there are very few things that exist in either the 1st or 2nd dimensions. I have found that light is the first dimension. In other words "Light is Height", more specifically light from a light source is in the 1st dimension. When the light is reflected off matter it transforms into the 2nd dimension and the third dimension is the dark side of the matter or the depth. "Dark is Depth". The reflected light is what makes up the reality that we live. Light comes from stars it bounced around our planet it enters our minds and is absorbed by plants and the earth, energizing us.

The reason that I have chosen to shine light on this three-tiered PZN system is because I feel that our two-tiered understanding of the universe is insufficient. We tend to see things as being black or white, positive or negative, good or evil, right or wrong, yin or yang, up or down, man or woman. We believe that if you continue down the positive path then we will find perfection at the end of this journey. In truth, it is gray and it's thousands of variations that is perfect. Zero is perfect due it's absence of flaws. Balance is perfect and it is achieved between any two opposites. The battle of the sexes has been fought in many cultures but perfection is the spark of life that men and women produce when they come together to make a baby.

Polarization is not the path to truth.

Wild Thangz

2009-11-11T19:18:00.001-08:00

We slammed some pieces a couple of weeks back. I folded my piece, because that's what I like to do. Sahra used some cutting edge techniques. Here goes another bangin' callabo.

Check the video.

The Official "SWAT You Rock My World" video

2009-06-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Your little brain can't comprehend this.

2009-04-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the science museum as a kid and saw an exhibit about brain size. They had a roach brain sitting on a pin head. The mouse brain was tiny. A cat's brain looked like a chewed piece of gum. The dog's brain looked like a pair of plums and the chimp brain was the size of your fist. Now this is the crazy part, the dolphin brain and the human brain are about the same size. Up to this point, the size of the animal, the intelligence of that animal and the size of the animal's brain seemed relative, even as kid this intrigued me. It made me think.

"If a dolphin's brain is the same size as ours, is it as smart as as we are?"

Well, obviously not. Dolphins are silly. Maybe if dolphins had language, history, or had tools , maybe they could used their big brains to understand the things we think about. I saw an interaction between a dolphin and a diver once that was pretty interesting. The diver had a recording of dolphin squeaks that he played for a dolphin in the ocean. The dolphin heard the squeaks and responded like he would to another dolphin. The diver couldn't carry on the conversation because he only had the one recording. The dolphin realized that he wasn't being spoken to, and the diver was just imitating dolphins. So the dolphin in response went from his horizontal swimming position to a upright vertical stance to imitate the diver. It really seemed like the dolphin was trying as hard as the diver to come to an understanding.

Forget about dolphins. A killer whale's brain is a little bigger than ours and a sperm whale's brain weighs 18 pounds. Is brain size is a reflection of intelligence? If you think you know the answer to that question, think about this.

"If whales were highly intelligent, would they interact with humans."

Look at it from the whale's perspective. It's hard because the sea is a whole other world. It could be heaven. Swimming is just like flying in the water. the sea provides food and shelter. They grow to be titans and the whole planet is there playground. Life as a whale could be the highest form of existence on the planet and we wouldn't know it, because our brains are too small. I was flipping through a book about whales at the library, when I got the last chapter, it was about whaling, it was terrible. Whalers would shoot a whale with a harpoon to injury it. Then the whale's pod(family) would come to help him, the whales push him up to the surface to help him breath, then the whalers would slaughters them all. It was a little upsetting.

With that big giant brain and that loud voice, It's possible one of those song we hear whales singing is saying " stay away from those goddamn humans, they've got harpoooooons!!"

We can't effectively communicate with other humans half the time. If a guy speaks a different language, lives on a different street or gets his god from a different book - people start fighting. Right now we think we can't communicate with whales because they are not smart enough to respond to us. Whales could be thinking the same thing.

I'm not saying whales are better than us. I'm all about equality. I just wonder what that animal is thinking about with that giant brain. Whales may know things about life and the earth we could never understand. Could the intelligence of whales be something we have yet to discover?

Hotswat

SUN

2009-03-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

At night I really appreciate the light that is all around me all day.

The Sun's powerful sheltering light is energizing and life giving. That light that permeates night from lamps and fires, is still stored energy from the sun. The fires coal plants use to make steam to turn turbines that power the generators that created the electricity to power the computer I am typing on comes from the sun.

We are star dust.

From the the Sun

Cloud paintings

2009-03-08T16:13:00.001-07:00

The making of "Where the Hell is Felix?"

2009-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Last summer I ran a video program with a bunch of great kids. We made great videos here are a couple of them. Enjoy.

Can Control

2008-11-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

Damn! I love spray paint!

2008-03-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Butterfly

2008-02-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

2008-02-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

She was just a pretty girl from harlem. Now she's immortal

Night is coming

2008-02-29T11:28:00.001-08:00

Flash Light

2008-02-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Talbot Tiger

2008-02-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

I have carried a strong admiration for tigers since I was little kid. I always thought tiger stripes were a little flamboyant to be useful as camouflage but their beauty is undeniable. A big orange, black and white cat stuck out like a sour thumb in my young imagination. When I started painting, I found that orange and black could blend together to make a muted brown and I further realized that the white fur on their underside counteracts the shadow that their body would cast making them flat and formless to whatever they were stalking.

You may see me coming but your not ready for what I'm bringing

The Oringinal Handball Court

2008-02-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

I could feel that jack hammer. That wall meant a lot to me and my crew. They should declared that wall a landmark.

Electrochemical

2008-02-24T13:03:00.001-08:00

I've got a lot on my mind.

Colossus

2008-02-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

I play video games. When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time in Teddy Bears playing Street Fighter 2 and looking at the aliens Wombat painted. I've got a PS3 and a Wii. I dig interactive entertainment. I've even designed a couple of video games. You can find them at:

http://www.hotswat.com.

One of my favorite video games is "Shadow of the Colossus". I can't say it's the best game ever, because it a little sparse. Shadow of the Colossus strips away many video game conventions and chose to focus on boss battles and horse back riding.

This game was ground breaking and revolutionary. It will wow any open minded gamer ready for change. Pick it up for PS2 or your 80gig PS3. Listen up and don't be stupid.

Face

2008-02-14T15:20:00.001-08:00

This painting was bananas

2008-02-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

THE MONKEY PAINTING
15'X30'
Spraypaint
late 90's

This painting was inspired by evolution. A male chimpanzee is smashing two rock together to protect his family from their dangerous environment. An ape can grip a stone because it has opposable thumbs adapted to grip tree branches. The chimp starts a fire with the sparks from the clashing stones. An orangoutang and a japanese macaque evacuate the forest. A Human charges into the flame with a monkey wrench to open an implied fire hydrant.

The stones represent early tools and the monkey wrench represent a modern tool and a visual pun. Our hands are responsible for our humanity. The tools we hold have empowered mankind to the an untold degree. We can make and hold tools because of the hands that we inherited from our distant relatives. Evolution is an elegant system at the root of life.

This painting was a real accomplishment for me. It was done in all Krylon spraypaint which was is difficult to control and I finished it in one week after school. This painting was lost, which is a tragedy. I found a snapshot of the painting. I retouched it, now it lives on in cyberspace. Breath it deep into your eyes ladies and gentlemen.

2008-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

The night is the time you really appreciate light. During the day you can bask in the sunlight and the bright blue sky. Light is abundant. After dusk and until dawn the sky is revealed in its true form. Black and deep and speckled with tiny glimmering stars. The day time sky is just an illusion.

I am going on a trip. Do you want to come?

Keep your eyes on the sky

2008-02-12T09:18:00.001-08:00

I need this

2008-02-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

I like to be prepared. I keep a good pocket knife on my hip in case I get in a jam. My pencil might need sharpening, I might need to get in a box or I might even buy something that comes in one of those impenetrable plastic bubble packages. That's when I reach for my trusty pocket knife and tear into action. I hope you guys are prepared.

Crazy Artist's Statement

2008-02-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

My Mom named me Jason but they call me SWAT. Simultaneously Witnessing All Things is what I write but it is also what I do. I'm one of the founding members of the legendary ALA crew and I've been heavy in the Boston graffiti scene since 1992. I've been at the center of controversy and have had to fend off a lot of hatred, but everyone that really knows the deal respects me as one of the craziest writers to ever walk the streets of Boston. I like to draw, use a paint brush and sculpt, but my favorite medium is spraypaint.

I paint to open eyes and stimulate minds. The life we all share, is the inspiration for my work. I am out to debunk lies and expose the truth. I've been able to read between the lines and formulate a personal reality in which all things work together to form existence. My paintings illustrate the true purpose of life on earth, and reveal the role we play in our vast universe.

It has been a constant struggle for me to convey the truth, because people are scared of it. Cowards run this world, with big bucks, big lies and big guns. I've got big balls and I will fight and die before I betray my people and the bond we share. I have answers for life's biggest questions, and there are people that don't want you to know the truth, so I paint. Paintings are archival, so hopefully my story will be told even if the secret puppet master pulls a string and kills me for empowering the people he exploits.

670 Million Miles Per Hour

2008-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Life is light. My purpose on earth is to shine my light like a star shining in the sky.

Why do stars shine light? Scientists understand how a star shines, but little thought has gone into why. Explosive nuclear fusion and contracting gravitational pull create volatile balance which is how a star produces light, but for what reason.

I tilt my head back to gaze at the night sky, and the light I see conveys a message. I wonder who else is looking at these stars and are they getting the message. I wonder if the stars are able to in some way "feel" each other's light. Maybe the sun spots and solar flares we have witnessed on the surface of the sun are the words and language of stars. Light gives us energy and heat, most people figure this is all the sun is good for. I feel that its benefits to us are nearly irrelevant and that star light has greater purpose.

"670 Million Miles Per Hour" is the speed of light, and the title of the above painting. The painting is meant to put the spotlight on light and to get people thinking about what light is really about. I've gathered a lot of star light in my brain and I've reached a higher understanding of what stars are saying with their shine.

Issac Newton

2008-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Isaac Newton explained gravity to mankind. With mathematics and imagination, Newton brought fourth a cascade of understanding of our world and our universe. He realized that the same force that pulled the apple down from the tree, was the force holding the moon in orbit around the earth and the earth around the Sun.

Gravity is small enough to bust your ass and not break your back. It is also big enough to swing Jupiter's big ass around in a circle.

Size can sometime confuse us. In a way, Size is one of the biggest difference between us and anything else. You have photons,particles, atoms, molecules, elements, proteins, cells, plants, bugs, animals, people, houses, buildings, mountains, cities, countries, continents, satellites, planets, stars and galaxies. I hold all things itty-bitty to big and strong to the same standard. I have found those things that are big and the ones that small are governed by the same rules.

I have used the things I know to teach me the things I don't. I have been able to think past obstacles like size to understand an all encompassing view of existence, stay tuned for further information.

Get Ready

2008-02-07T07:18:00.001-08:00

Looking out into the world with wide eyes and wonder, is a hobby of mine. I stare with a lingering gaze to see auras mingle and energy transference. Observation has allowed me to identify a structure to life that I hope to explore in this blog. There is a common thread that binds all things, It's my job to find that thread and yank it.