How many readers have you lost to Facebook?

Just realized I hardly ever check the RSS feed for the blogs I like to read; I check Facebook and read posts that appear there.

And I used to LOVE my blog roll, especially the art blogs. Waited for it to update like other people wait for stores to open for midnight-madness holiday shopping. I mentioned that I don't check my blog feeder much anymore, and a friend on Facebook agreed with me:

People will hate me for saying this, but I think the days of heavy blog following are dwindling. It's just too easy to do "one-stop shopping" at places like Facebook.

See? Exactly what I do: if it isn't in my feed (on Facebook or Twitter), I won't see it. Another friend who's a well-known jewelry artist told her followers/readers to join her on Facebook too. She hasn't written a blog post since January. Yet I've heard that maintaining a blog helps maintain your status as an expert on your chosen subject(s). Huh.

When was the last time you went directly to a blog? Tell me in the comments -- better yet, tell me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmb.artist. That's where I spend most of my time these days.

New artwork: How we see

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. -- Anaïs Nin via ThinkExist.com

That quote sums up the thought process that led me to the title of this new work: "We See." Here's a snippet of the full piece.

I found out the man in the original, unpainted-over photo was a photographer...

Courtesy Library of Congress

... and it got me thinking about how what I see is not necessarily what the camera -- or another person -- sees. If he were on TV today, I'd probably label him Ambiguously Ethnic: probably not "white" but not clearly "from X group" either, from my 21st century perspective.

Following the sight/perception train of thought, I pulled an optometrist's lens and a vintage illustration of the retina from my stash. On his forehead and face, I embedded medical text about sight.

I outlined the background diagrams from his eye and his brain with hemp cord and red embroidery floss, knocking back the others with paint. Then I echoed the look of the retinal vessels in arterial patterns, especially on his jacket and marbled-paper tie.

As far as I know, the man in the original photo was the first African-American photographer in Atlanta. Thomas Askew shot his self-portrait and many others for a massive exhibit created for the 1900 Paris Exposition by the sociologist WEB DuBois. (Other than a photo credit to the Library of Congress, most photos in this collection are copyright-free.)

I'm waiting for a confirmation email, but I'm pretty sure you'll get to see this piece, in person, very soon! I've submitted this piece and a few others to a couple of exhibits happening in September. When I find out for sure, I'll show you the full-scale image of "We See" -- so keep checking back!

Bluebird of Testosterone, slam-bang edition

The Bluebird of Testosterone is back -- summoned by TwoBoo, of course.

Courtesy Wikicommons

TwoBoo is sitting in The Husband's lap. They're discussing how to make The Husband open his hand and release the quarter inside.

The Husband: It's not strength, it's a question of leverage. How can you make Daddy open up his hand?
TwoBoo, cheerfully: With a hammer?
The Husband, stifling laughter: Well... yeah... but how can you do it in a less violent way?
TwoBoo: With a hammer?

Why bother finding another way when this one works, right?