As promised, here is the finished landscape.....measuring 31" x 21".....
With thanks to the photographer Jeff Fuhre,
image used with his very kind permission.
Here is the original photo I used as inspiration...
Today I am doing things a little differently on my blog. I have been trying to come to grips with what I should or shouldn't say about the current situation unfolding primarily in the US but also throughout the world. I don't normally make this blog political in any way because I feel there's enough of that happening on every news program and in every headline online and on the newstands. This time I can't simply NOT say anything. But what can I say that someone else hasn't already said - or what light can I shed on a subject that is being talked about everywhere. I've tried to think of something appropriate to say and then I came across some very wise words from a man I admire and I realized that anything I could say would never begin to come close to his, so today, instead of your normal quote, I'm sharing this....
We must all be the change.
{ } { } { } { } { }
You've been watching too much news and believing way too much of what you hear.
ReplyDeleteIt's not what they say it is. We live in a safe town with good police men/women doing their sworn
duty, I'm grateful and thankful for living around other honest hard-working people, my neighbors.
Most other Americans, Hispanic, Asian, black Americans, white Americans are living the same way and feel the same way.
Nice finish.
I do know that the majority of people are good - as are most areas in most countries...but....what happened in this case was so wrong. Saying, and doing nothing, is tantamount to agreeing with the way many minorities are treated throughout the world (and I'm including Canada in that). I couldn't NOT say anything for that reason.
DeleteLovely landscape finish...
ReplyDeleteHugs from afar Julierose
Thank you Julierose. I'm happy with it!
DeleteI concur with all that you have written, Mary Anne. Each one of us is the change, each one of us needs to stand up against the generational and decades long injustices suffered by minority groups and people of colour. My daughter protested with her friends in San Fransisco this week, holding a sign "I understand I do not understand, but I stand". Me, a white person has no idea and will never understand what it is like to walk a mile in a person of colour, shoes. Now is the time to begin to correct these inequalities and oppressions. Yes, there are many, many police who are compassionate and show acts of kindnesses every day; which have punctuated the horrible and disturbing images we have been seeing this week.....the white cop hugging an older lady of colour who was visibly upset, the white sherriff asking the protestors before him "what can I do to help you", kneeling down with them and then proceeding to march with them....so many uplifing images this week of white policemen acting towards their fellow man of all races with compassion and many kindnesses...BUT....there are far too many policeman in America (and throughout the world) who do not behave this way. The justice system in America needs to be changed, at a local level, at a state level and federally. We all need to do better, to be the change as you said. Just a little aside, I bought a book titled "Letters to Obama" and read it. A beautiful, poignant book, wherein there were many letters which brought me to tears. If you can borrow it from your library, do, because I think you will enjoy it. I miss Barack and Michelle Obama and their insights of wisdom, grace, compassion and their wisdom...their intuition, their perceptive way of relating with people. NOW......about your landscape. How amazing is this!! Oh my goodness, the stitching of the sky causing the clouds to make me want to reach out and poke my hands through them.....so lifelike; the tree, the many elements of the barn, the snow.....I feel I could just trudge through it....and then there is the fence....all fabulous. Another most spectacular masterpiece you have imagined, my love friend. Xx
ReplyDeleteI really like the sign your daughter used - those words are powerful. Most of us do not truly understand but we really need to stand up and let it be known that any sort of racism - whether directed at minorities OR towards the police - is not acceptable. We need to focus on the good on both sides and each of us work towards improving our own attitude and the way we treat others. Thank you for the book suggestion - I will see if our library has it. And thank you for the kind words about the landscape too!
DeleteYour finished landscape is amazing! And I love comparing it to the original photo - so glad you provided it. You nailed it, Mary Anne.
ReplyDeleteThank you Becki! I had fun with this one (but I guess I say that about them all don't I!).
DeleteThis Landscape is Lovely and what a great representation you achieved to the original photo. Thank you for the links. All I may say is...I will never understand vandalism or looting because they have no place or purpose in resolving what the issues are or were.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry for your kind words about the landscape. I, too, can't understand vandalism being any sort of solution to any problem.
DeleteWell said Mary Anne and Kim.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteNicely done, both project and words.
ReplyDeleteI've been struggling with the latter, as demonstrated by the silence on Comptonia. I generally restrict my political comments to twitter, but for the past week it's been impossible to blog about anything else. My country is a frightening place right now. A terribly mishandled pandemic wasn't enough, we also have an unscrupulous administration fronted by a monster actively instigating violence against our citizens. I don't think this will end well. Actually, I think it's already too late for it to end well.
Thank you Quinn. I think any of us who have any degree of compassion for our fellow man/woman can't help but be horrified by this latest series of events....but also equally horrified by those that have happened before, and seemingly will continue to happen until intolerance is eradicated. Having people in a position of power that are undermining any move forward is just that additional degree of horror. One hopes and prays for it to end well but the future certainly isn't looking bright at the moment.
DeleteLove the landscape! Great job.
ReplyDeleteThank you Judy.
DeleteHi Maryanne wow your landscape is absolutely amazing,well done my friend on your beautiful work xx
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have altogether too much fun making these and can't wait to start the next one in the line.
DeleteBeautiful! The sky is stunning, the movement and style of stitching.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I agonized over doing some fancier type of stitching in the sky but in the end this is what happened.
DeleteGoodness I almost missed this post. I love all of your wall hangings but this one is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary Ann - it was another fun project, for sure.
DeleteYour landscape is, as always, beautiful! Next to the truck one that I love and still covet, this is right up there. You just keep getting better and better! (*giggle* and so does your art!). I don’t think I have the stamina or temperament to get into the politics of BLM on my blog. I agree with everything you’ve said. The violence and brutality have quite literally made me sick. I have always stood with my brothers and sisters of color and will continue to do so. And I pray to God that Trump is booted out on his ass in the next election so we can get back to being a civil society from the top down.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cathy - I'm glad you like it.
DeleteAs for getting into politics on my blog - I generally avoid it because I know it will open a huge debate and I don't feel my blog is the place for it. Having said that, I simply cannot NOT say anything because by not doing so I have the appearance of condoning it, despite my beliefs to the contrary. As Kim said in her comment above "I understand I do not understand, but I stand'. I'm white and I know I don't fully understand but nevertheless I will take a stand and let my views be known. As for booting that excuse for flesh out of the White House - it can't happen soon enough.