The Love/Hate Affair of Art and Morality

I've been wanting to post some pictures from May's Blue Dome & MayFest Art Festivals. I think this might be the perfect moment. There are tons of pictures. It was hard to choose. These are from Blue Dome. MayFest will be next time.

So not being a philosophy major, or even a traditional college grad, I've never explored the relationship between art and morality before. I never thought about it. Doing a quick Google search, I discovered the great philosophers have indeed written extensively about the subject.

I just thought of art as the creation of something beautiful or interesting, decorative or useful, or a combination of any of these.

I do realize that art can be/is an expression of the artist's thoughts, beliefs, pain, joy.

I understand that artists support their personal causes with their talent and there are many examples of such endeavors. Hats off to them.

I suppose there are artists who use their gift to purposely cause division among people, perhaps in an effort to bring light to perceived injustices or perhaps to just be controversial.

Certainly, there are artists who use their gift to express spirituality.

So, yes, as I write and think this through, I can see where Art and Morality clash, collide, support, converge, and especially, engage.

However, the relationship among a community of artists may be another mindstreaming subject. And again, I'm thinking out loud here. 

The soul of most creatives is like a Monet painting - a blurry mess of color. Or a delicate Japanese cherry blossom print. A twisted Picasso. An abstract Pollack. One person described the artist's mind as "a browser with 2,857  tabs open. All.The.Time."  I think that one's my favorite.

Whatever is going on inside the artist comes out in their work. It's individualistic and to be respected.  But when we get together as a community, our binding link is our common calling to be creative.  We bond over sharing our love for the medium. Debating politics or religion doesn't accomplish that in this construct. Potentially hot subjects should be explored only in the context of how it is being expressed in the artist's work. ART is the point, the uniting center, the nexus for an artist community.

The Supreme Court's ruling involving Hobby Lobby is, like just about everything nowdays, highly charged. For our community it is potentially polarizing. 

It's personal to us because it is an art resource yet now we feel obligated to take a stance. But are we morally obliged? That's for you to decide. 

My hope is that each person would make a private decision whether to spend their hard-earned money there or not. Private decision. Not a campaign which opens the door of judgement against those who decide differently. 

Because, as a community of creatives, don't we just want to make art?

When engaged in a similar conversation, an artist friend of mine in Chicago expressed it best, in the most basic of terms:

 "I just wanna make cool shi!#."

Persimmon Hollow

A while back, I posted some pictures from a local antique-y place that has an 1800s motif. I said I had more pix to post but alas, I do procrastinate. Sorry it took so long, but here they are!

It's called Persimmon Hollow and sits tucked back off a busy shopping strip. It has lots of big, shady trees and the buildings are ramshackle and weathered.

These are just an assortment of shots that I did some experimental editing on.

It was the most beautiful sunny day, celebrating spring after what seemed like a very long winter.

I just walked around looking for something interesting that would express the flavor of the place.

Remember the photo of "Squirrel Hotel"? Maybe that's where this guy lives!

Bloomin' in the Back Yard!

A friend pointed out that I am slacking on my blog. I've taken some fun pictures lately, but it's true, I've been a slacker about processing & posting them. So here's a quick look at what's happening - in the back yard!

I think I'll go back and add some poetic text to this picture. Originally I had petunias in these pots, but they got leggy and unsightly. I re-planted them in a different container and the rabbits ate them! Bad wascallys!

This is truly an exciting basket, if you know me. I don't have a green thumb. Actually, I never had the patience to cultivate a green thumb. So the neat thing here is, this basket of morning glories is growing from seeds! From SEEDS, people! I planted seeds in dirt and they grew. Wow! Rather than have them vine up from the ground, I'm hoping they will eventually cascade out of the basket. I saw it on Pinterest, so it must work, right?

This basket was a splurge. It came ready-made for a mere (?) $18. It was too pretty to pass up. I've been working hard to keep it healthy!

This is something special... it's a Fairy Garden made for me by one of my artdoll-club friends. It did have some mossy little greenery (green-thumb deficient, remember?). The teapot fairy house is a Thomas Kincaide. There's a little pebble path with a tiny bench to rest on. You can't see it here, but a little bee perches on the bench. It's made of wire & beads. I've been wanting to make a Fairy Garden, so this was a wonderful gift!

This is very special. I took this picture on Mother's Day of one of the first roses to bloom on the Knockout Rose bush. I bought 2 bushes with a Mother's Day gift card my own mom gave me a couple years ago. It was the last gift she gave me before she passed away. I think of her every day, but there's something about seeing these bushes thrive and the roses bloom... it's like assurance that she is still with me.

Signs

I got in the car to head out to the gym this morning. Had a lot on my mind and was hoping to treadmill away my cares. But the sky was such a beautiful blue with huge, puffy white clouds. I went back in the house and got the best stress reliever I have - my camera.

I've been wanting to go to a place called Persimmon Hollow just to take some pictures. It's a little antique place that looks like an 1800s old west town. It's tucked away in the corner off a busy shopping area; everything built up around it. More pictures later.

I'm just going to let this grouping speak for itself. What are they saying to you?

Notes on chairs say "Don't sit here"

Closed. Don't sit here.

Little sign to the right says "Simplify"

This last one is my favorite. I think it says volumes!

Interesting Finds at the "Junk" Shops

I love to browse the local junk/antique shops. I always go with the intention to just look, not buy, because I really don't expect to find anything I want. This is probably because of my bad experiences with garage sales. I have friends who happily boast about their amazing Saturday morning deals, but I never find anything at garage sales! I need to change that expectation for junk shops, though, because I always find more than one thing I want to bring home with me!

Today we had a lovely spring rain. The house was clean, supper was going to be leftovers from Easter dinner, so it was a perfect day to relax inside and cruise back in time at River City Trading Post in Jenks, OK.

I thought long & hard about this chair for a corner of my office. I would paint it black and exchange the canvas fabric for a tan color. I can see an Empress crown on the back, too. I didn't buy it but I'm going to go back next weekend and see if it's still there. I made myself be practical today - I was on the lookout for cheap flower containers. I found 2 galvanized buckets tucked back in a corner of a booth - only 6 bucks each!

Check out this group! I came across this booth when I was browsing at "My Papa's Barn" in Broken Arrow about 2 months ago. I took a picture & texted it to a friend:  I need these for my office, don't you think? (I'm a former Catholic-convert who now works in a non-denominational church. I was being sarcastic.)  Going along with the joke, she replied: I agree!

Again, I had no plans to buy anything; it was purely supposed to be a decompressing excursion. But, the more I looked at them, the more they made me smile! They are so cheerful! I picked one up and looked at the bottom. Texted my husband the picture with this message: Please Google "Happy Habits by Deb Wood." Always the helpful hubby, he did and texted back the info he found. They are collectors items, no longer being produced. I made an offer on the group of little ones and it was accepted...

...and here they are in their new home, my office, as envisioned. I love them and so has everyone at work who has seen them. They add a fun touch of whimsy. The doll is my steampunk version of Barbara Schoenoff's pattern "Circus Girl". Her color & height go well in that corner.

Who remembers the Owl Era of home decorating? I totally had this picture in the mid-70s. Doesn't it feel odd that things we had in our twenties are now considered vintage? Yikes!

My son is an avid collector of Transformers. I'm always on the lookout for them and very seldom spot one. This was at the Vintage Tulsa show a few weeks ago. I texted this picture and son replied "got 'em both."
Of course.

Below, is a Lassie stuffed toy. My husband shared once that he had a Lassie stuffed animal that he very dearly loved. I texted this picture and asked "is this it? Alas, it was not the right one. When I was taking the pic with the phone, the crotchety older lady manning the booth very curtly asked me what I was doing. I just chuckled and told her but she was not amused.

Taking pix with a cell phone is somewhat new to me. I know I'm late to this party and there's a long story why. But it sure is handy, especially when "antique" shopping!

I saved the best treasure-find for last. I could not believe what was for sale at this one booth....

And no, I did not buy any.

Wise Words from The Maester

Peace

About That Noah Movie

Tonight, we have the first storm-warning of spring. Earlier today we watched a movie about the ultimate storm, the Genesis flood.

The NOAH movie is causing a mini-storm among Christians. People are taking to Facebook to post articles that support their criticisms. Others are posting their own Ebert & Siskel reviews after actually seeing  it (good for them!) Some Christian bloggers have even listed reasons to see the movie (none of which are because it's a good flick).

We were given a gift card for a theater we usually don't  go to,  so we've put off using it. Today seemed like the perfect opportunity - if the movie was that bad, at least we didn't throw our money away. So off we went to see what all the fuss was about.

This isn't the first movie to cause a storm.

In the early 70s, I was searching desperately for God. When I heard the music from Jesus Christ Superstar, I fell in love. When I saw the film, I was moved to tears. I saw that movie dozens of times. It was the only link to Jesus that I had. It made me think. It made me search. One day, I took the album to a co-worker, a young seminary student, to hear. We were working an evening shift to put ourselves through school. I was sure he would be as enraptured as I was, being a minister-in-training and all. He brought it back the next day, exclaiming in shock and wonder that I could listen to such blasphemy. I was stunned. He then asked me if I had been "born again." I had never heard the term and so he led me in the "sinner's prayer" right there at my keypunch machine.  Still, Superstar was my hymnal for years to come and I love the movie to this day. Is it totally scriptural? No. And neither are Son of God, Passion of Christ, The Ten Commandments, and Veggie Tales.

I remember another movie that caused a big storm in 1988. It was called The Last Temptation of Christ. People were outraged. I reassured friends not to get their blood pressure up over it because, based on tons of bad reviews, the movie would die out quickly by its own hand and it did. I finally rented it years later and guess what? I was right - it was a terrible movie by any standard.

I had read the book in college, because I was looking for ANYTHING about Jesus.  I knew it was fiction and frankly, it was a really good, well written novel. It made me think. It made me search. But as happens with so many films based on books, the film didn't measure up. The storm died down.

So what about Noah?  I was all ready for a big-action, Russell Crowe flick full of great effects. It had a few moments. I got a chill-bump or two when the animals started towards the ark. I thought it was kinda clever how they (spoiler alert)... let's say, put them in a Genesis version of cryosleep.  

But yes, it's true, the storyline is not Biblical at all. They went beyond artistic license. In this case, the story was changed but the names remain the same. I agree with a friend who said they could've just made a movie based on the Epic of Gilgamesh and avoided offending Christians. I'm guessing that wouldn't have had wide audience appeal (read: profit). Because, let's face it, you've never seen cute little Gilgamesh ceramic arks with adorable animals sticking their heads out the windows.  

In summary, Noah is really just a dark, weird movie with some dumb scripting and surprisingly cheesy special effects. But check out the director: he also made Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan. No surprise that Noah is dark and weird.

In Siskel-speak: Noah gets 2 thumbs down. It will drown soon. Whoa, hold on and dial back that gloating... I don't recommend Son of God either. But that's another post.

Funny thing about storms. They don't last. The Bible has a story about another storm, where some men got all up worked up in fear while another one just slept. They accused Him of not caring.  This is what happened next:  "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"  They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:39-41

Even after that experience, the disciples would still get in a fret over things, big and small, just like we do today. What mercy and understanding Jesus demonstrated as He gave last instructions before His arrest:  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

There are storms all around us. In our personal lives. On a global scale. In our families. In our friends' lives. Political storms and crazy weather patterns.  There really are things more important to be concerned about than a movie.

If you see Noah, I hope it makes you think. I hope it makes you search. And if you get in a conversation with someone who has seen it or wants to see it, don't get all sanctimonious; use the opportunity wisely! Because maybe that person is thinking and searching!

What do I want you to take away from this long post? The fact is, we are living in a dark, fallen world. There will always be insulting, offensive situations in our current pop culture and it's getting worse by the day. There are times to stand up and not be afraid to say "that's just wrong." And there are times to walk through the open door and use the moment to engage in a meaningful dialogue. However you feel you should handle the situation, always do it with grace and love. The object is to point the way to eternal life with a loving Father. He'll do the rest.

And we can be at peace in any kind of storm.

While Waiting for Spring ...

I realized my blog was in need of some color. I just came across this picture in my folders and thought it would do nicely.

Eggs

A friend recently gave us a dozen eggs from her chickens.

Brown eggs - now that's the real deal.

Does anything speak wholesome freshness like a bowl of eggs in the morning light?

Feathers and all.