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Life can be grim; paintings can be happy
Well, things haven’t gotten any better since my last post: the pandemic is raging more out of control than ever, and the more we learn about the break-in and riot in the US Capitol the worse it looks. To try and cheer myself up, I have been painting “happy” paintings. If life can be grim, paintings can be happy.
I’ve actually made some small improvements to the two paintings I posted on Dec. 16, 2020 and added a new one showing where I’d like to be (rather than in my NYC apartment with a TV set showing all the grim news).
So, the latest happy painting where people don’t get sick and democratically elected Presidents don’t reveal themselves to be autocrats:
And the two earlier paintings with some minor improvements:
All of these paintings are acrylic on raw canvas which allows me to be as misty and atmospheric as I want, without worrying about hard edges (realities) and specific details (often depressing).
In these paintings I am where I want to be: in a warm, colorful, happy place.
No picture today — just horror
I’ve just been listening to Trump’s hour-long phone call asking the Georgia Secretary of State to find votes so he can overturn the November election in that state. Although as a New Yorker I have had no illusions regarding Trump’s narcissism and blatant disregard for anyone other than himself, this is nonetheless appalling. I can’t tell whether he is sicker than I thought and actually believes his nonsense (in the face of judicial decisions to the contrary and correcting statements from the Georgia official) or is so self-involved and arrogant that he thinks he will get away with it. Clearly, the lesson Susan Collins thought he had learned after his impeachment wasn’t what she thought it was.
But in addition to Trump’s criminality, the craven sycophancy of most of the Republican senators and congresspeople is equally appalling. The cynical lying of these people on TV turns my stomach. The damage to our democracy includes the millions of people who believe this nonsense because they don’t hear the truth … not from their elected representatives, and not from their chosen news or social media outlets.
Today’s explanation from a state official describing in detail Georgia’s election process and his resulting rebuttal of each phony claim was really impressive.
Thank goodness Georgia elected officials know right from wrong and how to say no to pressure that appears to be blatant criminality.
Ruth Hurd | BLOG 