Brooks Jensen Arts


Kokoro: Wandering Through a Photographic Life

An Image Journal with Commentary, Meditation, Philosophy, and Unanswered Questions

An Ongoing Project

A wide range of topics, anthology style in nature, combining image and text

A new Kokoro installment every other month or so

Perpetually available, always free

More about Kokoro and the philosophy behind this project

 

Kokoro, Vol. 9, No. 1
April 2024

A single PDF
39 pages, 55mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes a single project in five parts:

172 - Silver Thaw

The Chaos of the storm
Crystal Trees
Ice Skies
The Road Home
Shelter from the Storm

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

   

Kokoro, Vol. 8, No. 3
August 2022

A single PDF
78 pages, 153mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
168 - Sea Palms
169 - Big Wave
170 - Pacific Skies
171 - Drifting on the Black, Black Sea

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 8, No. 2
April 2022

A single PDF
97 pages, 52mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 6 "sketches" projects in this issue:
162 - The Spirit of Mu Chi
163 - Upper Chambers
164 - I Lost My Wife
165 - Waiting for a Haiku
166 - An Eon of Rain
167 - The Herd

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 8, No. 1
January 2022

A single PDF
102 pages, 183mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 6 "sketches" projects in this issue:
156 - Conflagration
157 - The Life of Pi
158 - The Light Give Rise to the Dark
159 - Just a Trickle
160 - Beyond My Imagination
161 - Booming Life, Prosperous Business

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 7, No. 2
October 2021

A single PDF
117 pages, 138mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
152 - Anasazi Afternoon
153 - The Kiss of Life
154 - Speak Friend and Enter
155 - Facing the Grand Canyon

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 7, No. 1
August 2021

A single PDF
136 pages, 164mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 6 "sketches" projects in this issue:
146 - Contour, The Wheat of Least Resistance
147 - The Gods Are Pissed at Us
148 - More Dreams of Japan
149 - The Former Lake Abert
150 - Remembering Oliver
151 - Views from the Surface of Venus

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

I apologize for the gap of new Kokoro since last year. Life got in the way of my art life. Glad to be back.

Kokoro, Vol. 6, No. 3
June 2020

A single PDF
119 pages, 92mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 6 "sketches" projects in this issue:
140 - Wisdom Inherited
141 - Pines in the Sky
142 - Gratitude
143 - Fog in the Hills and Aits
144 - Human, Not Human
145 - Protection from Evil

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 6, No. 2
April 2020

A single PDF
87 pages, 68mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
136 - Whispers and Mysteries
137 - Silent Waves
138 - Finding Kyoto
139 - Faces in the Rock

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Selected "sketches" from Kokoro are now available in printed, 8-page chapbooks, signed by Brooks and including the purchaser's name and date in the colophon.

Details and available titles

Kokoro, Vol. 6, No. 1
February 2020

A single PDF
79 pages, 58mB
Perpetually available, always free

In this issue:
135 - Sixty-six at Sixty-six

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 6
December 2019

A single PDF
96 pages, 62mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
131 - The Circle of Life
132 - Big Ceiling
133 - A Breath of Light
134 - Prairie Quiet

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 5
October 2019

A single PDF
70 pages, 43mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 6 "sketches" projects in this issue:
125 - Thirst
126 - Grace and Beauty
127 - The End of Summer
128 - Hands of God
129 - Leaf Journeys
130 - Perch

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 4
August 2019

A single PDF
76 pages, 40mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
121 - Rodeo Hat
122 - The Love of Green
123 - A Straight Line from the Sun
124 - Whereabouts Unknown

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 3
June 2019

A single PDF
105 pages, 64mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
117 - Earth Nudes
118 - Cornered
119 - Unintended Beauty
120 - The Geometries of Shipbuilding

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 2
April 2019

A single PDF
110 pages, 69mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
113 - Patterns of Man, Patterns of Nature
114 - A Dark Place
115 - From Parts
116 - Tree Bones

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 5, No. 1
January 2019

A single PDF
107 pages, 54mB
Perpetually available, always free

In this issue:
112 - Dreams of Japan

Kokoro, Vol. 4, No. 4
October 2018

A single PDF
68 pages, 68mB
Perpetually available, always free

And introducing in this issue,
"One-Picture Stories"

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
108 - Yellow, Oh My
109 - How Rosie Won the War
110 - A Sea of Tiles
111 - Cosmic Jackrabbit Samurai Warrior

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 4, No. 3
July 2018

A single PDF
56 pages, 43mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
104 - Blue Fog of Winter
105 - Electric Skies
106 - Yangpu Salt
107 - Lace Memories

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 4, No. 2
May 2018

A single PDF
68 pages, 42mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 7 "sketches" projects in this issue:
097 - Life in Space
098 - Brushed Into Stone
099 - We Accept This Food
100 - Future Soil
101 - Simple Faith
102 - Moments Across the Divide
103 - Deep Forest Fern

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 4, No. 1
March 2018

A single PDF
47 pages, 47mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
093 - Hawaiian Canopy
094 - Offworld
095 - The Staccato of Life
096 - The Fisherman with One Eye

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 3, No. 4
December 2017

A single PDF
54 pages, 23mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
089 - Too Much, Too Fast
090 - Like Catching Water with a Net
091 - Adrift in the Mists of West Lake
092 - Buddhas in the Cliffs

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 3, No. 3
October 2017

A single PDF
45 pages, 43mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
085 - David's Maple
086 - Scrub Brush
087 - Hung to Dry
088 - Waiting for the Fire

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 3, No. 2
September 2017

A single PDF
48 pages, 44mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
081 - Lost at Sea
082 - The Shortness of Life
083 - Where Are You, Laozi?
084 - Not For Your Eyes

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 3, No. 1
August 2017

A single PDF
56 pages, 34mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 4 "sketches" projects in this issue:
077 - Searching for Su T'ung Po
078 - A Skyful of Joy
079 - The Boatwright's Challenge
080 - The True Form

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

 

Legacy issues

Kokoro, Vol. 2, No. 2
Feb 2016

A single PDF
65 pages, 26mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 5 "sketches" projects in this issue:
072 - Just Stuff
073 - An Organic Silence
074 - Real Time
075 - Only the Surface
076 - Seagulp

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 2, No. 1
Jan 2016

A single PDF
86 pages, 51mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 5 "sketches" projects in this issue:
067 - Waiting Under a Winter Moon, Part 2
068 - The Signs of Anger Remain
069 - The Corn Winnower
070 - Nothing Special
071 - Glimpses of Old Japan

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 9
Dec 2015

A single PDF
99 pages, 51mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 8 "sketches" projects in this issue:
059 - Granite Home
060 - Separate Ways
061 - Longquan Swords
062 - Shoji: In Praise of Shadows
063 - Waterpocket Fold
064 - Let it Snow
065 - Beauty in Detail
066 - Face to Face Across Time

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 8
Aug-Nov 2015

A single PDF
69 pages, 42mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 5 "sketches" projects in this issue:
054 - Waiting Under a Winter Moon
055 - Where the Coqui Live
056 - The Woodgrain Deep in My Bones
057 - Dreams of Spring
058 - Thankful

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 7
July 2015

A single PDF
45 pages, 22mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 3 "sketches" projects in this issue:
051 - Tensleep
052 - The Water Planet
045 - Cinder & Pine

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 6
June 2015

A single PDF
116 pages, 60mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 8 "sketches" projects in this issue:
043 - Factory Butte
044 - A Place to Rest These Weary Bones
045 - Silva Lacrimosa
046 - Poe in Pictures
047 - Cold on a Cosmic Scale
048 - The Impossible Puzzle
049 - Japanese Ghosts
050 - Timon

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 5
May 2015

A single PDF
109 pages, 63mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 8 "sketches" projects in this issue:
035 - Life Itself, Part 1
036 - Life Itself, Part 2
037 - Intermission in Green and Brown
038 - The Priest of Tozen-in
039 - A Few of the Billion
040 - The Eat Cafe
041 - A Lesson Learned, Again
042 - Circular Logic

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 4
April 2015

A single PDF
87 pages, 35mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 7 "sketches" projects in this issue:
028 - Gone
029 - And Electricity
030 - As We Are
031 - Home Base
032 - October Seas
033 - The Bamboo Cutters
034 - Hilo Palms

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 3
March 2015

A single PDF
96 pages, 45mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 8 "sketches" projects in this issue:
020 - At Home in the Rocks
021 - Work and Real Work
022 - The Chinese Way
023 - Gestures of a Primitive Mind
024 - Pooh's Gorse
025 - The Source
026 - Lesser Fleas
027 - Joe Sasak

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 2
February 2015

A single PDF
66 pages, 25mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 7 "sketches" projects in this issue:
013 - Life Lived in Moments
014 - Dark Waters
015 - Freedom
016 - Uncle Kenny
017 - Dem Bones
018 - Wall of Tears
019 - Clara's Garden

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

Kokoro, Vol. 1, No. 1
January 2015

A single PDF
95 pages, 37mB
Perpetually available, always free

Includes 12 "sketches" projects in this issue:
001 - I Am Born
002 - Wyoming Dust
003 - Thank You, Johannes Folder
004 - Time
005 - With Love, Grandpa Apple
006 - Life with Broom
007 - Enso
008 - Basho's Narrow Path
009 - Clouds
010 - Memento Mori
011 - Petals of Power
012 - Order in the Chaos

What are "sketches"? A short introduction.

And check out
Backstage Kokoro

A behind the scenes look at selected images in my Kokoro project.

Content, photographic notes, EXIF data, creative process, and miscellaneous commentary.

 

Kokoro — Japanese for "the heart of things"

Perhaps Lafcadio Hearn will not protest too much if I paraphrase (almost word for word) from Kokoro, his 1895 book of Japanese life. He explains this important Japanese term far better than I ever could:

“The entries comprising this volume treat of the inner rather than the outer life, — for which reason they have been grouped under the title Kokoro (heart). Written with the above character, this word signifies also mind, in the emotional sense; spirit; courage; resolve; sentiment; affection; and inner meaning, — just as we say in English, ‘the heart of things.’”