The idea of self has evolved in my mind over the years. Where once I saw self as our highest nature, beyond ego, I now think of it as a shell containing that which cannot be contained. Our role as artists, as human beings, is to crack the shell and offer glimpses, to ourselves and others, of the uncontainable.

SELF AMUSEMENT

Gary Turchin has been exploring self as an artist, writer, performer and silly-poet-for-kids (aka Gary T. & his PoetTree) for 35 years. His cosmic t-shirt designs were renowned in art festivals throughout the state for many years and were sold in major national catalogues.

As a kids’ poet, he has performed original verse in more than 250 schools and libraries, and produced two recordings and two chapbooks of verse. He also wrote a newspaper column about Oakland that ran in the Montclarion Newspaper for 5 years.