Journey Between an Artist and a Painting: Part I

 

“Long Road Through the Winter Blues”

 Pastel painting, 11 ½ x 15 ¼ framed.

Tara Holdner posted this photo. The road winding between snowbanks towards the forest and mountain immediately captured my attention. My mind was already imagining what I could do with this scene. I asked and received permission to use it for a painting reference. I always like to give acknowledgement to the person who took the original photo.

I usually prefer to do landscapes in a more horizontal orientation, so I re-edited the photo and printed it as so. My goal is not to replicate the photo, just use it as a reference. I always put my own spin on the scenes.

This is is the initial small 6 x 9 sketch I did at the kitchen table. Then, in the studio, when I re-drew the layout onto a sheet of BFK Rives paper taped to an easel, I revamped the composition a bit. I can only work so long as my arm hurts raising it to paint, which means I work in small stints.

Progress is made over the next week as I first concentrated on the sky, clouds, and mountains. I used many shades of blue and darker details using a black charcoal pencil.

I often struggle with titles. Some ideas that came to me included: “Winter Becomes Her,” “She Becomes Winter,” or “Winter Blues” (as I was just listening to Elton John’s “I Think That’s Why They Call it the Blues.” Then changed it to “Winter’s Beautiful Blues.” Still unsure… “Winter Sings the Blues…” But what about the road? Should there be some reference to the road? “Road through the Blues?” “Long Road through the Blues?”

I try to also let the picture tell me which direction to choose, but sometimes I still can’t decide and will ask for ideas when I post the progress on FB. People always suggest wonderful titles, but then I have to decide which one really fits the scene and how it resonates with me.

I’m always amazed at the struggles. Each painting has its quirks and challenges. I played around with nuances in snowbanks and hills. I added ridge details to the mountains and did more with tree lines. I added a different shade of blue to some of the trees.

The hardest part was the foreground and the snowbanks along the road. This was my first time doing these kinds of snowbanks... a real experiment figuring out how to get that to look real. I reshaped the road a bit, too.

I also debated how to blur the mountains and background trees to help create distance. I chose not to put in the building that was in the original photo.

 But there comes a time when I have to stop picking at it and call it done. Heck, every time I look, I can see something to “fix.” In the end, I was very pleased with how this came out.

 

 

 

The Invisible Line

There seems to be an invisible line, that when crossed, people succumb to greed and power. Their words become lies as they’re willing to say and do anything to get them more votes, more power and more control over others while they become personally richer.

Initially, they may be the nicest people, but something happens to them when they cross that line of authority. (That line may be different for each person, but it’s there and it happens.) It’s something most people succumb to when they get into a position of authority.

How to describe those who cross the line into the elite cloud, where they’re above “regular” people, the everyday U.S. citizen taxpayer. Those who come into any kind of leadership role seem to totally lose touch with the middle class, the ones who are PAYING for most everything with their taxes.

(Do I have it right? It certainly feels that way to me.)

And I don’t think they really care about the poor, either. They create programs to make it sound like they’re helping, but all they’re doing is stealing from the taxpayers to make it sound like they’re helping the poor … They do some do-gooder work to be able to brag they’re doing something, but the bottom line is, they’re only stuffing their own coffers and making millions of dollars.

In wars, there are always people, businesses and industry making huge profits off the sufferings of the middle and lower classes along with the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the midst of the actual battles. While those of the higher class and elite scramble for more wealth, power, prestige, and personal accolades.

I recently read that King Charles’ coronation cost the British $91 million. It again reminds me of super-rich celebrities and professional sports players. A while back, I stopped watching sports and will never attend another concert. I refuse to support these people making millions of dollars off the public. I’ve often wondered how many people can’t pay their bills because they spend their paychecks on entertainment. They can’t support their families, yet they continue to support the wealthy.

I know, there’s some different sides to this, but I am on a mission against continuing to support the super-rich while I struggle to survive. I believe this is an issue needing to be addressed.

And what about the members of government who get to vote themselves raises every year when they already make more money than they could ever possibly need. Oh, wait, maybe they need to own a few more mansions, Ferraris, or go on more vacations.

These elite help make the laws for the every day people, but they themselves don’t have to live by the same rules. They have their own healthcare programs (much better than the rest of the people) and they create laws to protect their personal wealth. For them, wealth and power is never enough as they continue to strive for more.

It’s time “We the People” stand up and say, “Stop!”

More on Propaganda

Years ago, I’d seen a PBS program on Rick Steves and Fascism in Europe. Recently, I watched one on “Fascism in Germany.” What I enjoy about Steves’ presentations is what he can accomplish in a half hour show by keeping to simple facts. (Not that life is simple; things easily get convoluted … and do they ever.)

 

Watching programs like this shows how charismatic leaders sucker the populace into believing what they’re selling – a promise of unity and care for “their people.” Some of the most horrific dealings throughout history have had these kinds of leaders. People believe the words and promises of their leaders because those ideals sound so good and right. And aren’t we supposed to believe our leaders? Don’t they (supposedly) know what’s best for us?

 

However, power corrupts. The more powerful these leaders become, the more power and wealth they want. It becomes not about the people or the country, but how these leaders and their closest administrators start believing they are gods, and no one is allowed to say anything against them.

 

There’s an invisible line that gets crossed somewhere along the way. Even those with the best intentions eventually fall under that addiction to power and wealth. They begin to think they have the right to decide for everyone else.

 

Over and over, history has proven this, and people go along with it until it’s too late. Those in power make laws to make it sound like the populace have rights and choices. The truth, however, is that many promised words have taken on new meanings … just words to deceive and get votes and support from the masses. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

 

Hitler, among many others, was a prime example of this. He kept promising the populace over and over how he was going to make Germany great. He was charismatic, energetic, loud, and his actions and hype gathered thousands of followers. He started programs to begin teaching children; indoctrination at a young age, so they’d be on board with his beliefs when they grew up. He told people what they wanted to hear; how he was going to save them. And they believed …

 

But look what happened. How out of control it got as he and his cronies gained more wealth and power. And, as they did so, their power turned more ominous as they quelled any kind of opposition to their goals. Then, in the end, Hitler was totally out of his mind. (Maybe he’d always been that way.)

 

What should this teach people today? After all, Hitler wasn’t the only one. There are and have been many. As Steves said, “Strong charismatic leaders capitalize on fear to lead a society astray. Democracy is fragile – take freedom for granted and lose it.”

 

Don’t get sidetracked by all the bullying and name calling the politicians do to one another. Ask yourself, “What are they hiding and not saying?” Don’t fall for the pretty promises that sound oh, so good. Look to see what these leaders are actually doing or have done. Don’t believe that going to the polls means you really have a choice. (Your choice is only whether to vote or not.)

 

The government itself isn’t rich … especially when you hear how in debt many countries are, including this one. Before jumping on the latest bandwagon good-sounding hype, be thoughtful and think things through using logic and reason. What is actually doable compared to what is being promised? What’s it going to really cost and who is going to have to pay for it? Who is getting rich off whatever new programs are being proposed? (Someone is always getting rich off most everything.) And look at all the programs out there to supposedly help people in need – that money must come from somewhere. Someone is having to pay for it.

 

So, don’t believe everything you’re told. In other words, as someone said, “Do not trust people that promise you very easy answers for complicated problems. It never works.”

 

Decline of civilization as we know it

While sitting in the car waiting for a friend at his doctor’s appointment, I decided to meditate. I was just settling into it, when I had one of those word flow episodes and took out my book and began writing.

How do people learn to stay kind and respectful if leaders, officials, and corporations (including the medical profession) do not treat people with respect? The terms “We the People” and “good customer service” mean nothing nowadays.

How do people stay compassionate when their leaders are bullying one another horribly and showing no respect for anyone?

What’s that teaching kids? To bully those they disagree with and show no respect or compassion? What are they learning? To let machines do their thinking for them? “Press this number,” “click this button” is all they’re learning to do. Listen to some machine giving their only options?

What kind of leaders will they grow up to become when all they’re learning is how to say, “Baaa?” Technology and automation are taking away people’s abilities to question or have a say. It’s either go along with it or don’t have the services.

I know, some parents are still teaching their kids manners. But education now has also become veered away from teaching kids how to live productive lives. It’s now about becoming sheep, be good doobies doing what you’re told. Do not think for yourself. Go along with the masses.

Everyone is being brainwashed all the time. When things are repeated over and over and over, it starts getting ingrained whether it’s right or wrong. Hype, commercials drilled into your head repeatedly, and even celebrities becoming so full of themselves, they’re telling you what you should believe and do.

What are people being taught as huge corporations buy up other businesses getting huger, wealthier, and more controlling? Consumer choices become limited, prices continue to rise astronomically, then supplies are restricted to control and further increase costs for the corporations.

Even local services like fuels, electric, water companies (such as Poland Springs and Vermont Pure) and TV/phone and such are out of control. Oh, they may offer all kinds of special programs – but, for instance, why do I have to pay and exorbitant cost for 120 TV channels when I only watch half a dozen? It’s all manipulation … and the corporations get richer. And the wealthy don’t have to worry about any of this.

Goodness, the song “In the Year 2525,” recorded by Zager and Evans in 1969 is coming true today. Check the lyrics. I doubt we’re going to make it to 2525.

Propaganda: How We’ve Been and are Being Manipulated

Propaganda definitions include:

“… information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”

“… the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.”

“… ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause.”

Wikipedia says: “A wide range of materials and media are used for conveying propaganda messages, which changed as new technologies were invented, including paintings, cartoons, posters, pamphlets, films, radio shows, TV shows, and websites. More recently, the digital age has given rise to new ways of disseminating propaganda, for example, bots and algorithms are currently being used to create computational propaganda and fake or biased news and spread it on social media.”

Basically, it’s manipulation using words, lies, and pretty promises to get people on your side. Governments and big businesses use propaganda in their speeches and advertising all the time. And it’s gone on for centuries.

I first heard about propaganda when it was referred to Hitler and the Nazis. At the time, I didn’t realize that every government for centuries have used it. After all, it’s how they got the masses to believe in them and support them.

 Lies are used to get people on board with what officials want. “Tell people what they want to hear” and they’ll follow you anywhere. Promise them free stuff and they’ll follow you faster.

 So, it’s important to think about what you’re hearing. Yes, it may sound good, but can they really do/provide what they promise? And there’s that old adage: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” So, don’t give in to what you want to hear.

Leaders will lie about anything to get your support. And most of them have others writing their speeches for them, so the words coming out of their mouths might not even be what they fully believe. It’s just all about getting your vote, and they’ll say and promise anything to get it.

Key factors to consider are: Do the politicians and officials have to live by the same rules they dictate to you? How many laws are passed to “protect” those in office or position – protection the everyday citizen doesn’t get? And what about politicians getting monies from big businesses to pay for their campaigns? Then they have to dance to the corporations who supported them.

Then there’s the repetition. We learn by repetition. So, if we’re told something over and over and over, when do we start believing it – even if it isn’t true? And hey, if these rich, important people are saying it, it must be true, isn’t it?

It was one thing many years ago before people were educated. People had to believe what they were told. They really didn’t know any better. But now, there’s a lot of information out there. Unfortunately, it’s hard to weed through it all to know what is fact and what is snake-oil selling.

 

What is Real Liberty?

I looked up a couple of definitions:

“Freedom from arbitrary and unreasonable restraint upon an individual. Freedom from restraint refers to more than just physical restraint, but also the freedom to act according to one's own will.

“The freedom to live as you wish or go where you want: For most citizens, liberty means the freedom to practice their religious or political beliefs.”

 “The quality or state of being free:

a: the power to do as one pleases

b: freedom from physical restraint

c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control

d: the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges

e: the power of choice”

How much of that really fits the everyday U.S. citizen? Do these ideals only pertain to the wealthy and the elite?

I certainly don’t feel much freedom these days. The cost of living is exorbitant. I feel more and more chains and leashes are put on us from laws and government to the way we’re controlled by Big Pharma and huge corporations. (Don’t even get me started on the medical profession. What a joke that is now! It’s no longer about helping people be healthy. It’s often said, “They don’t make money off healthy people.”)

Then, more and more, we’re being forced to shop online and having to jump through all kinds of hoops dealing with that. In physical stores, there are often empty shelves. And all this has opened the doors to more scams, thefts, and illegal activities.

Making phone calls has turned into a total nightmare with the robo-gauntlet of a myriad of pre-recorded questions, the upselling in between, and being put on hold. And they keep saying how important your call is to them. Yeah, like the really care about you. What a joke. Then half the time, the real person who finally answers the phone can’t give you reasonable information. And they call this good customer service.

Good customer service, like other words and phrases bandied about these days, have become meaningless words whose definitions are totally opposite than what they originally intended.

Transparency is another one of those words. Every time I hear that word, I’m wondering what they’re hiding.

As in other civilizations, there is a vast division between the wealthy elite and the poor with the middle-class taxpayers falling closer and closer to the poor side, especially the elderly. The noose tightens.

  

Dealing with Feelings of Guilt

Why do some people feel they should be given things and do nothing in return? I try to put myself in that spot and struggle with it. I’d feel so horribly guilty. Yes, I know, feeling guilty is one of those emotions that bring you down. Have I suffered some aspects of guilt for a good part of my life?

What do I feel guilty about? And how do I turn it around.

1.)  Not appreciating my mother enough while she was alive. (Well, this is only partially true – I think it’s my own guilt why I make that statement.)

Oh, I have lots to say about my Mum, most of it positive. I love her soooo much, even though she’s no longer with me. But, towards the end of her life, I was frustrated. The most horrible is feeling guilty that I didn’t take care of her well enough in the end; that I let her go instead of giving her the care she craved. But I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t give her what she wanted and needed. I know that logically, but deep down will always be the guilt I didn’t do enough.

All my life, she did so much for me. She was always bailing me out when I was stupid about finances and overspent. Yes, she could be very critical and quick to find faults. But one thing I recognize now in her, of which I have a similar streak, is that she often made her own paths. I hadn’t noticed that when I was much younger.

Our similarities are in walking individual trails. Yes, there are family and friends, but I feel we have been different from most others. Heck, who taught me to be at peace in the woods? Who taught me not to be afraid while out by myself walking old trails? Who showed me it was OK to be solitary (though it was never specifically mentioned)?

What happened years later, especially after Margaret, her twin, went to a nursing home, was I felt Mum was trying to live through me. She got very controlling. Even when I was in my 50s, I felt I had to get her permission to do anything or go anywhere. Anything she disapproved of, I’d get the “attitude” and feel her disappointment. That made me pull away.

2.)  Not being a good mother – because I’ve not been the type of mother/grandmother that so many other women are.

But is a lot of my guilt just because I am not like most others? I’ve been trying to describe and figure this out for years.

There has just been something inside me that couldn’t be this other kind of person – the kind of person others seemed to have expected of me. Or even as I expected of myself from witnessing how others were. But I just never could not be that way.

3.)  Not being able to stay involved in groups or even wanting many of the things other people want. Something in me always took me more along solitary paths. It wasn’t that I didn’t try. I’d get bored or frustrated or other aspects of life took me in other directions.

4.)  Not feeling I give as good as I receive. And where money is concerned, I’ve always had issues …

Yet, there’s something within that makes me want to give as I receive. Even in that desire, though, I struggle. As long as I have money to pay for things, there’s the exchange. But what happens when there is no money? Or if I feel what I’m being charged isn’t worth it. As I get older, it’s something I worry about. Especially as many things I am unable to do, I have to hire someone to do for me.

I continue on to walk my own path, become strong in who I am, and do what I CAN do.

 

 

Part 1 -- Cry the Lone Wolf; An interesting life

 

I believe everyone has an interesting life. We don’t have to be rich or famous to have stories to tell. I started journaling in 1977 when I took a creative writing class at Northern Essex Community College, and, as of this year, I have now written 200 books about my life. The first ones were just a few pages, but later, I began writing almost every day. And yes, there are a lot of boring tales … but there are exciting ones, too.

I turned 70 years old this year and I’ve been contemplating writing my life story, picking out the interesting aspects of my life. Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way,” calls journaling “morning pages.” She said to write every day but to never go back and reread them … and I hadn’t.

But now, in contemplating telling my story, I decided to look back. Are there differences between what I think I remember and what I experienced in reality? I know how I feel about my past, but are my memories correct? 

For the most part, I feel a good part of my life was spent being miserable and unhappy. Yet, there were some wonderful times. I haven’t been a total loser; I’m not a loser at all, really. My mother once said she didn’t know why I was sad. She said I always seemed like a happy child. 

I don’t remember being happy much – but that’s not true, either. I know I had happy times. My happy place was wandering the woods, playing in the brooks, exploring old trails, just being out in nature… alone for the most part. 

So now, my goal is to search for the gold of my life. What have I learned? What has made me who I am today? In telling my tales will I discover I really am worthy? 

I’ve spent this week looking through the first few books. Holy crap, I was a miserable git by 1977. (Stories of earlier years will have to be pulled from memory or from looking at old photos.)

One surprising element was how much I did, how many classes and seminars I took while working a fulltime job and raising two kids. There were many side jobs with trying to sell various products. I got involved in various groups. I’d forgotten how many awesome things I did do. 

Now the task is to pull this all together. Goodness, I’ve been writing for most of my life. I’ve written thousands of poems (no exaggeration), some short stories, essays, et. al. Art has also been a big part of my life. 

So, how do I start? I began a timeline by year and making notes for each year looking through those first journals. It seems weird to start when I was in my 20s. Maybe I need to dig into childhood memories to create the base of where I came, how I developed, which leads to who I am today … and why.

I need to focus and take one step at a time.

On Being a Writer Part 1

How I became a writer

I wrote a story in a high school creative writing class. I can’t even remember what it was about, but because of how it was received and commented on, it sparked something in me. Of course, at the time, I didn’t pursue writing because I got pregnant, married and had to work while raising a couple kids.

A few years later, I took a couple creative writing classes at Northern Essex Community College. I still have journals started from back then and a story, “Sarah,” which I wrote for the final exam from which the instructor said was the highest grade in the class. Again, I don’t remember much, but that class also started the journaling which many years later became morning pages after reading Julia Cameron’s “The Artists Way.”

Stories. We all have them about our lives. Much is mundane, but there are moments of inspiration and interesting happenings that deserve to be shared, talked about. There needs to be a mining for the gold that’s deep within all of us; the nuggets that make us unique, tell our individual stories. How do I do that? How do I get past all the crying and sadness to pull out those important nuggets?

Then I wonder how can I continue writing and be a painter at the same time? Too many times I shut the creative muses down – one or the other or both. Sometimes squashing one creative spark shuts them all down. And sometimes life itself gets in the way of creativity and pulls the rug out from under me leaving me a collapsed wreck.

So, after reading the first couple of journals from the late ‘70s, when I was in my 20s, I ask myself if I want to continue. I’ve been writing almost every morning all these years. Will it just make me more depressed? But there are many good points in amongst all the angst.

There are nuggets to be mined; lessons learned. I’ve had an interesting life because I’ve not towed the line and become part of a flock. Oh, I made attempts to join groups and such, even became a Christian for a number of years, which brought ridicule from family.

Now, I sit here trying to look back though the past to figure out why I am the way I am … and to stand strong in the woman I am.

Being Stubborn on my Less Traveled Path

I write every day, telling my story, talking about life. There’s something in me that says if I write it all down, it’ll prove I don’t just sit around doing nothing. Thinking- work (contemplation) is as much a part of life as physical work.

I keep track of times, not perfectly, but it gives an insight into my days. Recording thoughts and actions is kind of a way of proving I was here, and I’ve lived an interesting life (at least, to me).  Yes, there is the mundane and the repetitions, but sometimes, something insightful comes out of my ruminations.

I feel sad. As with many things I am recognizing about my life is that no one else really cares. I feel that everything in my life and this house are things only I care about. There is nothing here no one else would want. The half a dozen books half written and the three written but that’s as far as I’ve gone … (My mother’s voice echoes from the past: “You never finish anything.”) No one will ever read my journals, poems, or manuscripts. I AM the only one who cares.

My paintings pile up around the house. I just don’t have it in me any more to run them around to different art shows or set up at exhibitions. But I won’t stop painting or writing.

I’ve led an interesting life, a different life. There have been many lessons, but I’ve pretty much forged my own path; even when I didn’t realize I was doing so.  Now I see I’ve been slogging along mostly off the beaten paths. Oh, I’ve occasionally jumped on one band wagon or another, but never for long. I am not a follower.

I take the paths less traveled, sometimes hacking through brush and undergrowth. Stand in one spot too long and the vines will wrap around feet, wind up, and eventually strangle you. Gotta keep moving.

But these days, with stiffening limbs and pain, the physicalness is getting harder. I wonder about end-of-life and being less mobile. Does that make me think and worry even more? There’s another lesson in here somewhere.

Perhaps it’s part of letting go. Stop worrying about things I have no control over. And if I have no control over it, I don’t want to see or hear about it. Yes, conversations are good, but to have crap shoved in your face every day, stuff you don’t care about …

As I keep saying, I feel hounded and harassed. And I refuse to join in. I WILL continue to walk my own path! (And when I can’t get around anymore, I’ll want to be done.)

Capturing an Essence

Artists often talk about the story the painting is telling. I sit here looking at photos that speak to me. “Paint me! Paint me!” they call, often vying with one another. But I struggle with finding words to explain why these scenes draw me in, or why this one over that one.

What story am I telling? I stare at a photograph waiting for words. Why does this scene inspire me? Most of the time, I am clueless to being able to explain my feelings about it. Is it my story or the scene’s story? Maybe it’s an interaction? I just know something in my gut is pulling me.

Words have yet to come to explain what I experience. I just feel compelled to do these scenes. Maybe it’s just an affinity to the beauty of Mother Earth. Maybe that connection is what grounds me. I can forget life’s issues and become immersed in the beauty of a landscape or a flower.

Hmmm, maybe this is my answer. Maybe all my work is a series of “Escaping from Life’s Pressures” or using a dozen other words that might fit the moment. The scenes I choose might often be off the beaten path, places where one can let out a sigh of relief, just wanting to sit, relax, contemplate, and forget about life’s stresses. 

But even that term, or close to that term, isn’t quite resonating with me yet. Like coming up with titles for my paintings. For someone who writes every day, sometimes the right words just won’t come to mind.

So, after a month and a half hiatus from painting much while I worked on the big summer guide project, the muse has hold of me again. During my time off, I got out and about for a few photo ops and have five scenes already with initial sketches. Plus, there’s still one almost completed on an easel.

Now, I just have to buckle down and paint. Yay!

 

Mother’s Day 2024

 

I start my day wishing Mum a Happy Mother’s Day and acknowledging the woman she was. I thank her for being a wonderful, unique mother. I thank her for not being like every other mother I knew. I thank her for being herself. Looking back, I realize how amazing she truly was.

 Gosh, I miss her so much and would love to be able to talk with her again. There are so many questions and topics I want to talk over with her. The pictures in my mind from the past …

It’s taken until recently for me to realize I have that uniqueness, too. Not like hers, but a uniqueness of my own. Neither of us were/are followers. Like her, I am my own person and not a cookie-cutter woman.

I sit here contemplating my role as a mother and how that changed when grandchildren came along. Maybe it started to change before then. I’ve been feeling guilty for years because I am not the typical mother and grandmother. I’ve been calling myself a bad mother because I seldom see my family and we seldom talk. I’ve isolated myself.

Today, in again thinking about all this, I realize I really wasn’t a bad mother. I raised two awesome sons who have become strong and have raised wonderful children of their own. It was only as I got older that I pulled back.

I wonder now if how I am today is partly because of Mum. Because I now recognize her strengths, I also see them in me. I see our opposites, too, but even that is strength.

It’s funny, how it often takes years to figure things out. Years when it’s impossible to have the conversations you wish you could’ve had.

So, remember your mothers with love. Remember their uniquenesses and strengths. Forgive them any … issues … that may have created dissension and distance. Reach out to them. Let them know you love them … even just in memory.

Attempting to Paint a Waterfall

Nan and I stopped at a local waterfall in December 2023 coming home from breakfast. She’s been into painting waterfalls and wanted this scene. I decided to try a waterfall scene myself as I’ve never done one. They always look too complicated.

I always take many pictures, different angles and such. I edited a few and chose a couple to work with. However, when it came to doing the initial sketches, I was at a loss. I prefer to do my sketching freehand, but somehow, even with working the Rule of Thirds, I get mixed up with the horizontal ground lines working downhill when there’s a lot of busy-ness.

I tried using the projector. I could not seem to get it to a size I want. It ended up bigger than I wanted. I tried to work it but kept getting mixed up as to which spot I was trying to do from photo to the sketch layout. I gave up.

Over a month went by and the scene began calling me again. Today, I decided to give it another go starting from the beginning. This time, I decided to trace. I printed 8 x 10 copies of two scenes after re-editing and cropping further. Then I chose white BFK Rives paper cut to a size I’ll be comfortable with and began tracing.

Got them both done. So far so good. Next, I set up on the table to make better lines with a charcoal pencil. I again started getting confused. I got out a blue pastel pencil to differentiate between water and land. It took a while, but I eventually got both sketches done. Phew, a lot of work.

Took them to the studio and taped both to the stand-up easel. One measures 8 ¼ x 10, the other will be 9 ½ x 8 ½. I’ll probably work both at the same time. ‘Course, that may change when I really get into it, ha-ha. I took black pan pastel and put in a little behind-the-trees darkness on one to see how it’s going to look. 

It’s a start.

The Corruption of Wealth and Power

I believe there is a huge gap between the wealthy, including politicians, big business, and the rest of the people. There are more rich than ever before, and most have become super greedy. It’s an addictive disease. It gets so it’s never enough for them.

 I truly believe many people start out with good ideas and good intent, but once they get into a powerful position, an old saying comes to the fore:

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority.” – Lord Acton, British historian in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries.

This need for more wealth and power is destroying society. Unfortunately, there is less and less freedom of speech and more and more of our liberties are being taken away. And it creeps down into the smaller, local towns.

Even criminals these days seem to have more freedoms than common people – those who have money, those who can “buy” their way out. The corruption among elite and organizations has escalated, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything anyone can do.

And being told to go to the polls and vote has turned into a big joke. It’s a way to make people continue to believe they really have a voice. Yeah, right. Everything has gotten so convoluted, it’s hard to trust anything or anyone anymore.

They create good-sounding, helpful organizations to make it sound like they’re doing good work. They change the meanings of words. The definition of some words in dictionaries are not the meanings behind words being used these days. It almost seems the opposite.

For instance, whenever I hear the word “transparency,” my thoughts go to “What are they hiding.” When I hear the word “woke,” it means the opposite of being open-minded and being fully attentive to what’s REALLY going on. Words are used to confuse the masses between original meanings and intent to what is actually happening in today’s world. Because people will listen to nice words and not pay attention to what is being done and/or happening.

The most important thing people can do now is question. Question everything! Look for the deeper reasons behind what is being promoted – whether in politics or business. What is logic and truth versus what are the hidden agendas. Always ask, “Who are the ones really benefiting from this?”

There’s too much smoke and mirrors. People’s attention is directed in one direction, while those in authority are doing something else. There’s no balance, no fully listening to both sides.

I fully believe freedom for the people is being slowly crushed while the elite go on living life as if nothing is wrong. They are so high up in their towers, they have no real clue of life. Even those who have come from lowly backgrounds, once they reach that upper crust of the powerful, seem to have forgotten where they’ve come from and what it was like. That line about “… power corrupting absolutely” is in full swing.