Hard to Take

I am finding it hard to deal with the rapid pace of changes that this hideous administration is pushing through.  I am  still amazed at how selfish people can be and it really does feel like an evil force has grabbed our nation- but the incredible marches on Saturday- and thank you all for your marching-  that was huge and it was around the world.  I( am doing what I can- writing emails, signing petitions, donating to groups on the national level.  And I make art.  I have to-it's how I speak best.

The spread is titled what else but : RESIST!

Art for Activism and Expression

I recently had a very difficult experience.  I posted the journal spread in my last post in a private Facebook art journal group.  Well a firestorm erupted- seems there were a few and just a few that felt politics should not be a part of the work shared there- I was accused of using the group to advance my political agenda.  The comments went on for hours (there are over 6,000 people in this group) Not once did I say this is what you should do or this is what you should think but only expressed my own feelings being in one of the targeted groups from the new administration.  Well I was very much supported by the group as a whole I am happy to say.  My friend Laura Tringali Holmes, a terrific artist living in New York started a Facebook group: Target Resistance: First 100 Days. This is a public group and the art made there is using a target somewhere in your art You can read the specifics on the group page.   This is the piece I submitted for that group. Title:  They Didn't Ask to be Targets.  This is a digital collage.    .https://www.facebook.com/groups/396171314051338/  

A Sad and Scary Day

I have been trying hard to not let this horrible thing that will happen today January 20th consume me. It's hard knowing that the people soon to be in control care very little about the majority of the citizens. It really is about power and money on a foundation of greed. Many of us are targets- women, people that are not white male and and the target group I am in- The LGBT community. One of the  most troubling things were reading that Trumps pick for supreme court justice thinks gays should be jailed. Then reading that he intends to get rid of the National endowment for the arts. Most all of you reading this know the importance of art- for self expression for healing art is another language. I taught art for 36 years from elementary through university age. I have seen first hand how art has literally saved lives. As I felt my heart start to race I stopped what I was doing and went to my journal. Please join me in putting loving intentions out into the universe. This will help us to move through this scary time. Sending love to you all.

2016 Winding Down

Well this has been quite the year.  I hope to be better about posting in 2017.  My friend John Arbuckle is an inspiration- He posted over 300 days this year. I will share some journal spreads here to end out the year.   I wish you all a Happy New year.
I also want to share this quote that my friend  Marsha Salyer Jorgenson shared on a post. This is to my dear friends.

"When you find yourself tipped over by the gusts of life;
when you fall to the floor and shatter.
There are those who will walk around your pieces,
lest they cut themselves upon the scatter.
But others will pick up your broken bits,
they'll cherish all they can gather.
These are the ones to whom you must hold on forever -
not those who forsook you -
but the ones who glued you back together"

--- Shakieb Orgunwall

I think we will all need to have plenty of glue handy for each other. Thank you for looking at my art and for your supportive comments.

This is inspired by a song by Active Child.  The song is

Evening Ceremony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3xmMjoUweo

 

 

 

 

Troubled Sleep

We will not be broken

 

Still Juggling Many Emotions

Well 2 spreads in 2 days- it was a very gloomy day and has been and will be for the next week- this time of year is so challenging for me- I have S.A.D. I use one of the blue lights- helps some but I spiral down sometimes in this. Not sure what to say about this- dealing with letting go of some things- well a lot of things really- The three figures are like my past self present self and my future self. As we head towards the end of the year I tend to get retrospective and reflective. I am sure many of you do as well. The burning of the paper with what I want to be done with or are done with was powerful for me today. The spread is called Stages of Release. This is the opposite of yesterday's as it's big for me the spread is 12 x 18.  The one below the first one is smaller-

Yesterday I carved a moon stamp and finally got to it today. I also found some stamps I had carved at least 20 years ago. They are the trees you can see in the spread- I like how they are there but not jumping out at you- Sometimes I do title my spreads- This is titled: Dark Forest Moon. The strip with the nude man is from a Muybridge motion study.Like many of us after the election are feeling very vulnerable - the house in the lower left was the first house my husband and I ever bought- many years ago- this history of connection is my foundation.  I did this spread in my sidekick journal- so the spread is small 6" x 9". Small for me. The second photo is of the stamps.

Lost

I have not posted in a long time.  Things have been so emotional of late- My opening was last Friday the 4th- Lots of people lots of nice things said about my work and sold a piece. Thank you for all the comments about this work and for the comments about the opening photos- I  posted those on my Facebook wall if that's what you still call it. So going from the opening to the nightmare that happened Tuesday. Did 2 journal spreads in the last couple of days- the first one is in my journal.  The second is in the journal of one of the artist in a round robin.

Part 5- last of the new work for now

These last three messengers are large...well for me they are.  I have included a woman in this set as there were several in the set of photographs and children- yes the had committed crimes as well. These are framed in 20 inch square shadow box frames.  Working this large certainly has its challenges.  I made good use of my printer as I can print up to 13" x 19" and I did a lot of that for these three.  For these three instead of quotes I made dioramas.  They are scenes telling stories- stories for you to imagine. All three of the dioramas have hearts- Are they fleeing hearts?- soaring hearts? Broken hearts? ...You get to decide.  Thank you for your positive comments on the work for my show.  They mean a lot to me.

Messenger Richard S.

 

Messenger Mabel S.

 

Messenger Walter S.

 

This gives an idea of scale- the small one is one of

the 9" squares.