Blog Action Day '08 - POVERTY...

You know, you just don't see babies like these in your wealthy neighborhoods. Parents in Haiti feed their children dirt to hush their hunger while parents in the USA are feeding their children empty calories because that's all they can afford. I drew this cartoon to show the effect of poverty with obesity and malnutrition.

Today is "Blog Action Day '08 - Poverty" created to address just one issue with a thousand voices, an annual nonprofit event, that sparks communication. It's refreshing, interesting and instrumental in allowing voices to be heard. Check this site for an amazing assortment of ideas on this topic. http://blogactionday.org

Coincidentally, tomorrow is "World Food Day", marking the day, 45 years ago, that the United Nations created the Food and Agriculture Organization to address global hunger. Check out what they've been able to do, what they are doing today and what we all can do to ease this pain. No guilt. Just folks helping folks. http://www.wfp.org

Oh, and did you hear that in order to help ease the escalating poverty problems, Robert DeNiro's new hotel, The Greenwich, is donating half the rates charged to stay in any of his $5000 - $15,000 per night rooms!..!! (Okay, I totally made that up as I can't comprehend any other reason for fifteen-thousand-dollars-per-night. Bobby call me - we gotta' talk.)

Evolving Polar Bears...

Busy-busy! Living the life of a squirrel these days, staying as busy as possible, taking on more work than one can reasonably get done in a day. I'm storing up for the expected long, cold, grey winter daze ahead. So there is no new art to post here. None of my art that is...

 

But art is everywhere and always as a state of mind. With that said... the autumn winds are here, filled with political thoughts and the occasional protest.

Protesting may be passive or aggressive or passive-aggressive, or just go unfortunately unnoticed. Protesting can be written, impromptu, staged, huge or small. Protesting can also be a single solitary action. Just one lonely figure with a message can be art.

A friendly polar bear was hanging out across the street from last week's VP debate, held here in St. Louis. The art here lies in the fact many parents had some "expalining" to do...

This polar bear's simple message stood out in the middle of a recent rush hour traffic jam in Washington DC...

And this polar bear lives the indigent life of another homeless, out of work American as seen on the busy streets in DC, your town or mine... 

Seriously, the plight of the polar bear is horrible. They simply cannot evolve fast enough to compete with the changing environment. That is, evolve in a positive direction. Recent reports state they are resorting to cannibalism as they are literally starving as the reality of their world quickly disappears. Will the polar bears vanish from the face of Earth due to our changing environment - or because they've eaten each other? Leaving just one lonely polar bear, standing on a street corner somewhere with a sign. It's the cruelest of ironies.

A Perfect Fit...

Last week was spent dog sitting for some friends who live on the mighty Mississippi river. Their place is like living in a Van Gogh painting with a really great dog. Included were fabulous moonrises, intense sunrises and fresh raspberries any time of the day. It was just what I needed. Refreshing and sparking a memory or two...

Hanging on one of their walls was a mask I had made years ago. It was one of a few dozen handmade, one of a kind, made in an attempt to cash in on some Mardi Gras green- masks. Working with a dear friend, we worked for weeks trying to out-do each other with unique creativity and then would hit the streets hawking them to folks that were out celebrating Mardi Gras - St. Louie style. My apartment had become covered with confetti, glitter and feathers - everywhere, giving the look of an intense morning after (well, at least in my world).

Many masks and cascarones (confetti filled party favors) were made and sold, a few were given away; and not a lot of money was made. It was in fact, however, one of the best times I spent with my friend Nancy. She was an amazingly creative soul who believed that above all else you should laugh. Laugh hard and dance well. 

Then, today, while still reflecting on those days, I thought of how hard it seems to be for folks to laugh these days. Most the laughter I hear is directed towards comments made about the powers that are and will be controlling our country. There is a laughter but it's out of fear. We laugh out of disbelief and we laugh out of frustration. But it's not funny. Folks are getting angry. It is certainly one of the scariest times ever. 

Then I suddenly laughed a hard Nancy-laugh as I noticed the one mask I have left over works directly with the other in creating a rather remarkable statement. I quickly pulled together some digital scraps and the help from a couple of scrappy guys to help punctuate my point.

The result represents these grey days of decisions...  and it's a good fit guys!

Tears and Fears...

The polar bear is the world's largest land predator. Males range from 775 to 1500 pounds, while the females maintain a svelt 330 to 550 zone. I read that they do scold their young for misbehaving with a slight scuff. They share their dinner and wag their tails when they want to play. They typically survive -40º weather for weeks at a time and swim over 60 miles in arctic water to feed upon seals lounging on floating sea ice. They bury themselves in the frozen ground to sleep it off and when they do wander around their frozen wilderness they may be shot dead at any time by trophy hunters in hired helicopters. 

The sea ice is quickly melting away. The permafrost is disappearing. The petition to save the polar bears was introduced over three years ago. Three months ago, polar bears were finally listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. Last month the Governor of Alaska sued to revoke this judgment. Three weeks later she accepted the Republican's position of understudy to the most powerful position in our country. 

Coincidence? Afraid not. I smell oil... again.

(While I drew this i had to stop to wipe away my tears - which made me wonder why we never see the animals cry.)

27 Years Ago Today...

After enduring over 40 hours of labor, I gave birth to my daughter. My beautiful little girl.

A few months later, I labored over this drawing of my daughter sitting with her poet of a daddy-o.  (Rusty and overworked portraits were my thing back then.)



Jump to twenty-two years later… when I labored over this painting of her all grown up. A rather remarkable young woman and my continued source of pride and inspiration.  

Happy Birthday Baby!

Choices... Music vs. Science

While working, I was trying to decide what to listen to on the radio... Bob's Scratchy Records is playing great eclectic music with an attitude and then there's Science Friday. Choices. So, I opted for the danceable one, the one with rockin' Beatles' haircuts (besides, I'm trying to teach my dogs to dance). We'll pod the science at 3am to keep us awake with intelligent hope through science. Hopefully.

More of my digital scraps have been recycled into today's art. I'll call it... "Science Fair Won".

Digital Scraps...

Do you recycle or just toss them away? The other day while working on the computer, I caught myself unconsciously planning the next steps, all based upon making the best use of each piece as I copied, cut and pasted. I'm too busy for this. They're scraps! DIGITAL SCRAPS at that!!! But I can reuse them. I live my life as green as possible and that apparently includes my life in the digital world.

This scrappy piece of art was made from 100% recycled digital scraps from previous works. I call it "Digital Litter"...




A side note regarding the revisions I last mentioned with last week's "Deadlines Should Remain Dead"... it became a major dose of deja vu. Yet another round of revisions were ordered which only proved folks seldom know what they want - but always know what they don't. Once they see it. The last 30 drawings made them fall in love with my work. I now have the entire project to do. With another tight deadline. Ah, work has... worked.