I had to retire my paint palette today. It was actually really, really sad because this was the first palette I ever bought. It cost me a whole ten cents and lasted me six years.
It will be missed.
If you haven’t already guessed- My religious views have several Pagan influences and am not considered “Orthodox.” A lot of my work revolves around my beliefs, my philosophy on life and my morals. No one can really deny that. I’m not one to pressure my religion on anyone and only ever speak of my views when asked or when I feel it will aid a given conversation. I have lived in Oklahoma most of my life and countless times I have been enraged by my beautiful, blue skied state and by the people who inhabit it.
Oklahoma is unfortunetely notorious for being intolerant and lashing out against those who say anything that opposes The Church. Because of this there have been violent protests and abusive language used against those of opposing faith and likewise to those of the “True Faith” by other believers.
I want to note my opposition to those events and to all other intolerant policies and events that have occured in Oklahoma and throughout the so-called United States.
I want to note my opposition to our nations policies on abortion. It is an invalubale procedure that should be readily available to all women who need it. If it your personal belief that abortion is wrong, then don’t have the procedure done. Pressuring your belief on that matter is what causes these ridiculous policies that limit women and force them to take matters into their own hands because they were given no other choice. I am tired of hearing about these young, teenage girls throwing themselves down flights of stairs just so they can abort their pregnancies and I don’t want to hear anymore stories of back-ally abortions and people abandoning their children in dumpsters or at hospitals.
I want to note my opposition to the Bible code engravings on all of our military weaponry. Even if purely cosmetic, I find it rather alarming that, in a nation that preaches “Freedom of Religion”, no one has done anything to correct this.
(With that, I would like to insert a quote from my Facebook:
Anonymous Did it harm them? Would it have been okay if they had hidden Wiccan good luck charms? Why are you furious? Were the products as otherwise specified? Why should we spend tax payer dollars to try and punish them? Explain.
40 minutes ago ·
Melissa McDonald It’s a simple matter of intolerance. And no, Carol, it wouldn’t be any different if Wiccan symbols had been engraved on them. In fact, I find it rather insulting that you would even consider me having such a double standard.
15 minutes ago ·
I love this woman, I really so. But her statement made me really angry.)
With that said, I would like to mention that yes, I do think that this is an issue our taxpayer dollars should be spent on. It is a service to the people to ensure religious freedom and tolerance. We should be complaining about our precious taxpayer dollars being exploited in order to renovate lavish Secretary bathrooms.
I would like to note my opposition to “Intolerance” as a general, amorfous being- Not just on the side of the non-Christian or non-believer, but to everyone in this nation as a whole. In a nation as wide and diverse as we are, there is no possible way to make everyone happy. Humanity is not a perfect being and is always striving for more and more and moar. The only way things would work out perfectly is on an individal basis. There is roughly 308,524,368 people in the United States therefore it is not cost worth to work on a person by person basis. With that comes miscommunication, mistakes and unhappy US citizens.
On to the second half of my musings: Atheism.
I apprach Atheism in the same way that I do a religion. It is a matter of individual preference and, essentially, no one is right. There is no “right” or “wrong.” there is no True Faith, at least not one that is all encompassing.
With that said, I do not disgree with Athiests. When they tellme that religion seems like something someone made up, fine. If they tell me that they disgree with my beliefs, fine. That is perfectly fine with me. I do not consider their constructive critizism intolerant, irrational or even unjustified. I do, however, have a serious issue with Aggressive Atheism. A very close friend of mine whom I love with every ounce of my heart considers himself to be an Aggressive Atheist. He uses his tool of anger to do nothing more than ridicule and hurt those of us with any ammount of faith. He proceeds to refer to us as “scum” and something worthy of “being destroyed.” Does this not make him any more at fault than those he is fighting against? Does this not show that same ammount of intolerance that develop these obsurd policies that prohibit same sex marriages and abortions?
A lot of the arguments that I have been presented with are, “If you cannot provide us with prove and evidence then you’re wrong.” “If your beliefs are based on nothing than blind faith, then you’re wrong.” I am one to consider myself a scientist as well as an artist and a spiritual individual so I recognize the importance of evidence and research. However, I don’t believe that scientific authentication discredits my faith. Science and Religion are not on opposite playing fields. The reason for our strive towards a better science was to add a backbone to faith. I don’t understand why now is any different…
…Oh. I know why. Because so many religious leaders insist that their faith is strictly supernatural and faith oriented and for some reason don’t want to embrace the possibility of Method.
The Bill Plympton Show!…. and zombies.
Published by November 4th, 2009 in Advice, Upcoming Events and Art. 4 Comments
Lectures, lectures, lectures… So many lectures!
Here at MCA we’re required to go to a certain amount of lectures and boy are they awesome. SO far I’ve been able to see the work of Faith Ringgold, Gary Panter, MCA faculty and even the Blues musician Spencer Bohren. The lectures definitely add a new layer to art school and anyone who doesn’t attend lectures at their school is certainly missing out. You’re also missing out if you aren’t attending any of the exhibitions hosted by your school, faculty or peers. These are certainly an important prospect. Go to them.
Last night I went to the lecture of Bill Plympton- a renown film maker and animator. His work is very recognizable and I even got a Plympton original which he signed. He showed us a few of his finished films such as “The Fan and the Flower” and “Horn Dog” and even some of his works in progress and concept art. You can find a lot of his work and clips from his films at the Bill Plympton Studio.
Also, I’ve started a new series: Apocalypse- A Commentary on the Present Human Condition. I credit George A. Romero for the bulk of my inspiration. My primary focus is the “Zombie Apocalypse” but rather than using their image for the sake of something frightening and gorey, I’m using the old school symbolism that Romero utilized in his films.
I’m still working out the details such as how many pieces I plan on doing, how large or how small, if they’ll all be mixed media, etc. It’s a recent development so there are still some kinks.
Commentary is always welcomed!
My dad posted this and I just thought it was too cool not to post.
The video is of Stephen Wiltshire, an Autistic savant. Since he was very little, he’s been able to accurately depict images after only seeing them once. When he was twelve years old he drew an aerial map of London, England after only one helicopter ride. The video is of him challenged to draw a panoramic picture of Rome. The picture took several days to complete but the result was outstanding. Not only had he accomplished depicting a panorama of Rome, but he completed the entire thing in pen (which isn’t mentioned in the video but if you pay close attention you can see).
You can find more information on Stephen at BBC America: The Human Camera and The Stephen Wiltshire Gallery.
I came across this website and thought it was super special awesome!
I remember when these stuffed monsters came out. I remember wanting one reeeeeeally badly but I never had enough pocket change to get one and never had the time nor patience to make one of my own.
Jennifer Strunge is an artist born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the Maryland College of Art and spent a great deal of her time there making quilts. She later experimented with creating 3D creatures. They became so popular and so inspiring that she started making more and more and thus started making the Cotton Monsters. Jennifer also works for the Cherry Puppet Theater.
Not gonna lie though, these things are adorable and I don’t think I could express with enough force how badly I want one (even if they are a bit on the pricey side).
Who says fun crafts won’t make you famous and downright awesome? Also, I dare someone to tell me this isn’t art. Go ahead. Try me.
http://www.cottonmonster.com/
