Paper is brown with age, words still charged with meaning

“Night after night tiny bodies fell to the ground on our TV screen: black people, young people. Vietnamese people, poor people – some dead, some only bashed up for the moment. There were always more of them to replace the fallen and join them the next night.” – Susanna Kaysen, Girl Interrupted

I often joke that I became a liberal at about the age of 10, but in fact this is probably pretty accurate. Before the U.S. government decided it wasn’t wise to show its citizens exactly what war was about journalists were right alongside our soldiers in the trenches. Reporters dodged bullets and hollered into their microphones as bombs dropped behind them. Newspapers carried grisly images daily. These images have stuck with me all of my life and most recently I’ve been inspired to use them in my artwork to show others what it was like.

Today we don’t see this. We are allowed only vague descriptions of war, images of our soldiers giving trinkets to the children in countries we are waging war upon, tiny bits of information on soldiers who’ve lost their lives. No blood and guts. No images of violence, but sanitized images that make it easier for the government to sell us these wars.

The newspaper is brown with age but the words there are still crisp and charged with meaning. The images speak for themselves.

Into The Pink

The color pink is named after the flowers called pinks, flowering plants in the genus Dianthus. The name derives from the frilled edge of the flowers—the verb “to pink” dates from the 14th century and means “to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern” (possibly from German “pinken” = to peck).^[10] As noted and referenced above, the word “pink” was first used as a noun to refer to the color we know today as pink in the late 17th century. The verb sense of the word “pink” continues to be used today in the name of the hand tool known as pinking shears.

- Wikipedia

Pink is probably one of my least favorite colors. I’m not big on wearing it or decorating with it.  I thought that I might even be inspired to come up with anything for the Summer Of Color’s pink week until I came upon one of the first pieces of art I made. I decided to revisit this particular piece to see if I might be able to change it up a bit. Recycling is smart and I saved money on supplies which is especially important since I’m not working at the moment.

Before:

After:

I came back much later to try to complete this week’s bonus challenge to incorporate wax into my project. I used a crayon to add a touch of pink texture to the “border” and I brushed melted wax from a candle onto the edge of the petals of the rose in the upper left.

I can’t wait to get started on next week’s color, which is… Yellow! Bonus challenge: Metallics.

Learn more about the Summer Of Color here: http://twinkletwinklelikeastar.blogspot.com/

Summer of Color Continues… Green

I combed through hundreds of images looking for inspiration for this weeks assignment. A friend pointed out that I live in one of the greenest places she’s ever seen and I realized she’s right. And a very rainy spring has – if it’s even possible – made things greener than ever. Though I didn’t look for local inspiration I did relax a little. Sometimes I’m known to make mountains out of mole hills.

The creativity that is coming from those participating in the Summer of Color has been amazing. There are 55 members of the Facebook group. Whether by intent or not, all are women from around the world. You can check out the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1296773868#!/home.php?sk=group_116928415059733&ap=1

If you’d like more information on the project visit Kristin’s blog: http://twinkletwinklelikeastar.blogspot.com/

Green

The Summer of Color

My first exhibit debuts this Friday and I am already embarking on a new project. Several artists are participating in the Summer of Color, an 8-week color themed adventure. Each week brings a new color and artists will create a piece of art based upon that color. We will share our work with the group via blog links and the Facebook group that was created for the project.

The first assignment is the color blue. I chose to work with one of the last photographs of Marilyn Monroe. Taken two months before her death from an overdose, Marilyn was filiming her first nude scene. She was fired from the set and the movie was scrapped but the photo remains.

Want to join in one the Summer of Color? Find the info on Kristen’s blog: http://twinkletwinklelikeastar.blogspot.com/

An Artist By Chance

When I was laid off as the recession set in I never dreamed I’d still be looking for work over a year and a half later. I’ve applied for hundreds of jobs and have gotten considerably less picky as time goes on. And while I’ve had a couple of temporary opportunities come my way there is still no sign of anything resembling permanence. But there is a bright side to my story.

The worst winter of my lifetime began in early December of 2009 and I could have easily gone over the edge had I not remembered the stacks of old magazines in the basement. I pulled them out of storage and began leafing through them one by one. The images of the Vietnam War, the counter-culture, the assassinations of two leaders, the political climate, the fashion and entertainment of the times spilled out of the pages of these old Life magazines and I was overwhelmed with memories and inspired to make something of these old treasures.

I’ve created over 30 works of art since then and am now looking forward to my first showing later this month. Who knows if I would ever have become an artist if I hadn’t been laid off? It’s hard to say, but looking back if someone had told me I was going to have work in an art gallery I’d have thought they were short a few bricks.

It’s a strange position for me to find myself in. What I do for a living is no longer as important as it once seemed and I would be happy to find anything that will pay the bills and fund my art business. Unwelcome change can open new doors. Look carefully for the signs and when life hands you lemons, just make lemonade. Then market it.

I’d like to thank a few people who have been along for the ride. To Cat Rocketship and Monika Agic, thank you for taking me under your wings and giving me a little push. Your Art Sucks rocked, Cat. And Market Day has become a huge success, thanks to you. Monika, managing Art By Magic Studio Gallery in its infancy was been an honor. And you have no idea how awesome it was for you to set up a work table for me to work on my own art while at the gallery. That’s some support there. To Jon Watson, my Facebook friend from Texas, thanks for being my first customer. To Joe Domeier, thank you for hanging in there at the Art Store. The tough economy has been hell for the business and my thoughts are with you. To Erin Bollman, thanks for being the first to invite me into your space and for the wonderful acts of charity that come out of Finder’s Creepers. To Rex Ray, thanks for liking my Facebook page.

And thank you – my friends and family, just because.

Should be in bed but instead thinking…

Every American soldier killed in action should be buried at Arlington. Clear land to make room and have every single one of them here. From every single war. What a statement that would make after a few generations.

Maidrites With Cheese

I suck at blogging. Blame it on months of unemployment, zombie-like daily devotion to Facecrack - erm, Facebook,  a short attention span. Blame it on the fact that words most often come to me when I don’t want them to, such as when I am trying to fall asleep or after awakening from a dream when the words just move around in my head in a jumble, like the vehicles in the strategic game Traffic.

A friend recently told me that she read somewhere that your brain can’t make people up, meaning strangers in dreams are actually people you have seen at some point in your life even if they were just someone you passed on the street or stood in line with at the grocery store. I wonder if there’s any truth to that?

In any case, I am not your average dreamer. My dreams are confusing at the least and borderline psychotic at the worst. Virtually everyone I know ends up in them at some point.

Last night I was at some sort of banquet with Art By Magic’s Monika Agic and Public Relations Princess Claire Celsi. It didn’t seem the least bit odd that the bedroom of my childhood was on the second floor of the banquet hall. There were many children there; toys, clothing, and bedding scattered all over the room. It was our job to get things cleaned up and by the time we finished and went downstairs to the banquet all the food was gone. That was okay because the only thing they were serving was Maidrites with cheese.

Rarely are my dreams ethereal, though once I saw Jesus Christ Himself come out the clouds to land on a street corner in downtown Des Moines. More often they are unsettling. I dream about tornadoes a lot and it seems I am always running from them searching for shelter that I never find. One time I dreamed about taking a friend and former colleague to the emergency room because she had hundreds of Xacto blades in her skin. I swore to myself I’d never tell anyone about that one. What have I done?  Now dear readers, you are probably thinking I could use a “vacation” in a nice padded cell.

Now that I’ve finished my latest mind game of Traffic (and possibly scared off a few people) I think I’ll try to catch a few more Z’s. Off to Never-Never Land.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhG0BSMJrGY



Revelations & Epiphanies!

For the last 15 months or so I’ve been wracking my brain on what I want to say in this blog. Do I want to use it as a writer’s platform? Do I want to have fun with food? Do I want to flip out on politics? Do I want to show my art? Do I want to promote myself as a job seeker? Do I want to tell of my love of Des Moines?

How do I find my voice?

Like a bolt of lightning it hit me. Why stop at one blog? Why not have a blog for all of my “voices?” I could write faithfully every day because I would write according to the whims of my… erm. “Personalities.”

I think I’ve unleashed a monster.

The Roofer

35 years or more ago a roofer from Iowa named Jim Mullin finished a hard day on the job near Cortez, Colorado. He and a buddy headed to a local bar for a few drinks. There was a female stand-up comedian performing that night. Annoyed by a heckler – Jim thought the comedian was pretty funny – Jim confronted the offender.

“Would you shut up and sit down? Let her do her job!”

The heckler, possibly frightened by the rough looking roofer, held his tongue.

After the performance the comedian and her husband came out into the audience and pulled a couple of chairs up to Jim Mullin’s table. They thanked him for his support and set about having a few drinks together. Jim remembered that the comedian had remarked upon his similarity to Bob Hope – it was the nose. The evening ended and years later Jim couldn’t be sure of the comedian’s name.

In October of 1988 Rosanne Barr got a TV show that turned out to be a huge hit. Everyone watched, including Jim Mullin. He hadn’t thought much about that night in Colorado. Not until he happened one night to hear the name of “Jimmy Mullins” on the show. The character was never seen, but was mentioned in more than one episode. Apparently, “Jimmy Mullins” was someone who had gone to school with characters Rosanne and her husband Dan. Mullins was… you guessed it: a roofer.

Jim Mullin the roofer could never be sure, but he began to wonder. Upon viewing this clip, I don’t have much of a doubt of where the character Jimmy Mullins came from.

Jim Mullin the roofer died yesterday, but the legend will live on. In reruns.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=1747150165667&comments

Career Expo Disappointing

Excited about attending Net2Work’s Iowa Career Expo yesterday, I left the event unenthused.

I arrived early for the 9am Net2Work “briefing.” A panel of recruitment and HR experts was on hand to advise job seekers on how to get the best out of a job fair. Participants were given sticky notes. One could write a question, and the sticky note was then whisked away by a fair volunteer. This allowed questions to be asked anonymously. My question? Why won’t employers offer internship oppportunities to mid-career level job seekers who have been downsized or laid off, forcing these job seekers to reinvent their career?

Eventually a question about internship  came up. Does a person have to be a current student to take advantage of internships? The answer was a resounding, “Yes.”

I waited, assuming that this would be a perfect lead-in to my question but moving along, the topic changed and several questions later the discussion came to a close. Come to think of it, I’m not sure we ever learned how to get the most out of a job fair.

I will not claim that my sticky note was the only one untouched, but I’ve asked about internships before. Why are they reserved exclusively for college students? Why is this opportunity not available for others who are either interested in or in need of a career change? Mid-career individuals bring experience to the table. If there is anyone out there who can explain this to me, please do.

My main goal in attending the fair was to take advantage of a free resume critique. So; should I join the line of about 100 people waiting to sign up? I decided instead to explore the fair. The atmosphere was like that of the Varied Industries Building during the Iowa State Fair, minus the strollers. Hundreds of people, squeezing through the aisles and lining up for a chance to speak with prospective employers. Participating employers were predictable: The medical, agriculture, and insurance fields dominated. Most available positions were highly specialized. I visited with and left my resume with just two employers/recruiting agencies, ITA Group and the Palmer Group.

Three hours later, the line for resume critiquing was still long, with no end in sight. I decided to scrap the idea for the day. There are other chances to have this done in a less hectic environment.

I left the expo feeling somewhat let down. While I appreciate the efforts of Net2Work, the Career Expo as is does not meet the needs of most mid-career level job seekers. Are employers just seeking a younger, more impressionable employee? One whose work ethics are just beginning to take shape; one that might be molded (for lack of a better description)? Ironically, most of those in attendance were mid-career level job seekers. Those with a specific skill set no doubt had better luck than I, with my degrees of experience over a wide variety of skill sets.

Beginning a new year unemployed – for the second year in a row – was not my plan. The Iowa Career Expo did not meet my needs, so I’m crossing it off the list. I’ll continue in 2011 to seek  better ways in reaching potential employers that will suit my needs as a mid-career level job seeker.

I’m open for suggestions.