Last night was the opening at Waterfall Arts for their two exhibits this fall: Dudley Zopp and a group show: Re:sourcing: Sustainable Inspiration organized by Abby Sadaukas. My and Karin's collaboration piece was also on exhibit as a part of a third item, The 3rd Annual Belfast Poetry Festival. The fact that our piece, "Message in a Bottle" was part of the Poetry Festival was kind of lost as the Festival doesn't really happen until October 13. In fact my name is incorrectly on the list of artists in the group show! The other funny thing is that Karin and my piece involves a "recycling" garbage can and bottles, so it is very easy to think that it is part of that group show. But for me the most difficult part of creating our piece is how I as an artist respond to compliments as to the success of the piece. I mean this artwork depicts those who have died from the insanity of our country's war enterprise and it's purpose is to affect viewers into becoming aware and active. I suppose that there would be happiness should people feel that they had gained more determination to affect change after viewing the piece, but somehow, within the convention of art and exhibtions, there is an inability to appreciate true vitality. Viewers look for superficiality, boring sensations that fit conventional art structures. They do not expect or welcome change and relevance outside of art structures that might speak to real life social change. For me if art is to survive the forces of commodification it has to cut deep, tackle life and draw out the subconcious. An appropriate resonse might then be..."Wow, that work of art is horrible, thank you for creating it."

Vicky and I had tea at the Co-op yesterday and saw Sarah Martin working there. She's a twenty something Unity College student who had just come back from Africa where she was visiting her sister who had been there for two years. Sarah herself was working to help stop illegal tree cutting while she was visiting as part of her studies at Unity. I'm wondering why we in this country do not have armies of young men and women who we praise and exhalt over, who are going out into the world and who's purpose is to improve things, help people in non violent ways. Why aren't we calling the Sarah Martins heros, angels, patriots and giving them ticker tape parades upon their return home?

Well like I've already mentioned in my previous posting, it's been hard to find time to think and in the case of this blog, write this past summer. And yes summer is nearly gone! I have just about completed all of the drawings and chapbook texts for my "Message in a Bottle" collaboration piece with Karin Spitfire. I say completed, but that only really means that I have to stop creating anymore drawings, because I have deadlines (that's kinda creepy) for getting the actual piece completed and assembled. I only scratched the surface in terms of representing those women, girls and female infants who've been killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I've realized that really "they" meaning Afghans and Iraqis are the only ones who have lost little girls. I mean under say 12 years old. That's what happens when we "fight the enemy there" rather than "here". That's pretty sad. I must also say that by only reading about the deaths of females, which are much fewer than males on both sides, I have experienced a sensation of being overwhelmed when I've occaisionally glanced at male casualty lists. It almost seemed doable; to read about every female death, her life story, friends and family's rembembrances, which as it turns out I was unable to do this summer. But the numbers of dead males on both sides seem to me now far beyond anyone's ability to fully mourn.

I have been very busy with my day job, which I often bring home and as a result have had very little time/space to think about other things. Frustrating! Despite this I have completed over 50 small ink drawings for my next project; a colaboration with poet Karin Spitfire, for the annual arist/poet exhibition in Belfast, Maine this October. I have experienced a lot of insight as I've created these drawings. I've also been designing very small chapbooks that contain poetry and condolences for each drawing (on the cover) of a slain woman...well mostly slain westerners. It is near to impossible to find any image of any of the thousands of (for the most part) nameless non westerners who have been slain since we have gone to war 4 years ago.
This drawing depicts an american soldier who, as it turns out in this particular case may have been brutally raped and murdered by a fellow soldier. Learn much more by starting here: welcome-to-pottersville.blogspot.com It seems that most of us can't really deal with the ugly side of war, otherwise I guess, we would not allow it and we would all be more active in trying to prevent it. Nonetheless, reading all of the "stories" about our female soldiers makes me both very sympathetic and very scared towards their reasoning for joining the military. It is a complex phenomenon of our time that women have now entered: combat death. I urge everyone to get involved, learn more and form an opinion.

Somehow I am still unable to accept women getting killed as soldiers. I know that just as they are mothers, wives, sisters and daughters...men are also fathers, husbands, brothers and sons, but there is still something of the chauvanist in me that feels it's wrong to allow women into combat. On the other hand maybe if there were more there would be less fighting, less war to begin with?

Are men responsible for war?