Fear has Gripped our Nation and History is being Ignored

"And All that Jazz" mixed media in red box frame

The things we once learned from past mistakes are soon forgotten in the clutches of today. The rising generation is not equipped for self-governance nor alerted to the warning signs of impending tyranny. We are inundated with violence in our homes and schools and eager to blame “the other guy,” or guns, or the government when, in fact, as the cartoonist for “Shoe” puts it: “The enemy is us.”

We’ve become a gullible nation intent on harming ourselves. We depend on other people’s advice, knowledge, and strength rather than developing our own. We’re on the cutting edge of science and invention, but on the slippery slope that afflicts every generation after the lessons of the past have been forsaken.

"Lucky Lady" mixed media in red boxed frame

Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and we are just as likely today to perish from the bad choices that are being made for us and around us. Even when people vote their preferences, federal judges are overturning the people’s voice. Our land of laws and Constitutional principles is being rearranged, disassembled, and gradually pushed into chaos.

With Ebola threatening to sweep across the world, and terrorism shaking us to the core at home and abroad, is it any wonder that people are hunkering down; afraid to engage with others, fearful of spending money they don’t have, and not knowing where to turn for help.

"Shimmy Shake" mixed media in black box frame

History tells us that we are not alone. People have weathered all kinds of atrocities, tribulations and persecutions in the past. The key to holding it together is to remember those values and principles which made us strong in the first place; things like honesty, trust and integrity.

There was a time when a “man’s word was his bond” and a handshake was as good as a signed contract? Today lying and double-dealing has become “the thing to do” because “everybody does it!” Our own President has received many Pinocchio’s for deceiving the American people and he's in first chair!

Husbands lie to their wives and visa verse. Children lie to their parents. Bosses lie to their employees, and employees take out their anger by stealing from their bosses. Goods and services cost more because shoplifting is figured into profit margins as is price gouging by “middlemen” who put a thumb on the scale at purchase point.

"Yes, Sir, that's my Baby!" mixed media in grey box frame

Gas prices and transporting of goods is also figured into the cost of food and clothing. But in spite of the gloomy picture there is reason for hope. “The pendulum always swings.” When society gets too far afield, common sense usually pulls us back to calmer times. Swift thinking and logical choices made in the silence of the voting booth may prevail. Let’s hope it does so again before things go so far awry that there's no turning back!

All artwork in this blog may be purchased at Anfinsen Art on Etsy

"Vamp on a Ramp" mixed media in grey box frame

Hunters actually shoot these adorable Partridges

"Northern Bobwhite" Drawing; prints available

When I spotted the two birds, they were running alongside the chicken wire fence, hidden beneath the Brazilian pepper, the hedgerow, and the Spanish moss which draped from their lower branches.

The birds saw me and a soft chortle started up in their throats as they ran for a hole under the fence to escape. They were so fast on their feet that I failed to capture the details necessary for identification.

Checking my Audubon Field Guide later, I tried to piece together my impressions: stocky round bird, reddish brown feathers, unique head markings or Mohawk haircut; a chipping or swamp sparrow I wondered? Naw! Too small.

It was a year later in March before I saw another pair scurrying along the fence line. This time I got a good look before they slipped under the fence and disappeared in the dry pasture stubble. 

Turns out, they were northern bobwhites; members of the quail or partridge family and indigenous to Florida.

When the mating season begins each spring, coveys break up and mates build their own covered nests in the grass. In late summer, families join others to form a new covey until the next breeding season.

My husband and I saw the bobwhites almost every day for several weeks. One lusty fellow searching for a potential mate flew to the upper branches of a live oak and serenaded us with a “bob bob white.”

On days when we didn’t see the quails, my husband would whistle his own rendition of the song and we waited. Sure enough, an answering whistle told us where the bobwhites were located that day.

When the spring rains came early that year and flooded the grasslands, our bobwhites disappeared. My husband whistled to see if they had returned, but so far, there has 

been no answering call. We have waited four long years for their return. I miss those bobwhites!

Mike Barr has one of the most helpful videos on painting a rainy day scene:  

Trauma in America – a Time for Introspection

"Broken Hearted" 11 x 14 Pastel Drawing on Bristol

 In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, CT, people around the country are in a state of panic. Some want stronger gun controls. Others want to ban guns altogether, but let’s look at some facts.

Norway, a socialist country that bans guns, lost 78 people, most of whom were children, at the hand of a gun-toting terrorist, a man with a cause. There was not one person on that island who had a gun or who could defend him or herself. They went down without a fight; innocent victims all.

"Moody Blues" 14 x 18 OIL on canvas

We must not rush to conclusions or rashly amend or change our Constitution in a moment of panic. Once guns are banned or the Constitution is changed, we can never get them back. We will never be able to protect ourselves from terrorists, intruders, or our own government which is why the pilgrims came here in the first place to flee oppressive government, and why immigrants throng to our shores or cross our borders illegally, risking life, limb, and deportation. Our freedom is at risk when the real problem is not guns, but people.

A rush to judgment is never wise. History of the past century shows us that a majority of shooting incidents have been caused by the mentally ill. Perhaps instead of banning guns, we should look at how we recognize and treat the mentally ill among us. Where is the support system that provides a safety net for these people, who happen to be our fellow citizens, family members, or neighbors?

"With These Hands -- Hope" 16 x 20 OIL on canvas

Changing laws makes far more sense than changing a Constitution that has helped us become the greatest nation on earth for the past 200 plus years. Let’s be better neighbors and friends. Let’s reach out to those closest to us and see that they get the help and treatment they need. Before we rush to judgment, let’s examine our options.

Please share your thoughts with us. No matter how you feel, we should all express our views to our Senators and Congress men and women.

"Innset Kirke" Norway, 11 x 14 OIL on canvas SOLD (Prints available)

My Take on Milton Glaser's book: “10 Things I have Learned—The Secret of Art”

"Victims of War" 18x24 mixed-media on canvas

Reading is as important as marketing to an artist or any professional. Learning must be continuous; including the taking of classes as well as the viewing of other artist’s work, and studying materials from the library.

Another word for “reading” is “remembering;” at least that’s my opinion. Study brings back the things you’ve learned and forgotten. Milton Glaser’s book of “10” things” helped me remember. Here is my take on his list.

"in-progress painting"

1. You can only work for people that you like; looking back, I’d have to agree. My best work came out of friendly, cooperative relationships. There are some people you can never please. They are never satisfied. They can’t communicate what it is they want, and whatever it is, you can’t supply it. When the work is finally approved, all are left with a feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration.
   
2. If you have a choice, never have a job; an obvious deduction. Not all of us are so lucky. We don’t always have that choice. Offering imaginative ways to find time and money would have been more helpful. Glaser’s reasoning is that you need to dedicate real time and effort if you’re going to be successful. I think if you continually work at it, you’ll eventually reach your goal step by step. Then you will have that choice to dedicate yourself full time.
   
3. Some people are toxic avoid them. Well said! Toxic people pull you down, discourage you, and eat up valuable time you could be using to fulfill your own dreams. Toxic people poison the very air you breathe. They are unhealthy to be around and they make you feel bad about yourself. They consider what you’re doing a waste of time. Avoid them, leave them, or ignore them as much as possible.
4. Professionalism is not enough. From Glaser's point of view, if you work as a "professional" you become fixed into a style or mode. You're afraid to take risks. You begin doing things in the same old way, cranking out signature pieces that are recognizable, but may become boring. Within the professional parameters, you must explore, take risks, and grow.
5. Less is not necessarily more (just enough is more). I like detail. I have had artist chums who have said “well you can have too much detail!” Who’s to say when enough is too much? Only the intuitive artist or professional knows when a project is finished. If your gut tells you when you’re finished, put down the brush or pen, but not before.

"Sunset on the Nile" 22x28 mixed media canvas

I will continue my take on Glaser’s final five points in my next blog. Milton Glaser is a modern renaissance man — one of a rare breed of intellectual designer-illustrators, who brings a depth of understanding and conceptual thinking, combined with a diverse richness of visual language, to his highly inventive and individualistic work. Here is a link if you would like to read more about Milton Glaser:

http://www.miltonglaser.com/milton/#1

Featured Artist;
Cathy McClelland from rural Australia. Her painting “Tap Dance” below shows the delight and whimsy with which Cathy views the world. “I’m a farmer’s wife that loves to create paintings of what I have seen and experienced in my daily life,” Cathy says.
Cathy McClelland Fine Art | Facebook