Solidarity

My collages since Monday.

I don't want to turn this venue into a political blog, and I'm beyond ranting.  But nothing is the same now as it was even a week ago.  We've entered into a new world, and we've got to be brave, strong, and clear-headed to negotiate it safely and with sanity.

The political has become very personal...because nearly every one of us, all of us except those at the top, are being and will be affected by the changes that have already begun to happen.  No matter who you voted for.

So I apologize in advance if any of you are offended by my even mentioning this new reality.  You always have the option to stop following me.  (If you're one of the two dozen or so who get an email from me with a link to each post, please email me directly and request to be removed from the list if you want off.)

Because I'm not going to be silent, I'm not going to pretend I'm not appalled at what's happening in this country, thereby giving my tacit approval.

I'd quit Facebook before the election, then came back very briefly right afterward.  Then disappeared again until last weekend.  I'm back full bore again, and the only things I'm following there now are political, but only trustworthy progressive pages, the voices of resistance.

And I've also begun following all the newly-hatched ALT Twitter accounts for government agencies upon which gag orders were placed earlier this week.  Federal employees going rogue, putting the truth out there, defying the new administration's attempts to control the narrative on everything that impacts our lives.

Instagram remains totally devoted to art (for me).

That's all I want to say.  I won't be silent, but I'm not going to rant and rave.  I'll work quietly, in the background, along with millions of others, to do everything we can to set things right again in this country.  We've got a long row to hoe.


 

Retrograde

I had intended to write on Friday, but strongly felt I needed to observe another sort of Black Friday by wearing black and being in a state of mourning.  I'm still wearing black and I'm still mourning, but life does go on.

Then after seeing the millions of people who marched yesterday, virtually everywhere in the world, I'm feeling glimmers of hope for our collective situation.  It's not going to be pretty, and damage to life as we knew it had already begun not one hour after "that deal" got sealed.  But I have some degree of confidence that collectively we might be able to stem the tide of the worst of what's to come.  That's what I'm praying for, anyway. 

The only ways to get through these increasingly tough times are through activism and art.  I'm not much of an activist at this point, but I'm surely not going to give up on my art.  Especially with the likely destruction of the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts), now is the time for all us indy and outsider artists to make ourselves heard in all ways possible.  Making art just might save our lives.

Because life on earth is now in retrograde...

 

Moving Right Along

My creative roll of this year continues.  Collaging, brush lettering, and mail art, that's where my energies are going now.  And reading, of course.

For brush lettering, I purchased PDF worksheets from Jeannie Dickson, via Etsy.  I spend my evenings practicing. 

I bought several different brush-tipped pens from JetPens, but none of them really work well for me.  Instead, I'm using a round #2 paintbrush, as Jeannie does most of the time, and I have so much more control than with the pens.  I thought an actual brush would be way too difficult to master, but for me it's the way to go.

All my outgoing mail art now features brush lettered name and address.  I'm having a lot of fun with this.

We've had a lot of rain in northern California recently.  The Eel River flooded early this week, and although the river itself has receded, my guess is that much of the Ferndale area is still under water.  Fortunately there's no danger of flooding where I am.  Right now we're having a few days' respite from the rain; the days are sunny and c-o-l-d.  More rain coming in early next week.

Enjoy your winter weekend.  January is effectively half gone already.  Christmas will be here again before you know it!

Half a Mil.

I've done these six collages just since January 1.  I am having so much fun with these.  The other day I cleaned and reorganized my front studio space so I have more room on the table to work.  I just want to be in that place, putting things together.

This post marks several milestones ~ I'm celebrating my 9th Blogoversary here.  I started blogging in January 2008.  I know a few of you have been with me since then.

My all-time blog hits went over 500,000 a few days ago.  Half a million hits.  Wow.  And the hits just keep on coming.  My deep gratitude to all who read and follow me.

This is the 1822nd post on this blog, but when you consider that two of my three other former blogs had daily posts for at least a couple years, I figure I've probably posted aggregately close to 4000 times in nine years.  A lot of words; but a lot more images.

I'll leave you with this awesome poem I found this morning on Christi Carter's blog ~

"There isn't one right path for you or anyone else.

And there isn't a set of timelines or milestones ...

You're allowed to backtrack.

You're allowed to figure out what inspires you

at different stages of your life.

You're allowed extra time when you need it.

Life is meant to be a series of zigs and zags.

It should look like a mess, but a beautiful mess.

It shows that you have changed and grown.

You've had your ups and downs.

You went down one path, but decided to change course...

perhaps on many occasions.

That's how life should be."

~ Angel Chernoff ~

The Best Intentions

Hand lettered by this beginner

Wishing you all a very happy new year ~

May we each live into our best selves this year ~

May we each find peace within, regardless of outer circumstances ~

May we each accept what's impossible in our lives, and then live within the realm of our own possibilities ~

May we each find joy in the "little" things in life, those things that make a qualitative difference ~

Wishing you all the very best.