It has been nearly 3 weeks, and Pres. Trump has not conceded the election that he lost by millions of votes to Joe Biden. He is trying every trick and lawsuits galore that are being thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. He demanded recounts in many key states, and the results got him nowhere. He lost.
We wait and watch.
I have not run out of ideas yet, so will continue this series. Part of the fun is sketching and dividing up a simple face into color blocks. Then there is the challenge of the backgrounds. No holds barred. Paint and collage, or both. Selecting a color palette and finally painting. There are many shapes of eyes, or noses, or faces. I like the vary them. I think variety is so much more interesting than symetrical when drawing a face.
At the end I look to see if anything else like stripes or line work that might improve it or punch it up. Sometimes I need to adjust a color, or a shape.
Here are some samples.
Then the election campaign frenzy began and I was more and more inclined to paint it as a symbol of society, with a mix of colors and ethnicities. I decided to show it now. I think it would be a grand image to use on pillows, sweatshirts, decals, quilts, etc. I scoured the internet to see whether I could find this image elsewhere, and I could not.
If you would like permission to use it, please email me at queenoftweaks@gmail.com
Yahoo in all their dealings more recently, is a nightmare. Now they have decided to end all groups on December 15, 2020. Well, thank you so much. No notifications to group owners and moderators.
Earlier they destroyed our archives by erasing 😡all our saved contents, photos, links, files, address lists, polls etc. The things that made it such a special, friendly place to form and service groups.
I guess they didnt make any money off of us, so we are redundant. You would think they would do us the courtesy of a message. It does not seem to me that its a good business practice to alienate former members and users of their services.
Good bye Yahoo.
I never had a good budget for papers, and raised to be thrifty (cheapscape). Aaron Brothers carried the Strathmore pads and before the beginning of the school year they had their best sales. I stocked up every year, expecting I would be poor as a churchmouse after retirement and would not be able to purchase the art supplies I would need. Well, I have been retired for 16 years. And I finally brought in the last 2 watercolor pads from my art storage shed. My grandkids had access to them too, so its a wonder my stockpile lasted so long.
In a shopping feeding frenzy following some workshop or tutorial, I ordered really good watercolor paper. Full sheets, heavy duty stuff. My friends all ordered at the same time, I just got caught up in it. But I never used it. Never took it out of the shipping box. Probably 6 or 8 sheets. Whatever project we were all going to do together, never got done. I think we were into book making way back then.
Over the years I forgot about them. I would see the box and for some reason had it in my head that they were inherited from my Aunt Verna Mae. Then one day I brought out the box and found my address and name on the address label. Shocking.
When I started painting in watercolor I had only used the Strathmore pads, I knew what to do with them, but I was totally intimidated by the expensive paper. My dear friend Jean who teaches watercolor urged me for years to use really good paper. I just could not bring myself to do it.
Early during the pandemic we were chatting on the phone and she mentioned she was reusing the backs of some of her earlier paintings as she was out of paper and needed to place an order. I was inspired to go right out to the shed and grab that box of paper, drive over and drop it off with her. I cant tell you what satisfaction I got from gifting them to her. They were like a millstone around my neck. She is professional and only uses the best supplies. And she was thrilled to get them. I cant wait to see what new works she will create with them.
Now with the pandemic and difficulties getting supplies, prices are higher than they were. We sedom get 50 percent off coupons at local stores, or even 40% off. I was happy to find these new pads on Amazon at such a bargain price. Cheap, cheap, cheap. What can I say? I bought 6 pads. Lol
Its Sunday evening. Things seem pretty calm now, although of course President Trump is thumping his chest and bellowing about being cheated, and demanding investigations and recounts. Biden won by a wide enough margin that the results should stand. This is what we expected. Biden calling for patience and calm while Trump is trying to incite his followers to take actions.
For months I watched videos on You Tube of Republicans voting Against Trump. It gave me hope as they each explained what caused them to turn away from the Trump ticket. Now I miss these videos. Viewers could leave comments to the person who posted, and I often did that. A lot of retired military, some young voters, men and women of all ages. I was very touched and encouraged by this peaceful grass roots movement.
Trump will remain in office until Biden is sworn in in January. You can bet Trump will try to reek revenge and step up his agenda forcing things through the senate and making presidental orders to suit himself. He is trying to erase anything Obama put in place. It will be rocky. I am sure his tweets and stoking the fires under his supporters will get nastier between now and then. He is not known for fair play or graciousness. He is a racist bully.
Dang. Wish it was over. Counts favor Biden, but some races are very close. In this election, indeed every vote did count. I expect vote counting will be done today.
Trump is holed up with his eye on the news, his fingers on twitter messages he is sending out proclaiming he has been cheated. He has a raft of lawyers standing by ready to take this to Supreme Court with a bag of tricks and loopholes and maneuvers, like the spoiled rich child he is. I am so tired of his tantrums and lies.
Meanwhile Biden is telling us to be patient and safe.
I am glad I had already taken a picture or I would not have turned loose of her. So I am sharing it with you. I think I gave away 8 paintings last week. Yay. And sent another 8 paintings done during the pandemic to Nevada for my family there. Koi, florals, and a couple I painted in their bedroom colors.
Yesterday i set up my painting area in dining room again, as we are having a cold snap and its more comfortable to paint there. I started a couple more abstract faces, and have three more sketched on collaged backgrounds. It will be fun to see how they turn out.
The votes for president are closer than I would wish. Biden was ahead in electoral college as of last night but as more votes are counted some key states swing back and forth. Trump gave a long angry interview full of lies and paranoia, intent on fighting it out in the courts. Many think this was his plan months ago, sowing distrust in the voting system and particularly in mail in voting.
Of course mail in voting is the safest way to vote during the pandemic. But Trump urged his own followers to vote in person. He is contesting the mail in votes and ordered them stopped, but a judge ruled that they must be counted. Many democrats voted safely by mail in ballits. It was advised, and in fact encouraged by governors and scientists. Standing in long lines of people, sometimes feeling threatened by Trumps goon squads waving signs and shouting, would be threatening to me...
So, soon I will turn on the news and hear what transpired overnight. Biden has made several pleas for people to remain calm while we await results. We need calm. We dont need violence and turmoil.
This is Friday. The election was Tuesday. It may be another day or even more to record all the votes. Tension is high, none more aggitated than Trump himself with his speeches and twitters that apparently he sends out at all hours as the mood strikes.
The world is watching us. Let us pray we can proceed with dignity and eventual unity.
Meanwhile here in America the pandemic rages on, as in many other countries, in fact most. Several European countries have reinstituted lock down measures for several weeks to try to stop the spread. All economies are suffering, and lives are lost.
Let us pray for patience and calm. Let us live wisely and safely, and protect our families and those we are in contact with.
Today feels like first day of winter. I hear my windchimes outside, there is a chill in the air. Its sweater weather. Daytime temeratures dropped 20 degrees.
When I awoke in the morning, i turned on the news to learn, in fact that is what happened. At first I thought it was a joke, it was so unreal. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. We new Trump was not really a successful business man, he had many bankruptcies in his past. He displays no moral values that we can respect. Trump is a con man, reality show personality. Dont we deserve better than that? He is a liar, cheats on all his wives, cant give a decent speech, and is borderline illiterate. He is a racist and panders to the white supremeists. Why would people vote for him ? They didnt want Hilary Clinton as president.
It may take days or weeks to finish counting votes, so there may not be an annoucement in the morning. The country is so divided there is likely to be violence. Trump supporters are often armed. Scary. I am burying myself in my art work until there is a resolution, whatever it may be.
And politics. Today is the first of November. Tuesday is election day. Months of isolation for many. Sickness and death for thousands. Families grieving. People living with fear or denial. What a choice.
Right from the start of this pandemic, President Trump lied to the people and tried to cover up the danger it posed to our citizens. Scientists put to the test. This is a new virus. Covid 19 is what we call it. It is our enemy. But one we could have been better prepared for had the President followed the advice of scientists.
History will record the progression of the disease and the political responses on both sides of the aisle. The body count outweighs all the wars we have fought.
Now we are voting. Mask or no mask? Science or false hope? Regulations to protect environment, or widespread pollution? Moral values or con man?
I voted early by mail. In California there is a tracking system for vote by mail votes. I tracked it to Registrars office, then phoned to check it had been counted. Yay. It worked. Republicans were putting up non official ballot boxes in cities in California. Heaven only knows what they do with the ballots deposited there.
There are a number of legitimate but bizarre ballot box locations in town. The Ford dealership, a coffee shop, a health food store, a beauty parlor, etc. I have no idea how those sites were selected, but in my paranoia i didnt trust any of them, and relied on the mail drop box at the post office.
Politics is dividing our country, and even families. Sides are drawn. It is awkward and distressing. Some are not seeing friends on the "other side" because we are all so passionately invested in this election. I hope we can come together again later. Many people are talking about leaving the country if their side does not win.
Meanwhile, life goes on. I am still in modified isolation. I have only been to 4 businesses since March. I pick up my groceries and occasional art supplies at drive up, pick up places. Or my son who believes he has had this virus in late June, shops for things I cant get otherwise and delivers them to me.
His own family is pretty casual about this pandemic. It worries me. Greatly. They shop, go to parties, travel, etc. They are living a nearly normal life. We are on different sides of the aisle
I spend a fair amount of time watching CNN and watching You Tube. There I found a group Republicans voting against Trump. I read the comments made by regular people and it gives me hope to hear what changed their vote. I often leave comments in response.
I hope the election will go my way, and a new administration with policies based on sciences will set us on a better path for the future. 🙏🙏🙏
Posts
All Comments
