Benjamin Franklin

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”

Oscar Wilde

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.

John Adams

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.

Mark Twain

Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense.

Open plains.

Fling - Sprinklers, originally uploaded by autumnwilder.

Beautiful.

We can’t wait!!

I have never been so conscious of home efficiency, until I moved to New England. Living in NYC I always rented and my apartments were so hot in the winter we would open windows; steam heat is either non-existent or hell like. In Seattle it is so mild that heating and cooling your home is relatively easy. But New England is bitchin’ cold in the winter and old farm houses aren’t insulated for shit.

I have heard a lot lately about being independent of foreign oil. That is all a crock of shit I want to be independent of a monthly delivery from your friendly local out to screw you power company and their friends at the pump. Working for a builder and doing my own renovation has shown me how easy and important it is to insulate well and to find ways to decrease oil, electric and gas usage. Creating a more sustainable home is not that hard. My dad built a solar house in the 70’s and it is not until now that I understand how cool it is that I was a part of that. What my dad did was built from scratch and heated hot water, even in the dead of winter we had little need for our hot water heater. Today things are even easier, you can do with two panels that are 6×4 what it took my dad 20 4×8 panels to do and even cooler is that you can produce your own electricity with Photovoltaic panels . So the next time you hear some moron from our government say that we need to drill more holes in the ground or build more nuclear plants or tell us that alternative energy sources aren’t worth looking into ask them why? Why are these things not worth looking into? The technology is there to insure that virtually every person in this country could be their own power plant. They could either be off the grid or they could be feeding back into the grid, which means you are providing power not only for yourself but for your neighbor, OH MY isn’t that socialist? Oh so scary helping your neighbor. After your initial investment in the panels and set up you are relatively free of big business power forever. And here is the real reason why they do not want this to happen. There is too much money to be made and too many taxes to excise on fuel sales. If a small percentage of us starts to create our own power it won’t effect things much but if the numbers begin to climb out of single digit percentages then we could make a difference. Soon the power companies and the jack asses in power will get it we don’t need them to tell us what to do. We can partake in sustainable energy without their approval or their blessing.

Creative minds can change this world.

Americade.

Izzy and I went to the Americade motorcycle rally in Lake George to see Izzy’s grandpa last week. I was going to ride my bike, it is a motorcycle rally after all but I have some problems with my title. Namely I can’t find it. Taking the car worked out fine since Iz got to go with me.

We had to ride a shuttle bus between different parts of the rally and Izzy had fun sitting between two burley looking characters. She made them smile.

My father had great fun telling us about the history of the rally and many other tid-bits such as the story behind this motor. I will shorten the story and tell you that the motor never ran in a motorcycle but was used in a boat and is lacking a serial number.

Izzy and I had a great time with grandpa and Izzy slept almost all the way home.

Back at the Library.

I had a closing reception for my show at the Meekin’s Library. I spent most of the day acting out the two sporozoan boxes. It was most interesting when people weren’t there to watch me. I like when people happen upon the process and look at me oddly.

Congrats to Meagan Segal.

One of my most adored students, Meagan Segal, graduated from Pratt Institute this past week. Meagan is an artist with a great deal passion about the work she is making. I was always very excited to have our meetings and see her delightfully gross paintings.

Meagan I wish you all the best and hope that your paintings continue to make people shudder.

Our art can change the world!

Education and the damage done.

Today I met with two sixth grade classes at the Meekins Library. My work has been on display there for two weeks now and one of the librarians told me this past Saturday that the classes were very interested in the work I am displaying. I suggested that I come in and talk with them. I feel that rather than stand and talk it is much more educational to show and discuss. I took the sporebox in with me and unfolded it as I gave a little history of how I became and artist and what now drives me to continue.
A great deal of attention was paid to my hair?

The first group sat intently and listened and asked many a question. It was not until I told them they could get up and interact with the sporebox that I realized how interested they were. I don’t believe one kid left without touching the box or playing with its pieces.

The myth of the sporozoans origin becomes more layered every time I tell it. Talking with these kids really forced me to explain it in simple terms, starting from the beginning with anatomy class and drawing from the model.

I hope that the sporozoan leaves an indelible mark on some if not all of these kids; the mark of change and creativity. The mark that allows them to look at things with open eyes and balanced tempers.

In my talk I spoke of how I started drawing and my experiences with Mr. Palmer and how his prodding forced me to reexamine who I was and how I could become the person I wanted to be. Watching these kids interact and seeing their eyes open so wide when I told them they could touch the object made me realize, even more than I ever have before, that our education system is designed to fail. We teach to a test that has nothing to do with cognition and only to do with rote learning.

Art is my truth.