Moleskine updates

The completed version from the previous post. There is an eternal struggle from a mother's point of view , between the strong maternal urge to hold onto, protect and smother your child and the pressure to loosen the apron strings and prepare your child to go out into the big bad world.  The hardest thing to achieve is a healthy balance.

This is a mother who by normal standards has failed. Her idea of good mothering is to retain parts of her loved ones in a macabre, frightening way. The sex of the central figure is usually female simply because it is what I know. A lot of these attributes would apply to the male sex but I am not an authority on male feelings. I would appreciate some input on this subject.

No matter how we live our lives it always ends the same. No matter how wealthy, how powerful we are, it can't save us from the ultimate fate.

Moleskine pages

There are people who think they haveGod given rights to guide everyone to their truth. Those who resist are seen as ungreatful, stubborn and stupid. A lot of people are taken in by these seemingly authoratative beings and are seduced by their assuredness. I tend to view them with utmost suspicion, I  look gift horses in the mouth and conform to all assorted cliches. I just find it hard to believe that someone gives you something for nothing, if they do, it is probably sub-standard  anyway! Maybe I am too much of a cynic.

God  craps on our fantasies . He does that by allowing us to dream, imagine, and get carried away by our wants and needs. He then reads them in the toilet and has a good laugh. We pretend to be OK with it.

This one is a bit complicated, so I will only address part of it. The part about being owned by our genes. We all like to think we are unique and original but the sad scientific facts tell us otherwise. And an instrumental is a step lower than a song.

This one again deals with being consumed by those we love even more than by those we don't. Being human is so much harder than being pure animal. We are aware of so much but can control so little. The cosmic joke is on us! It is not quite finished but I thought I'd post it anyway.

Moleskine pages, new ones!

 Continuing the people watching theme, I include the women who feel they have nothing to offer but their physical bodies. Usually ending up with a host of children who pay a high price. These women are pretty easy to spot, But I never get used to it. they always make me feel sad.

then you get the people who get through life acting helpless and clueless hoping someone else will pick up their shit and clear up their mess. When two of this type come together, disaster ensues. It is a good idea to steer clear of this type as they are takers and give nothing in return.

Moleskine update, a few new pages

 A few new pages from my current Moleskine. I have been studying human personality traits, and how we humans adopt certain behaviours without being aware of them. Like those who have a deep seated need to be heroes and are constantly on the lookout for unfortunates to save.

 Then there are those who know they are black sheep and rather than improve their own conduct, look to persuade others to join them down the wrong path. There are plenty of willing 'victims' who are happy to be led astray.

We have those with a controlling nature where they feel the need to be in charge of everything and everyone. They believe that the world can't function without their input. Sometimes I sit back and people watch, at times motives and urges are burningly obvious to the onlooker, At others they are better disguised. In all cases they are compelling. They provide the grist to my mill, long may we continue!

An occasional dose of culture, Alex Mazhari

Alex Mazhari is a young artist, a recent graduate of Brighton University and a in my humble opinion a very talented artist.Alex has a brand new blog where you can see more of his brilliance!
http://alexmazhari.blogspot.com/

new moleskine pages again

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I have a few new pages to show you. I have been looking into setting up an Etsy shop to sell prints of my work as there seems to be a gratifying demand for reasonably priced, good quality prints for sale. I will post the details in due course.
most of my work seems to be tightly bound up with familial relationships, the ties that shape us and make us who we are. I have been thinking about that a lot lately, going off on flights of fancy imagining what and who I'd be if I had different parents. Maybe even the worst parents can offer one thing, and that is an example of how not to raise children. It is such a universal subject that is relevant to just about everyone. Loise Bourgeois maintained until her death at the ripe old age of ninety nine, that her artistic driving force was her relationship with her father, and the affect his behaviour had on the family. It loomed so large in her life that she never felt the need to explore other feelings.

A new moleskine March 2011

So much of my work reaches back to my childhood, I feel a great need to give a voice to my 5 year old self. At the age of five I was a master at reading people and behaving in a way that would save me from trouble. My antennas were on constant alert, it was exhausting, but it was a survival mechanism. As an adult I am free to say whatever I want but why then do I still feel afraid?

I used to fantasize as a child about having superpowers, I was convinced there was a way to acquire them, all I had to do was wait for a sign. It is obvious now that these fantasies stemmed from a deep sense of powerlessness and frustration. Ok, enough with the amateur psychiatry, the less said the better.

I am posting a couple of pages from my new sketchbook. There is not much to say as they are pretty clear.