Here's a watercolour with a really bad hairdo :-D
Let me explain. Since I don't have time to post on my blog every day, I post my faces in the 29-faces-Facebook-group. After I posted my roadmap-spread with the 7 faces and an excerpt from the poem by Warsan Shire about refugees, I got the request to refrain from making "political posts".
This is the spread:
Although I had been expecting something like this (after all, every artist who has been speaking out on social media against Trump has been attacked one way or another) I was a bit shocked. For me, this was not a political post. This quote is about suffering and trying to understand what it must be like to have to flee your country. When I use quotes in my art (which is more often than not) I like to use quotes that speak to me and that make people think. The fact that someone finds this offensive enough to ask me not to post it makes me sad, and very afraid for what this presidency is doing to the world and to the minds of people. Had I posted this two years ago I'm sure no one would even be bothered by it.
That being said, I got really positive and heartwarming comments on this spread in the FB-group. So I didn't want to stir up bad feelings and just put a short message in the comments-section of this picture that I wouldn't be posting in 29 faces anymore because some were uncomfortable with it. Today I wanted to read some of the comments again, and found out my picture was removed from the group...
Well, that rather pissed me off....
And it made me decide that, even though 29 faces has been my favorite challenge over the years, and I have been participating since the beginning in 2012, I won't be participating anymore in the future.
A lot of people are tired of talking about politics. They just want to get back to "normal life" and ignore what's going on. Fair enough. It is so easy to look away, especially when (you think) you're not the one being affected by what happens. But just think about this: one of the bills that asshole just signed is about allowing to dump mining waste into the water. Dump mining waste into the water....
* Think about it *
And then there's a video of it where he's bragging about signing it and all these people are standing around him smiling and beaming and applauding. And I think: WTF!? What a bunch of immoral, irresponsible, selfish bastards! And here's what I don't get: why isn't the whole world speaking out against this? Why are so many people quiet about it? Why do they want to ignore what's going on? Why do they think this is all right? How can they not be outraged? And what the hell gives them the right to criticize people who do speak out?
I will not stay quiet. With every outrageous thing that he does, every ridiculous law that he signs, I will speak out. Sometimes in words, sometimes in my art, but I will not be silenced. And if my actions result in just one person starting to think about what's happening instead of ignoring it, I will be happy. In this time and age we won't be able to escape responsibility for what happens by saying: "Wir haben es nicht gewusst"(we didn't know), as so many "normal" Germans were saying at the end of WW2. Everyone knows, even if you choose to look away. At least I will be able to look my children and grandchildren in the eyes and say I resisted with all I could.
Okay, I'll get of my high chair now ... ;-)
For those of you who are still with me, here are some more faces :-)
Another sketch:
And two more map-spreads:
That's it for now. I will be linking to Paint Party Friday. Hop on over there for some great art and inspiration!
Finishing with some funnies:
And then some to think about ....
Thanks for staying with me till the end :-) I hope your day is beautiful, and that your weekend will be filled with kindness. See you next week ♥ ♥ ♥
