Information Overload – Opinion, Hype or T.M.I.?

(This is Peaches, and I'm going to paint her portrait)

I have read and written about the book “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck at least four times. After the first reading, I was captured by that generation and the “Great Depression” era. Since that time, I’ve read both fiction and nonfiction books on that time period. 

After my first experience, a high school student at my church was bewailing the fact that “Grapes of Wrath” was required reading that year. She called it a filthy book, and said that the language was coarse and trashy. She didn’t understand why she had to read that kind of a book, anyway.

Her remarks prompted my second reading of Steinbeck’s novel. What on earth was she talking about? I didn’t remember any bad language. The book had inspired me and aroused my sympathy for the plight of the hungry and poor.

As I flipped through the pages, I was stunned. Sure enough, there were enough four-letter words on every page to make a sailor blush. Why had I not recalled such “filth” on my first reading? Perhaps because I was so caught up in the lives of the characters and their very real story.

By the time I finished the book, I loved it even more. So much so that I quickly forgot the student who disdained reading it and her remarks. The whole book is full of symbolism about life, about the roles of men and women in society, and the desperation that comes when everything you ever depended upon is gone.

When the husbands and fathers were jobless and down on their luck, they leaned heavily on their women who gave them strength and propped up their sagging egos. The mothers succored their children, managed to find things for them to eat, and gave their families hope. They were the backbone of society.

(Work in Progress "Peaches 'n Cream") The drawing and first layers of acrylic paint.

In the final chapter, the loose ends are connected in the cycle of life. A woman loses her baby because of poor nutrition. Broken and unresponsive, she wanders away from her family. Her breasts are engorged with milk, and she doesn’t know what to do or where to turn. At wits end, she comes across a man on the ground at her feet who is dying from hunger. Many men went without food so that their women and children could eat.

The forlorn woman lays down beside him and gives him her milk-swollen breast; the only sustenance she has to offer. By this we know that not only will he live, but that they both will survive to witness another day’s struggle.

"Bella Bellissimo" 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas (SOLD), but prints available.

Steinbeck recreates the Garden of Eden showing the dependence of male and female on each other, and in society’s ongoing battle for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Great literature and great art cannot be picked apart by focusing on that which is taken out of context. Without the whole there is no meaning nor purpose. How and what you remember when the last chapter is read is the measure of a book. It will rise and fall not on a useless hunting and pecking exercise, but on how well it is judged through the eyes of history and truth.

"Winston" Portrait of a Westie (SOLD) prints available. (mixed media)

Enjoy Someone Else’s Wild Dreams until Yours Manifest

When my oldest son was still in college, he mailed me a book called: “Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales, Vol. II, by Lucy Maxym. At the time, he was in Russia performing with a musical touring company from the university.

He wrote in the inside cover: “Dear Mom, I saw these Russian lacquer boxes in Sitka and couldn’t help thinking of you. Even the smallest boxes are very expensive, so I thought this book was a real deal, plus in it are over 20 fabulous fairy tales. Notice the similarity of “The Flying Ship” to the movie Baron Von Munchausen.”

I still enjoy looking at the paintings. Imagine! Each detailed masterpiece is done on the lid of a black lacquer box! That fact alone is inspirational. The breathtaking beauty and precision of these compositions makes you realize the incredible patience that is required for something as lasting and valuable as a well-thought out painting.

My son goes on: “Maybe you could put together a few favorite stories from these and I’ll illustrate them.”

At the time, he was an up and coming artist, majoring in advertising. I was not yet an artist, but was working as a freelance writer. Shows you how quickly life and the roles we play change over time.

Today he is a consultant and science teacher after being nominated Teacher of the Year by his peers. My son was right about one thing, I am lifted by these illustrations. I can literally spend an afternoon examining each scene and reflecting on the stories behind them.

I am also intimidated by their detail and the enormous energy that went into each design. It is good to aspire. We need to spend time viewing the classics and the masters-of-their-craft to see what we can learn from them, but not at the expense of our own promise.

Some of us are more detail oriented than others. We each have limitations of one kind or another. But unless we plant the seeds, the illumination will not germinate. How many dormant seeds do you have lying beneath the surface?  When was the last time you watered them with the necessary nutrients to help them grow? We need to recognize that practice, time, and a valiant effort come before success.

1. Define your dreams.
2. Note your progress no matter how small. 
3. Compare this year’s work with the last. 
4. Adjust your attitudes and eliminate negative thinking. 
5. Construct and re-structure your goals; each month if necessary. 
6. Look at the big picture. Baby steps are magnified when you see them altogether.

This blog was first published on Dec. 17, 2013. I chose to repeat it today!