Monday, July 4, 2011

Adebanji's Homeless & Poverty

Running inexcusably late (what century is this?) I have managed to get myself stirred up enough to finish Banji's moleskin. When I get in a slump, I re-define the whole meaning of inactivity. My apologies.


Somewhat at a loss for subject matter for Adebanji's theme of poverty and homeless, I stewed for a month or so, then, one morning while looking in the mirror for a familiar face....There It Was!!!! A perfect example of poverty! So I did a self-portrait. Except my forehead was too high and it didn't look like me. So I borrowed some hair from Larry King or Curious George or somebody. It still doesn't look like me, but maybe it looks like somebody. I guess I shoulda tried a hat. BUT...if it did look like me, it would be the "Perfect Poverty Poster Person".... I'm not "Poor"...I just stay so broke I can't even pay attention.


The second page of Adebanji's journal pictures a homeless dude camped out in front a Louis Vuitton store.... I doubt he's waiting for the store to open so he can get a new pair of shoes. There is a tragic sense to the disparity between the rich and poor. Moses had it out with the Egyptians...Robin Hood had a go at trying t0 even things out...Karl Marx missed the mark. We still have the same problems....I haven't heard that Charlie Sheen or numerous sports and entertainment folks want to return a few million dollars of their contracts..."Oh No...that's too much money....I just wouldn't feel right...getting paid that much!!!)
Yeah, right.



Anyway....one more moleskin....Liz Holm....portraits. I'm on it right now, even as we blog. Coming soon....promise!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

One Hummingbird & One Hawk

I'm still dragging somewhat...duh! Sure hope to get back to firing on all cylinders before too long. Anyway, I've had Dean Haven's journal for The Flying Moleskins for a while. Got a little surge of energy and grabbed my brushes and paints. Dean left the door open for choice of subject, and, wouldn't you know it a hawk flew in....pursued by an angry hummingbird. The hawk didn't stand a chance. I have presented my paintings of these two before the carnage began.



I've got Adebanji Alade's journal now....poverty and homelessness. Now that should be a challenge. Hm-m-m-m.
See ya down the road.....James

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Return to Any Sense? Vern's Journal

Boyoboyoboy! My bad. Hanging my head in shame. I've been away from my blog and painting so long, I forgot I had fingers. More on that in a moment. I have had two journals from the "Flying Moleskins" Project....Vernon Schwarz and Dean Haven. I have been sitting on them. Attempting to get back in step, I finished Vern's and have it posted here. I'm working on Dean's and will have it shortly. Vern's subject was anything, so I painted anything out in desert, but I kept getting annoyed by this "Beep, Beep" every now and then.

I went through a bit of escape and stick my head in the sandness. Call it malaise. or discombobulation, or mollygrumps, or manic depressive, or panic distressive or< maybe just "out of it".

As human beings, we all have problems. Artists, as human beings, have problems....except ours are more colorful.. I, as a part-time human being, have problems, too...but I'm just a bigger baby with them. I have a habit of making things worse than they are. For instance, I became reclusive for a couple of months and after getting home from work, just sat and watched movies instead of painting or doing anything constructive. However, If I was depressed, I'd watch stuff like "The Road" or "No Country for Old Men". If I was cold, I'd watch "March of the Penguins". If I had money problems, I'd watch "Falling Down". If I dwelt on social injustice or man's inhumanity to man, I'd put on "Schindler's List" or"Holocaust". If I read something about covert government or something I stuck "Shooter" (Mark Wahlberg) or" Enemy of the State" in the DVD playeer. If I saw something about the Mayan Doomsday Prophecy, I rented "2012" or "Day After Tomorrow" or "Deep Impact". DUH. Anyway, I watched" K PAX", "Godspell" and "Out of Africa" and now I'm all better.

More later...I won't be gone so long. Cya down the road................James