#289 An Alternative Winter

In spite of the mini skyscrapers lining the roadways, Maine is suddenly feeling like spring. But we who know better, know better than to get all giddy. We've been fooled before. We've  all witnessed  March barrel out of the heavens like a howling other-worldly avalanche.

So, for those of you who don't understand this to be what it really is - a brief mental respite from our deep winter drift, I offer this landscape. It's an alternative to what is really out there. Please don't believe it.

An Alternative Winter • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

#288 Full Winter Moon Chaos

I live with a marketing guy who believes Valentine's Day is one of Hallmark's greatest cons. I know other people feel the same way, so I'm really not singling out a man who I know loves me dearly, but shows it by leading me down hair-raising ski trails instead.

As it turns out, the 'ole boy wasn't far from the truth. It would appear that it all started when ancient Roman men celebrated the feast of Lupercalia from Feb. 13 to 15 when they sacrificed goats and a dogs, and then as a finale, whipped their women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. The men were drunk and naked of course, and the young women would line up to be hit believing (remember blue balls girls) the ritual made them fertile. Later that night there was a matchmaking lottery where young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couples would then hang for the duration of the festival and if the amour was exceptional, it was considered, perhaps, a match for life.

In the 3rd century A.D.,  Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine on Feb. 14 of different years. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church, hence St. Valentine's Day.

Later in the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I combined St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to put a lid on  the pagan ritual. Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of women" which was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point in part because they sound alike.

Some years later, Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized the day, and handmade paper cards became the token of the day.

The industrial revolution in the New World led the way to factory-made cards and in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing them.

According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine's Day sales exceed $18.6 billion.

So, for those who believe, Happy Valentine's Day. For the rest of us, and Valentine's Day aside, enjoy the full winter moon chaos. Hang in there,  be the blizzard, and know that it will all settle down eventually as it always does and be even more stunningly beautiful.

Full Winter Moon Chaos • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

#287 The Simple Fabric Beneath the Superfluous Detail

I force myself to take a walk around the neighborhood every morning without my much needed glasses on. The exercise not only wakes me up, navigating sans glasses keeps me alert and anti-depresses my eyeballs with natural light. Plus I can pretend I'm on another planet - which is pretty easy to do because I am so nearsighted it truly does look like another planet.

What I do see without my glasses however, is a glimpse of a remarkable place made up of an infinite number of shapes and colors. It's a reminder of why it's important, when I do have my glasses on, to acknowledge the simple fabric beneath the superfluous detail.

The Simple Fabric Beneath the Superfluous Detail • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" 8 $250

SOLD - Silence

I don't think I've been this riled up since Nixon and the Vietnam War, so I won't use this blog to rant about the current state of affairs in this country. It would be like watching Manchester By the Sea, which was an awesome movie by the way, but tough to sit through.

As a reprieve from the enormous amount of energy it takes to stay on top of what's going on out there with facts and alternate facts, I painted Silence. It helped. I'll be going for a walk in a few to test my primal instincts to survive the ice out there, in silence. After that, I will jump back in to the political arena to test my survival instincts with a loud speaker. Keep the pressure on, but take a break in silence in between.

Silence • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

SOLD - Peace in the New Year 2017

With four world leaders who embrace bullying, and who will have their fingers on nuclear detonators, in a seemingly never-ending line of misery and injustice crossing the world stage in 2017, it's not hard to slide in to a feeling of total despair. Though it would appear that the beast in man has been unleashed, remember that rational thought, love, tolerance, compassion and community are what a  majority of people on this planet represent.

May The Force Be With You, our world leaders, and those who give us the information we need to make informed decisions in this next chapter.

Peace in the New Year 2017 • 8" X 8" acrylic framed to 12" X 12" • $250

SOLD - And So We Have Snow

It's begun to snow in earnest here on the coast of Maine. Though a heap of the stuff is never much fun for city dwellers, this time of year, nevertheless, makes most of us kids and elders wish for stupid things like a white Christmas. Kids want it for obvious reasons. The elder crowd can't shake Bing.

A wish for a white Christmas in Portland is to participate in a city-wide don't-bump-in-to-my-car-I'll-try-not-to bump-you-bumper-car competition. It's survival of the luckiest. As the potential to slide in to my neighbor's car, or as my neighbor slowly slides in to mine increases with every inch, I will try to relax and envision life on an island off the coast, where the only traffic issue might be a couple of sheep.

And So We Have Snow • 8" X 8" framed to 12" X 12" • $250

SOLD - Looking for Night

 

Eighty three percent of the people on this planet do not experience a night sky free of artificial light. Ninety nine percent of people in the US and Europe live in areas where a black night sky is tainted by artificial light. Astronomers call it "luminous fog." You and I can call it "light pollution.

When I hear debate about whether or not to preserve a large track of wilderness area, I think about the stats above.  Maine is lucky - we're blessed with massive areas of black sky. If you want to do something constructive with your money this holiday giving season, give to your local land conservation organization.

Looking For Night • 8" X 8" framed to 12" X 12" • $250