Happy Halloween!

Here it is Halloween. It doesn't really feel like it. Of course it's been fairly warm the last few days so that's a good thing. I had company all weekend and despite my having a rough time of it with the flu, we still managed to have a good time and do some things.

Today everyone left and I was all alone. I just took it kind of easy and didn't do much other than laundry and dishes. I rested up and watched some TV. I watched the special History had on this supposed lost book of Nostradamus. They proved three times during the show that the book couldn't possibly have originated from him despite the fact that his name was on the cover. Although they kept asserting that it had to be his. It made no sense to me. The book had some rather cryptic pictures in the back that they managed to translate as being the prediction for the end of the world which conveniently coincided with the Mayan doomsday. Of course the Mayans never technically said that December 21st, 2012 is the end of the word, it's simply the end of a long count (the end of a planetary "wobble") and we align precisely with the middle of the milky way on that day and the "dark road" opens . The reason we assume that is the end of the world is because they never recorded anything about the 15th long count. But then again we don't even know for certain that is true since the Spaniards destroyed about 90% of their writings.

Now they showed the pictures, and I wasn't quite so certain of their translation of them. As we all know art is subjective...much like Nostradamus's predictions. I have always had a problem with that notion. They explain that he had to write things in riddle form because if they knew at the time what he was doing by way of prophesying, he would be jailed or worse. But I have to wonder, if the man had this much ability to see into the future and predict events with such supposed precision, why couldn't he "see" a way around the problem and find a way to tell us straight forwardly what to expect. Lets go a step further even and take a leap of faith and say that he could predict all this vague stuff we have applied to history and one has to ask oneself...why him? Why out of all the people on the planet would the powers that be choose to bestow this information on him? If this information was so critical that we needed to have it, why isn't it given to all of us, or at very least a lot more of us? The whole thing just doesn't work for me. I keep hearing the phrase "Beware of false prophets" reverberating through my head.

I truly believe that if you make any statement about something in the future that will happen...if you wait long enough you can find an event to apply it to. If you read any ancient prediction you can find any current event it fits. We have some sort of strange gene that makes us incredibly fatalistic. Since the dawn of time we have been convinced the end is near. I don't think it is. I know a lot of things are happening that fit with the end of days predictions in Revelations, but that can be said of any time. If you look back at history, we live in that state. We are always at war, there are always famines and pestilence and drought and inhumanities of every unspeakable nature. But I am not quite ready to pick up my sandwich board proclaiming the end is near just yet.

To be honest with you I don't think the times we live in right now are so dire. I think we are doing pretty good. I still believe there are more good people than bad. I just think the perception that there are more bad than good is because we see the handful of bad ones in the media all the time. I think that the Internet has gone a long way to misinterpreting people's natures and intents when they speak because we don't hear voice inflection. But I think we still live in a degree of innocence. I wouldn't want to rely on the kindness of strangers in New York City or LA, but I think they are still out there.

We have come a long way, and we will still go a long way. Halloween is a testament to that fact, we still let our children go trick or treating to complete strangers houses. Houses that open the doors to complete strangers. If we didn't have a little faith and a little trust in each other we wouldn't do that! In the mean time have a fun filled holiday and don't eat too much candy.

~*~ Little Red Bird ~*~

I finally designed my bird I wanted, and I made one for Fall! I put it on ebay.

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Looking For A Hair In An Artstack

I read this afternoon that someone was trying to figure out what happened to the Mona Lisa's eyebrows and eyelashes. Apparently they aren't sure if she ever had any or not, and they are trying to find out. I suspect she never had any, it was probably the fashion of the day and gave the appearance of an even higher forhead. I don't really see the problem, Whoopi Goldberg doesn't have any eyebrows and she seems just fine. They also seemed surprised to discover that the sky was a brighter blue and her skin was more of a pink when he originally painted it. Yeah shocker, cause 500 years of oxidation wouldn't change a thing.

I have always been utterly fascinated with Leo. Long since before Dan Brown got ahold of him. I guess I can relate to him on some level because he is an artist with a scientific mind. What irks me a bit is that now all anyone seems to focus on, other than the eyebrow guy, is the painting of the last supper thanks to the Da Vinci Code. I don't know why people put so much stock into it as proof of anything Jesus did. It's not as if Leo was sittin there painting it while they were eating. About 1400 years or so passed in between the main course and Leo's art du jour, so he really had no more information than we have now.

There has been a lot of discussion about art in my realm lately. I am sure Jung would be thrilled to know synchronicity is still alive and well, but I digress. The question discussed today was how we in the bear community could be taken more seriously as artists. I used to joke and say if it costs over $100 it's art. But in truth, I think the first step is to take yourself seriously as an artist. In the beginning I thought of myself as a toy maker, much like Drosselmeyer from the Nutcracker. While I like that fanciful notion, the truth is as I developed my style I also became a true artist. All my works involve unique, original pattern design, shaping and sculpting to turn a two dimentional piece of mohair into a three dimentional work. Painting to accentuate it, and embellishment in a myriad of varieties. I make one of a kind pieces almost exclusively. So, a quarter of a centure late, what in there makes me any less of a bonafide artist than a painter or sculpter?

All too often I think we get hung up on labels, and details like looking for Mona's missing eyebrows. We need to simply sit back and enjoy the things that the creative side of people's nature inspires them to bring to life without definition. Art is subjective, it always has been. The mystique of art is it's undefinable nature. When you think about it Drosselmeyer was an artist too, and Mona won't be any less of a work of art whether her eyebrows have faded over the years or if she never had any at all.

~*~ Paris ~*~

I've put Paris on ebay:
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~*~ Hexabelle Bittersweet ~*~

Well I had to make one more Halloween piece. I have been working on stuff for the Ho Ho Oh BearZ online show next month and I am already thinking about Christmas. Anyway Hexabelle is on ebay, if you would like to have a look:

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What?!

Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. A-L G-O-R-E won the Nobel Peace Prize...no matter how many times I say it, it just doesn't make sense. They actually gave Al Gore a Nobel Peace Prize. It doesn't compute. I had more to say but I am so dumbstruck I can't...

Id And The Rose Colored Monocle

Something that very few people know about me is that I like to draw things on the computer with pixels. I am actually pretty good at it. It's just a hobby, and I haven't done it in a while. But a few years ago I made some little creatures for an anime' forum I go to. I called them "Misgivings." They were pretty funny and reflected all sorts of neurosis. But I made one just for my own amusement. His name is Id (yes I know, it was intentional) and you can see him above.

Id really is aptly named. He wears a rose colored monocle because half of him wants to believe the world is a pretty, happy place filled with kind, benevolent, well meaning people. But he can't ever quite believe it and half of him sees the ugly truth. So he can only see the world through a rose colored monocle instead of a full set of rose colored glasses. Someday I may recreate him as a bear, but for now I like his 2 dimentional toothy little visage as it is.

I have been trying to overcome Id and his outlook recently. I have decided not to take anything personally. That's a much taller order than you might think. When someone says something mean or catty I tell myself that they didn't mean it the way it sounded. I am sure I must have misunderstood them, or they are just having a bad day. I think assuredness of belief goes a long way to changing your outlook and quieting your own negative aspects of the Id. I am not sure I would want a full set of rose colored glasses however. I like walking that fine line between reality as it is and how I would like it to be, so for now a rose colored monocle will do just fine.

The Naked Truth

I just read that Spencer Tunick is going to do another piece in Miami involving 200 women and 100 pink rafts. For those of you who aren't familiar with him, he is an artist known for his photographs of hundreds of nude people in places, like Grand Central Station, Mexico City, Cleveland on the 9th street Pier and Amsterdam just to name a few. People have very intense reactions to his work. Some find it beautiful and think him a genius because it's so organic and the human body is a beautiful natural work of art. Others find him shocking and distasteful. I find him boring. The human body is the most over used subject in the entire history of art. It's not really surprising, humans have egos and we love self glorification. Especially in it's purest form...which just happens to be nude.

But I am bored with it, it's been done and done and done. I am not shocked, nor am I impressed, I find the whole thing to have banality to it. Artists are driven by a need to express creativity and there is none in nudes, no matter how you dress it up (pun intended) with settings and props. I am thrilled we aren't all still walking around wearing fig leaves because I think clothing hides a multitude of sins. I don't really find the human body that beautiful, even the ones in the best of shape. Now I am sure you're thinking that I probably have some sort of issues about my body, or nudity or sex or because I spilled my milk as a child. But you can put down your text book copy of Freud because that's not it.

To me art is something that evokes an emotion, evokes but not spells it out for the observer. I like to have my own interpretation of things, that's what art is supposed to allow for. I am much more impressed by artists who can create a river of moods through the use of textures and colors, even sounds and scents. Think about the rich color of distressed saddle leather cradling delicate golden roses, or the feel of crumbling parchment against rich, red velvet. Perhaps the haunting melody of Phil Collins singing "In The Air Tonight" or the missing scent of a woman who has just left the room wearing a fine perfume. Now that's art, not hundreds of anonymous palid naked bodies spooning each other on a cold morning in a park.

~*~ Nestor ~*~

I put Nestor on ebay:


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Saints And Sinners

I had a few minutes while my mud mask is drying, so I thought I would take the opportunity to post. I've been so busy working lately, that I haven't had much time!

In fact, speaking of work...I had to go buy supplies yesterday. So while I was out, this guy cut me off driving. It was one of those slick looking Italian guys with a big truck that thinks the world owes him everything by nature of his very existence. You know the ones. Why is it that Italian guys always have that attitude? And they always have big trucks to match their astronomical egos. Those guys all too often seem attracted to me too, and I am not sure why. I am convinced they have a gene that predisposes them to want the wrong women, and I am definitely the wrong woman.

So anyway, after I left Hobby Lobby, it was incredibly windy. For some reason every time I go up there to buy stuffing, it's some sort of inclement weather. I had bought a few other things too, and the very long receipt blew out of my bag and across the parking lot. So I finished putting my things in the car, returned my cart and went to find the receipt. I had to find it, I just had this feeling that if I didn't find it something I had bought would need to be returned and they would hassle me about it. So here I am in the wind looking under cars and behind shrubs trying to figure out where it went.

This elderly gentleman was sitting in a car watching me with amused interest. Finally he leaned out the car window and asked what I was looking for. I told him my receipt had blown away. He said he saw it go by, and got out to help me look. He didn't even question why I wanted it so bad. We looked everywhere without success. He put his hand on my arm and said; When I was a boy we would say Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come around. Something is lost that needs to be found." Then he chuckled and said; "If the thing was found, we put a little extra in the plate on Sunday."

Sure enough after he said it, I found the receipt. So I thanked him for his help and ran to my car to get out of the wind. But I thought about it all the way home. I am Lutheran, which is often referred to as Catholic light. But we don't do anything with Saints, so I don't really know anything about them. The thing that stuck in my head was how similiar invoking the help of a saint is to the Wiccans evoking the help of a spirit or god/goddess.

I often find the similiarities between relgions and their practices interesting. Now don't get me wrong, I am a Christian through and through, and that's not going to change. But I come from a long line of ancestral celts who had pagan/druid beliefs, so I have certain "open" thoughts on things that might be considered blasphemous. I have to wonder, is invoking the help of a Saint the right thing to do? I can't say, I am not one to judge and I will admit that I never go on a trip without my necklace for protection. It has a cross, a St. Christopher's medal and a tiger eye crystal. I guess I have all my bases pretty much covered. I think it would be vain to say that I know all, or that I know the mind of God. I just try to do the best I can, and sometimes my ancestors whisperings creep in...

All I know is we found the receipt. I guess I will have to throw a little extra in the plate this Sunday just in case! *Winks*

~*~ Trick Or Treat Box ~*~

You can find it on ebay: Click here

~*~ Sumenda ~*~

Sumenda is on ebay:
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~*~ Battina Belfryda ~*~

I made a new pattern and of course she is on ebay:
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