A rude awakening
In light of the George Zimmerman trial aftermath, The Boy and I both are rethinking how he looks to other people.
This is The Boy just having fun with a couple of bandannas over his face, a couple of weeks ago. But this morning (sans bandannas) an NPR story got us talking about race.
He asked me if he would have gone to a white school or a black school in the 1960s, since he's biracial. Among other things, I replied that he would have gone to a black school... and I could almost hear the realization of what that probably meant sinking into his mind like a stone.
The Boy is doing very well at school here and now... he goes on field trips, he reads the print off the pages of challenging books... But he knows in the 1960s he probably would have been cut off from most of these educational resources. (I didn't even get into how that hasn't changed for many kids who look like him.)
We did talk about how he still has the power to accomplish anything he wants to do, even though it may take longer than he expects, and that he comes from a long line of people who never give up.
Next stop: The Talk, in which I explain to him that the police are not always his friend. Can it wait until he's at least ten years old?
He asked me if he would have gone to a white school or a black school in the 1960s, since he's biracial. Among other things, I replied that he would have gone to a black school... and I could almost hear the realization of what that probably meant sinking into his mind like a stone.
Next stop: The Talk, in which I explain to him that the police are not always his friend. Can it wait until he's at least ten years old?
Sunny weather=art photo shoots
The weather here has been trying to decide if it wants to be sunny or gloomy. Today: sunny and 80 degrees, so... short photo shoot!
Here's a sneak peek at the small collages (6" square) that I've been working on... just need to clean up the details.
I plan to list three in my Etsy shop this weekend, sometime after sundown -- which means "after 9:30pm" at this time of year. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll be pinged when they're live!
New art: "Give Us A Hug"
Did you get a chance to see my latest assemblage in May while my solo show was on exhibit? No worries: this way I can tell you the full backstory of "Give Us A Hug." Here she is... by day:
... and by night.
You might remember my great-grandmother inspired this piece -- or rather, I was inspired by explanations that might illuminate why Mickey became a mean drunk and a neglectful mother. I don't have those reasons, or even a photo of her as a young woman. So for this piece I painted a stand-in for Mickey...
... and explored the possibilities of why she spent more time drinking than parenting. Speaking of drinking, I created a faux-mercury glass effect in a glass from which I could imagine Mickey drinking whiskey.
Into the cup she went. And when I turned the glass on its lip, the image of Mickey-as-a-jellyfish fell right into place.
I wrapped her stinging tentacles around the wrist and fingers of baby doll arms, which stood in for Mickey's two daughters. Although Mickey is trying to drift away from her children, she can't: the tentacles anchor her to the children.
And the children are tethered to their mother as well. Barnacles and the crusty, sandy edges of the piece underline their unyielding bond to their mother.
Remember that Twyla Tharp quote? "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."
I think that's why I sympathize with Mickey, even as I still wish I could time-travel to protect my grandmother from the fallout of Mickey's behavior. (And if I did, would that action create a Grandmother Paradox?) How do you run away without leaving home? Tell me in the comments or on Facebook.