What to do with my figure drawing posts…? Over the past few months this web site has slowly changed from a discussion of what it was like growing up in a small town and being set loose on the world, to mostly a blog about my art stuff. My inner-artist is fully aware that nudity is natural and should not be considered offensive. However, my Southern Baptist sense of decency won’t allow me to plaster a nude across the home page of my web site. I believe I would censor Michelangelo’s David on the splash page. Then if you wanted to see it, you could have the choice to click on it and view it without the concern of having to explain to your toddler why you are looking at nekid people online. Those things seem to come up later in toddler involved conversations with employers, preachers , or just random strangers.
“Daddy looks at nekid people on his ‘puter.”
In Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe… actually, the entire rest of the world, nudity is more acceptable and permissable than violence. In the US, especially here in the heartland, you can show a man being beaten and gunned down in the streets on any sitcom, but a wardrobe malfunction at the superbowl brings with it hefty fines and a chastening from the entire nation. I am just as guilty. I let my children watch Blade (no relation) at the drive in, but made them cover their eyes during the sex scenes. I hope that I have since undone that damage.
Last night’s EDM challenge was to draw something “breezy”. I have to tell you, I’m not comfortable with the concept challenges. It’s not that I don’t want to use my imagination for illustration. It’s more that I just like it better when these challenges say ,”Draw this.” It takes the thinking part away and let’s me focus on the practical application. This is important for me after a long day. It makes it easier to let go and just do it every day. These were originally developed as weekly challenges and I’m sure it works out much better that way. Like hundreds, possibly thousands, of other EDM enthusiasts, I chose a flag to represent “breezy.” Girl1 and I walked downtown to the YMCA. Our YMCA is in an old state armory building built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. With all of the falling down buildings, roads and bridges, you would think that our government could slim the welfare budget a tad and start a program like this again.
As a quick aside, Girl1 and I originally went to the post office to sketch their flag. However, it was after dark and their flag was not lit. I find this offensive. So Girl1 and I took down their flag, folded it properly, and inserted a note that read “This flag should never be displayed in darkness.” We slid it into the “out-of-town” mail slot.