DETAILS: This month I am beginning a series I've entitled "Revealing" to share websites  and/or art by a favorite artist.  These are artists you will want to follow if you aren't already! This particular piece by Orr is especially provocative (and rightly so). Orr either found a rubber stamp (or created a rubber stamp design) and designed a text and concept which speaks to the antiwar themes I share on my website. Just about everything I've tried to emulate with stamp poetry, I've learned from this artist. Learning highlight: the time Orr used a cookie to render a version of the pattern onto ink. If you want to learn many different art techniques, subscribe to Orr's YouTube Channel. Over the years, I've watched Orr use bits of debris to gather unique images (one-of-a-kind) stamp designs. For better or worse, it is because of Michael Orr that I have scoured cities for nasty marks worthy of sticking a piece of putty atop to gather an ink design. That time my husband watched in "dismay" as I just had to grab my putty for a manhole cover design from Modena...yep, all thanks to Orr (the things we'll do for art). In my defense: look at the process:

DETAILS: And so it is during another Iraq War anniversary. 23 of these dreadful markers of time. What stands out, however, are the current conflicts raging. It is awful to lose friends who served. What also challenges our military family, is the gutting loss of a dear friend to suicide. In truth, our entire nation suffers from devastating conflicts. What positive impacts can come from so much turmoil? For the artist: transformation. For me, it is the process of learning and creating as many new artforms as possible and then teaching these methods through incremental vlogs. This idea sparked after a mental health professional stated "You like to write, what if you explain your feelings through art?" In the 22 years since, I've read lots of literature about trauma and those lessons in return help to kintsugi a broken psyche. My top pick: War and the Soul by Edward Tick, PhD. What else helps me? Reading, writing, and creating mythological tales alongside scary stories to create antiwar lore.  As always, this blog and website work to generate a massive antiwar cabinet of curiosities or repository of visual poetry fighting against truculent actions. Myths serve as a vital therapeutic tool for helping fight trauma by providing a symbolic framework to process overwhelming experiences that are often too difficult to put into literal words. The art above symbolizes this fragmented message for any veterans or service members working through a similar crisis. There is a much easier number to dial nowadays: 988. If art alone (or your methods to cope aren't working) and you need assistance, then dial the number, walk into a VA clinic, or use the online chat system. There are also medications, OTC herbs like copaiba or ashwagandha, and other forms of exercise and wellness activities. There is a path, but it sometimes takes a moment-to-moment approach. Reach out to the VA or a faith-based healer if these anniversary dates (and current events) become too triggering. Special thanks to Ice Floe Press for publishing this art which was created by collaging VA postcards into a type of therapeutic piece of resistance. Click this LINK
#icefloepress #maggsvibo #robertfredekenter

DETAILS: Soft Pastels erasure poem using Goddess literature and Rage as inspo. Check out my Artist Profile for more inspo.
#erasurepoem #softpastel #sunwoman

DETAILS: New video and web page for Ederle Art Center! This event sponsored by the Ederle Art Center was so much fun and incredibly organized! We learned from a professional artist (look up his work). Giulio Masieri showed us techniques used during the Renaissance period. He brought special pigments for us to use and experiment with. The entire staff made everything convenient (aprons, chairs, supplies). We had a professional photographer at the event to capture our moments and put them into a special online album. Every single detail was thought out so that we could just show up and experience a day of art. In June, this mural might even show up in a special display. It was all about experiencing community and I think it is a top memory for me with my milfam. Thank you to the entire Ederle Art Center for organizing such worthwhile events. Special thanks to Frames of Service 501(c)(3) for photographing the event and recording a quick interview.
#giuliomasieri #mural #ederle