Observations from a Mesa

10/30 I was astonished today to see that the controversy surrounding Dana Schutz’s “Open Casket” has not abated. As I was going through Facebook postings it popped up, (I haven’t been able to find it since). At first I thought it was new article on ArtNet but then I checked and it was an article from July 28 but the postings were from a just few hours ago.  In the postings the same arguments were made being when Schutz’s entry into the Whitney Biennial after the first outcry. My response to most of the allegations again the artist follow: That Dana Schutz painted the picture to promote herself. Wrong. Schutz had already gained a reputation in the art world for her work and is well respected. She had already placed her name among the best of contemporary artists. That she wished to profit from the painting. Wrong. According to the artist the painting was not for sale and never will be. That ICA, Boston rewarded her for painting “Open Casket” which some claim is ...

10/28 And onward with exploring Elbert Hubbard quotes; well kind of, his death date is May 7, 1915. Why is that significant? It was the date when a German u-boat sank the Lusitania and Hubbard was on board the ill-fated liner along with his wife.  Back to the quotes though. “The greatest mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one.” And just like that Hubbard has shown prescience again in that the quote aptly describes the Democratic Party. It seems the Dems only concern is to plow money into political contests they think they can win for fear of making a mistake. On “Real Time” Bill Maher and Joy Behar said that Democrats should no longer be the party of “nice” and “go after the jugular.” Behar even went further to say; “when they go low we should go lower” which is in contrast to what Michelle Obama said at the Democratic National Convention “when they go low we go high.” Of course the “they” in this case refers to Republicans. “Winning ugly” is a phras...

10/27 At the end of my last post I wrote that Democrats seem to have lost their voices. Well, Elbert Hubbard has answer for that too: “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”  True, the Dems are not in power but there is little evidence that they are trying to make their voices heard. They have become the party of say nothing and do nothing. Schumer, Pelosi and the DNC have to find a way to get their message out to the American people. They can’t remain silent in the hopes that they can work with Trump; that dream has been busted. 45 can’t even work with his own party and some in the GOP don’t want him working with them. In short the Democrats need to be doing television and radio spots daily. If pisses off Trump and GOP henchmen then so be it. Look the Republicans and Trump don’t want to work with you; you have nothing to lose.

10/24 Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915) was a self-described anarchist and socialist but probably more importantly he was the founder of Roycroft Arts and Craft Community in East Aurora, NY, a town just south of where I grew up in Western New York. His influence was felt throughout the arts and craft movement and though the Roycroft Shops closed in 1938 (they were run by his son after his death) his influence is still felt today in the work of artisans who follow in the arts and crafts movement footsteps. Famously he was a curmudgeon that would chase reporters off his property while brandishing a double barrel shotgun. He was eminently quotable and his adages are well worth considering. I have four favorites. One of them could be referring to today’s political discourse. “If you can’t answer a man’s argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.”  It was if he was looking into the future because this is what President Trump does on a daily basis. This vilenes...

Well today brought new via the NYT the Congressional Russia probes are hitting walls in their investigation. Some of the problems are caused by the partisan bickering (what else is new?) and some are the result of conflicts between the committees and Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation. Of course the Republicans are doing their to best to gum up the works. You would think as Americans they would eager to get the bottom of this quagmire since it involves a declared enemy of our country trying to influence our election and possibly colluding with the Trump campaign. So is the GOP slowing the process because evidence is getting too close to home? Are they so worried about Trump’s base turning on them? Could the Russians are pressuring Congressional Republicans to cease the investigations? As to the last statement Bill Browder the American born British citizen and Magnitsky Act proponent has had his visa revoked by the State Department apparently under pressure from Russia.  H...

10/22  Two days ago I shipped-off four paintings to a community arts center. The whole process has been a bit harrowing for me. There was staff change that I knew nothing about and ended up sending emails to someone who was no longer there. Even after learning the new person’s name there were long silences to messages I had sent.  On normal Sundays Hazel and I have coffee and breakfast at a local cafe and read the NYT (me) or whatever is at hand (Hazel.)  This morning I was reading how the EPA, https://nyti.ms/2gWKS5G , has been taken over by the same people and corporations it is suppose to regulate. It is frightening to think that the EPA is now allowing companies to sell and use materials and chemicals that have been linked to diseases and conditions some of which are deadly. The pro industry people are simply squelching debate and telling scientists, who know better, what to write in terms of policy. In some cases it would appear Scott Pruitt, Nancy Bec...