Election 2008 Voting Information


Today, November 4th, is Election Day! Remember to vote—not just for Barack Obama, but for Congressional, state, and local candidates as well.


IMPORTANT NOTE: In Iowa, you can vote today even if you're not registered yet. See the websites below for details.

Where and when do I vote?
Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office.
• Obama's VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com
• League of Women Voters' site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php
• Obama's voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)

What should I do before I go?
• After you've entered your address on either Vote For Change or Vote411, read the voting instructions and special rules for your state.
• Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it.
• Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

What if something goes wrong?
• Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
• If you're voting on an electronic machine with a paper record, verify that the record is accurate.
• Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
• If you encounter a problem, try to videotape the situation and submit it to VideoTheVote.org

Want to do more?
• Text all of your friends: "Vote Obama today! Pass it on!"
• Volunteer at your local Obama office. Find an office here or here.


Now, everybody go vote!!!

"Copy this sentence into your livejournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage, and you don't want it "protected" by those who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow."


Sigh. I've edited to remove "bigots" from the above. I'm so sad and sick of how ugly things are....and just can't contribute to any more name calling, even though I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Is it Wednesday yet?

As the election gets nearer, I look back and the full weight of the past 8 years....from the stolen 2000 election to the hateful rhetoric of the past 8 weeks and all the horrors in between....becomes clearly defined. And I wonder....what kind of an emotional toll does that take? You keep on keeping on, but the outrage, sense of injustice, embarassment for your Country and feelings of impotence are always there. I sometimes wonder....is it easier to be willfully ignorant? Would I be happier? But then what good could I do? I'm hopeful for Tuesday, but still frightened. So....I'll be canvassing the next 3 days. GOTV!



Here is a pic from the cover of the New York Times last December. I'm the one on the bottom left.....

I can't tell you how frustrating this hunt and peck thing is! I'm hoping that when I get the permanent cast tomorrow that more of my fingers are free so I can at least sort of properly type.



So...how I did this...

After supper I was helping Clyton with his baritone practice when our dogs all start going nuts. A neighborhood pit mix, who is always loose, was runnung around the yard with a liitle friend. This time a mini poodle mix. That pittie always has a different friend with him. Last week it was a lovely Aussie. Anyway, the pit moved on, but the poodle stayed, and went around the house to each door, barking his head off, like he wanted in or something.

John and I went outside and called to him, to see if he had any contact info on him. He'd dart over, then take off...run to another door and start barking. Poor guy seemed so confused! Finally, he just took off. We watched as he ran about a block, then into a busy street, where he was run over.

I thought he was dead, but when John ran out to check on him, he lifted his head and licked John's fingers. I ran back to our garage, where I have shipping materials, to grab a piece of foam core and a blanket to move te dog off the road. as I ws running out of the garage, I tripped on one of the boys' skateboards and fell ino some exterior steps, half constructed, that were sitting in our driveway. My fingers hit the top of one of the treads, and the heel of my hand kept on going, through where a riser board would have been if the steps were completed.

I didn't hear a snap, but felt a sickening kind of "give" and knew it was broken. The pain was terrible. So...I got up, took the stuff out to the dog, carried him with John the block back to our house and put him in the back of my Jeep. Grabbed an ice pack, made some calls to get the pup picked up and taken to the vet hospital, then, after he was picked up, went into a strangely calm sort of frustrated rage.

I have been renovating the exterior of our house...racing the weather to get done before winter. I had 30' of scaffolding up and extension ladders...doing all the work myself...and now have an injuy where I can't climb for 6 months.

I also have a gallery waiting for several pieces and was planning at least a dozen to re-stock my Etsy store for holiday sales.

Good news is, the dog is going to be OK and the owner was found.



I'm a lot more mellow now. At least all my commissions were finished up, and the pending ones can wait. The place we rented the scaffolding from very kindly took it down for me and took it back. I can do a lot of the low siding repair one handed if I can use my fingers with the cast. I can prime and paint the low stuff with one hand. And I can draw up the pieces I want to make...so when I have two good hands, I'll be ready to go.

And that's about all the typing I can do for now!

(Darlene....you'll like this song! ; )

So...snapped my wrist last night. (Actually my radus in my forearm.) I'll be casted for 6 weeks. Fortunately, it was a clean break without complications, so if I'm a good girl, will heal without complication. BUT...no glasswork, no exterior renovations...no anything for way too long. (Not to mention the one handed typing... UGH!)

Tired and nauseous, so that's it for now. There's an interesting story to how I did it....but will save that for later.

Just today, I finished up some major commissions for our local public library. I've been working on these since last December. Not actually constructing them, but working on the proposals, meeting with architects, board members, intereior designers, contractors etc.

The first commission was to design artwork and design elements for the children's area of the library. I designed the doors and windows, coatracks and the art installation, entitled "Prairie Box Kites" that is suspended above the area.

Here I am in the "little's door" with the kites above....





( More pics behind cut )

Voting is now open for EBSQ's Glass Art Challenge!

I had a wonderful time hosting this challenge, and am beyond thrilled with the quality of the entries.

It was a tough one; the participants signed up and were sent a pound of glass, chosen by me. They had to work with what they were given, and out of their comfort zones, as most hadn't worked with glass before. The results are wonderful! Please take a minute and check them out....and vote for your favorite!

http://www.ebsqart.com/forum/Glass_Challenge_Entries!!/m_174500/tm.htm

if you see something that speaks to you be sure to vote here:

http://www.ebsqart.com/forum/GLASS_CHALLENGE_VOTE_RELOADED/m_174623/tm.htm

(you will need at least a EBSQ Patron account. They can be acquired here for free:

http://www.ebsqart.com/register.asp

The installation went smoothly and the windows look great in thier new home. They were designed to be seen from farther away than I could get in my house, so it was very satisfying to see them "right". The space is HUGE so the windows look quite small, but they have a nice impact nonetheless. And can be seen immediately as you walk in the door from the opposite side of the building. They are also installing a plaque on the adjacent wall with my name, piece title, and my artist statement I submitted with the proposal. Cool!

The clients appeared to be very very happy with them, so that was lovley, too. The local paper was there taking pics, and I asked them to forward them to me. Hopefully it will be a nice piece and drum up some good business.




And here is a pic John took of me up on the ladder doing my OCD picky cleany thing before stepping back to check them out....

Its been ages since I went a did something on a whim. This weekend I took off and went to the One of a Kind show in Chicago. Met John Borerro, who was exhibiting there, and Robin...Mr. Metals there. It was a great day, though long and utterly tiring.

I'm really inspired to apply for next year. It was a wonderful venue to shop, (though I'd definitely recommend taking 2 days), and from speaking with the artists, a wonderful venue to exhibit, too.

You can check out the show here:

http://www.mmart.com/oneofakindshow/showinfo.html

And here is a pic of me and John at his booth.




In other news, I was supposed to install the Waverly Library panels tomorrow, but guess what? Another winter storm tonight! Yippee. So that is tentatively rescheduled for Thursday.

I've got two more active commissions in the works, then I hope....really hope....to be able to do some purely fun experimental stuffs. Fingers crossed!

Ahhh....my final commission before the Holidays is finished. Such a relief! This panel was commissiioned by the Aunt of a young girl, (19), killed in an auto accident last Summer. She isn't sure where it will be hung....perhaps in her High School or the hospital where she worked, or perhaps the girl's father will decide to keep it.

Brittney 1988-2007

Updating again already!

Here are some recent pieces I've done for fun. I'm pretty proud of myself for making time to do them in between commissions. All are available on Etsy.

Indeestudios Etsy shop


Odalisque




Early Autumn Blues




Hangers On




Dark Earth

I have an excuse; I've been busy! (To be honest, not THAT busy, but busy nonetheless!) At least I have some things to show for it. I've been having a good run, artistically, which has been lovely. Able and motivated to do some fun things, plus some good commissions.

Exciting commissions! First, I answered a call for artists for a nearby public library and my submission was chosen! Yay! I'm very honored, and love to think about my art being in such a wonderful space, hopefully being inspiring to the patrons. The pieces are finished awaiting installation.

The concept of Pixellated Earth was formulated thinking about libraries and their purpose. The great achievements of humankind....space travel, computer revolution, our responsibilities to the planet. Also, it is an homage to the arts and crafts movement of the early 20th century, as well as the neoplasticism avant garde.

Each piece of the diptych is 31"x38" and will flank a huge central arched window opposite the front entry of the library.

I grieve for Kurt Vonnegut. It is a lonely thing...no one close to me seems to understand why. I don’t quite myself. I've wept...for 3 days now. I feel a deep sense of loss. Strange.

He seems to have taught me more simple truths about living one’s life as well as one can, than pretty much anyone else. It feels like he was a parent…or a grandparent…or a mentor. I feel like I knew him and will miss him terribly. Which is nuts, since what I knew of him existed and will always exist just as I was first exposed to it..in the writing.

I dunno…I just felt like everything might end up OK since he was knocking around out there…still trying…still clinging to some shred of optimism. But now…done. Like Twain, did he finally just give up on everyone and everything? I can see where he might have. He as much as said so himself. Is that why I’m so despondent?

Some people have Religion. Jesus. Buddah. Goddess. Or Oprah…or Dr. Phil or whatever…who they choose to inspire or guide them in how to live a little better. A little more peacefully. I had Kurt Vonnegut. He was my guide to understanding and getting through this thing, whatever it is. My philosopher. My religion. I think…really…he may have taught me more than anyone about how to be a person. Of course my parents did the gruntwork…but I had to un-learn so much from them. I have yet to need to unlearn anything I learned from reading Vonnegut.


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

Ahhh....thanks Tracey (tagscats) for this one! I'll take geeky smart sexy. Though I guess James Bond sexy is...well...sexier.

Another badass quiz from eSPIN-the-Bottle... Which Sexy Are You? MY RESULT:Intellectual Sexy You’ve got that smooth, mature kind of sexiness that does really well at Sudoku conventions or just about anywhere. You’ve got a bit of the Geek in you, which you stealthily use to your advantage. After all, there’s nothing sexier than being smart about what you want and going after it. You have the potential to wow ‘em with your choice words and profound insight. Just be sure to find a suitable balance between confidence and kindness. Have courage to speak your mind, but don’t forget about giving all your honeys all the love and attention they deserve. (After all, they were smart enough to go for you.) Take This Quiz!

And another....

You scored as True Alternative. You are a True Alternative! Labels do not suit you well, particularly as you tend to strike your own path and to grow purely via experience. No armchair quarterbacking for you! Originality and creation are your specialities, and sometimes you can even articulate what the hell just happened. Someday you may find yourself drawing the maps for other people... lots of other people. </td> True Alternative 65% White Lighter 65% Magician 55% Mystic 45% Aimless Eclectic 45% Discordian 30% Spiritualist 25% Otherkin 10% What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

Actually, I'm not jonesing too badly. A baby crave right now, which is why I sat down to write and keep my fingers busy. So yeah....I'm still a non-smoker! Yay for me!

10 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes and 25 seconds smoke free.

432 cigarettes not smoked.

$66.00 and 3 days, 7 hours of your life saved.


On other fronts, SheArt is again closing in their Oak Park swanky location. But they are actively looking for a new location. Fingers crossed and lucky vibes for a great new space headed thier way!

My pallet of glass is still AWOL. Hmmmm.....I'm looking at that as an opportunity. I've been putting off doing fun stuff because I felt like I needed to concentrate on the Last Supper thing...but hey...if the glass isn't here.....

Finalized the pattern for the Honor With Art cover project and will start cutting that soon.

Got a kid with strep throat.

Not looking forward to Valentine's Day so much after the debacle that was Valentine's last year. Ugh. (Some of you may remember...I'm not going to get into it.) But I'm working on it. And John is helping.

That about updates me for the week. Hopefully for the next update, I'll actually have some art, or at least art-in-progress to share!

Dawn

You know SheArt Chicago? That was closing? Well...not closing now. Yay! But... doing some restructuring. I need to find out more details, but its looking like maybe they're going to adopt a vanity gallery format. Uck. Though I understand fully why they'd need to do that. At least they can stay open and pay their rent if they have consistent income. Sigh. Happy/sad I guess. We'll have to see.

On the work front...things are rather stalled. I've got a HUGE crate of glass that should have been en-route here from PA that seems to be AWOL. The Last Supper stuff is waiting on it. I'm working on the design stage of the cover for the "Honor With Art" altered book auction project. More info here:

Honor With Art

That should be fun. I'm thinking of combining a bunch of techniques for this one. Traditional painting, fusing, some other cool things I'm learning. I've got a bit of time, so if the experiments turn out to be crap...well...I can do something in a tried and true technique.

And a rather biggie. I've quit smoking. Wowsa. I'm on day 4, which means I'm completely detoxed. 2 packs a day for 21 years, with very brief quits for pregnancies etc. Very odd to completely stop doing something you've done roughly every 20 minutes, every waking hour, for 20 years. But not as bad as it could be. I got an Rx for the new drug Chantix and it works just how it should. It blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, so that smoking won't give you a rush. While its doing that, its also triggering the release of dopamine, at about 60% of the rate triggered by pack a day smoking. So the withdrawal isn't so bad. And the cigs don't do anything for you, except taste like crap and make you nauseous. Its still tough, but doable.

I promised my kids I'd quit. Forever. And I never promise anyone shit. I don't take promises lightly and make them rarely. I've "tried" to quit before but refused to promise results. I figure nothing is sacred unless we make it so, and I don't break my word. So here I am. Waiting for my lung and sinus scilia to heal up and going nuts from all the smells everywhere. Jonesing. Constipated. On an oxygen high from my overactive red blood cells that don't have any carbon monoxide to attack. And its OK. Nothing to brag about at the moment. I'll do the happy dance when I've got 4 years under my belt rather than 4 days, but for now...its OK and I'm hanging in.

Peace.
Dawn

SheArt Chicago, a wonderful little gallery that features both art and antiques depicting the female form, will be closing its doors in late February! Damn damn damn!! Like so many small galleries, they just can't financially keep it going. And love won't pay the bills. Shit!

I'm not only sad about this because they exclusively represent my warm glass work, and my vessels sell well there, but because there are so FEW places where creators of frank and sensual nudes can display their work in a gallery setting. Everyone is so fucking worried about offending a potential buyer that anything edgy, anything erotic, anything beyond the "tasteful artistic", (meaning figures either innocent and unaware of their nudity affecting a viewer, or somewhat shy and modest looking), is rejected out of hand.

I have a full essay building up in my brain about sexuality in art, but will save that for another time. For now, I will stop at expressing my disappointment and sadness for Candy and Mercedes of SheArt.

SheArt celebrated female-ness in all its variations and forms. They embraced sensuality and even open sexuality. They embraced the goofy, the serious, the colorful and subtle. They carried their share of "tasteful" but also welcomed the erotic and titillating. They are brave and uninhibited, and I'm sad beyond words that they are not supported enough to keep doing what they do.

Yesterday, I pulled a successfully slumped piece of glass out of the mold for the Last Supper piece. Which will hopefully conclude the experimentation phase of this project. Yay!

Last week I left off with a finished sculpt of the piece. The next step was to build a mold pouring box. I used flexible rubber baseboard moulding to "wrap" the sculpt, and adhered it to the board with the modeling clay. At this point I also stuck some finishing nails in the sculpt at the high points, which will make vent holes in the mold to avoid bubbles in the glass.



More behind the cut!

( More! )

A lot of you who may happen to read this are familiar with this project from my postings about it on EBSQ. For those who may not be...here is the nutshell version:

I was contacted about almost two years ago now by a glass artisan in need of a painter for his dream project of reproducing the Last Supper, life sized, in glass. I was pretty non-committal for a while, as it would be a huge undertaking, and who knew if the guy was serious about it or not? Well...after almost a year of corresponding about the project and lots of beautiful reference sent my way, I had to turn the commission down, as my production capacity...meaning my kiln capacity, simply wasn't up for the project. And voila....the client eliminates that little bother by ordering and sending me a huge, beautiful kiln! (Guess he WAS serious!) So now, I'm not only painting all the figures, landscapes, food, and ornaments, I'm going to be kilnforming glass to mimic the robes and drapery of the figures!

The master carvings for the figures were done in Honduras, where the client is setting up a new studio. Whether because of language barriers, or the fact that the carvers don't know and understand how glass slumping works, unfortunatly, the carvings are really quite unworkable for my purposes. They are of solid mahogany and very very impressive, but despite hours of work, trying to modify them for the molding process, I was unable to achieve a workable result.

So now, I'm undertaking the task of sculping each individual piece, with the logical glass cuts, out of Klean-Clay. I've not sculpted in years, but its like riding a bike....and so tactile and fun!

Here is a pic of the woodcarvers' shop in Honduras, with some of the original carvings:



They are rather beautiful, but have lots of problems. Structurally, they have undercuts, razor sharp points and huge variances in depth. Won't work with draping glass. Would work for casting, but then weight would be problematic...as well as budget! There are also some interpretive problems with the anatomy of the figures, as well as problems with impossible glass cuts etc. But since they were already done, I decided to see what I could do....


And here is the Christ figure carving that I attempted to modify with modeling clay:



I then made a box and poured with a silicone rubber molding compound, then poured a ceramic glass slumping mold mix into the silicone mold. What a mess! Huge and unweildy, and despite the modifications, the detail was still to sharp and steep for effective glass slumping. So it comes down to re-sculpting. Happily, I was able to sculpt out a workable arm piece, (which is also anatomically correct now!), in only about an hour and a half. And I'll be able to use only one mold step-eliminating the costly and messy silicone rubber stage. So in actuality, re-sculpting the entire piece will take me roughly 1/3 of the time and less than half the materials cost of modifying the carvings.

So...here is the arm sculpt. I'll pour the mold this weekend, after which it will have to cure, then be kiln cured. And hopefully, I'll be able to slump some glass into in on Monday or Tuesday. Whee! Actual progress? Let's hope!




Once I've got all the drapery for the Christ figure completed, I'll paint the head and hands, which is the truly fun part!

More to come. I'll probably update on this project weekly.

I believe kitsch is a natural human reaction to fear. Humans have survived as a species, not because of our giant brains and clever fingers, but because we banded our giant brains and clever fingers together to form societies. "Brotherhood", for lack of a better term, has ensured our survival. When disaster strikes, we band together to get through-to survive. The nearly universal emotional response to certain themes-love and family, untimely death, heroic actions-is based on our need to empathise and work together for survival.

Kitsch is a way to contain fear. While it elicits an emotional response, it is a suppressed emotional response. When the unthinkable happens, our immediate emotions can be so intense and so frightening that we are unable to function. So we search for answers and meaning. For some, who fear pain more than others, pat answers will do. We search for comfort and safety and reasons. From the most personal tragedy, like the untimely death of a loved one, to global war, we seek to contain the emotions of the event in order to move forward and survive. This can be a good thing. Survival is good. But quickly succumbing to the allure of kitsch can also be dangerous.

Kitsch discourages logical thinking. Its beauty is that it touches on the intense negative emotions, and can trigger a catharasis, but in a controlled manner that elicits little true pain. It provides a pretty answer for our pain, and comfort, and a sense of solidarity, but does not encourage the kind of thinking that exploring one's pain and fear will generate. That is the kind of thinking that will move a person, and a society, forward in a positive manner. Kitsch does not encourage growth and improvement. Sometimes that is OK. Who can blame a widow for finding comfort in the phrase "God has called him home"? She must find a way to move forward with her life, after all. On the other hand, "They hate us for our freedom" is the kind of kitsch prhrase that, when believed by many, causes war and disaster, while not addressing or resolving the core problems between two cultures.

Religion is often kitsch. As is government/patriotism. Masterful manipulation of kitsch in the hands of a sociopath, (themselves impervious to kitsch as they have no true empathy), is extraordinarily dangerous. If logical thought succumbs to the allure of the comfort of kitsch in the majority of a populace, propoganda is accepted as fact and the power balance between a goverment and its people is shifted in a dangerous direction. Karl Rove is probably the most dangerous man on Earth for this reason. Along with his masters. He was dangerous before, but in the wake of 9/11, when the country was afraid and confused and in need of comfort and answers, his/thier power became virtually unchecked.

Until the results of manipulative kitsch become so disasterous that the collective minds of people reject the comfort provided, and face thier confusion and fear, positive change does not happen. Time will tell, but it appears that that shift in thinking may be happening now. (Finally!)

It seems that, historically, the societal craving for kitsch is cyclical. And since art follows the trends of its contemporary society, we can see those cycles through the popular artwork of the times. Looking at the 19th century, there is a definitive transition from Romanticism to Realism. While not all Romantic paintings were kitsch, the tendancy to romaticise and prettify was certainly visible. And it was during this transition that kitsch was labeled and rejected. Looking back, the trends can be seen before the lables existed. It seems that during times of great upheaval and insecurity, kitsch reigns with the people. Humans will always seek comfort, so kitsch will always have a place in society. Its prevalence and importance, however will always be changing.


"Change occurs when the pain of remaining the same outweighs the fear of the pain of change." Change occurs when kitsch will no longer suffice.

The following from "The Unbearble Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera

"The feeling induced by kitsch must be a kind the multitudes can share. Kitsch may not, therefore, depend on an unusual situation; it must derive froem the basic images people have engraved in theri memories: the ungrateful daughter, the neglected father, children running on the grass, the motherland betrayed, first love.

Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see the children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass!

It is the second tear that makes kitsch kitsch.

The brotherhood of man on earth will be possible only on a base of kitsch."


This book is truly amazing, BTW. If you love to learn and think and ponder the human condition, I can't recommend it highly enough!

Back to kitsch. In the context of art, kitsch is an insult. But should it be? I know that there are times I embrace kitsch. Whether they admit it or not, artists who actually show and sell their work, want it to be liked. They also want it to speak to people. And when you want to speak to people, you seek out universal themes; the eternal feminine, motherhood, sexual love, in my case. You seek sincerity in your themes.

Some areas are more narrow in their appeal than others. Sexual love, for instance. It is a universal human condition, though some embrace it and are moved by it, while others fear and reject it. So perhaps art inspired by sexual love may not necessarily be labeled as kitsch, while art based on Motherhood, which has a more universally accepted appeal, may be so labeled. Does that make one piece more "Kitschy" than the other? And therefore less worthy of the label "art"?



Then add the element of cynicism. Norman Rockwell's, along with many great illustrators' art, has been first exalted, then dismissed as kitsch. Then later embraced again. Perhaps, I think, because of its sincerity.

Someone like Kincaide, (is that spelled right?), is wildly embraced by the public, but dismissed as kitsch as well. Because of the obvious cynicism revealed by his deceptive marketing. His insincerity. But if what he produces is done intentionally, can it in all honesty even be called kitsch? Or is it rather propaganda?

I could probably continue to write about this for the rest of the day. I haven't even touched upon political manipulation of kitsch to control the masses! But that's enough heavy thinking for now.

Peace,
Dawn