Be Smart Training Banner

Moms’s Demand Action, Middlesex CT Chapter has been involved with giving Be Smart training. I really felt that a banner was needed to make the training more professional. So, I found the exact green color needed in felt, bought an adhesive white color in rectangles and away I went, creating two banners!

After deciding what sizes I needed, I cut out the letters, pulled off the backing and placed them on the Green felt. Uh oh! The adhesive backing was more like a post-it note, and not at all permanent! Disaster! So I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics, where they tried to sell me new white felt that was iron-on! There was no way I re-cutting all of those letters again! But I did buy two bottles of Beacon Felt Glue, which worked just fine. Phew! Here is the final product in use:

Rachel is the trainer. 

Protest Art: JEDI Friday Protests

On every Friday at 5 pm on the corner of Main Street and Elm in Deep River, the JEDI Center sponsors a protest. I have made many signs for this event and tried to participate as well!

The Shame on Us sign was made using pentel markers and large Sharpie pens. The Trans rights sign was made with large Sharpie pens. KavaNo was made hurriedly with a paper cut out.

Here I am using a sign:

Protest Art: March for Science

The March for Science was held at Minuteman Park in Hartford on April 14, 2018. I made two signs for the event, put them back to back on a stick, so that I could carry them both! Here are the signs I made:g

I used large, chisel top Sharpies to do both the pointillism and the solid lettering. Here are the signs at the demonstration, where I had the honor of shaking hands with Senator Blumenthal. Photos by Brian Becker.

Protest Art: Gun Sense

As part of keeping busy during my retirement, I have been protesting.

I have been very moved by the loss of life from shootings across our nation, and so have joined the local chapter of Mom’s Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. My first protest was March for our Lives at the Capital in Hartford on March 24, 2018. Here I am at the heavily attended event with the sign “not one more”, which is the statement used at Sandy Hook.

The sign was made by selecting a font and printing it onto white paper. I then cut the letters out by hand and using rubber cement, glued them onto black foam core. 

This sign has also been used on Wear Orange Day in Niantic on June 3, 2018:

Casualty of War: Fallen Soldier, Study 1

Here is my next attempt in the Casualty of War series: Fallen Solidier, Study 1. The photo is at the top, and my interpretation is on the bottom. I like the wash effects of the walls and floor, and the hint of a soldier entering the room. I do not like how the fallen soldier came out; he is kind of cartoonish. I also need to work on perspective.

The struggle continues.

My Art Show!!!

[Click images to enlarge]

My art show was called "Changes" and according to the Library Board it was the best attended ever with 40 people! I was disappointed, because I had sent out 90 invitations. But apparently there was a snafu at the post office and many invitations did not reach their destinations on time or at all. Notably, my mother did not receive hers until one week after the event, even though I sent it two weeks before hand! In any event, it was a local hit, and the show was extended through the New Year!

I handed out minibios that I prepared in advance that described my brain aneurism and how I couldn't do my art for almost 10 years. Then I described how I overcame that and my confidence issues by doing the watercolor "Chinese Wet Market". My thinking was, after doing all of these beautiful works of fish, if I couldn't paint a pile of fish heads, then I just don't know. But it took a lot of support of very good friends to get me through it.

The minibios also described each piece in the show, the media used, the date it was done, and how the piece came about. This way, questions were more interesting and probing.

I also hold the distinction of being censored. The piece below, "Casualty of War", was at the opening, but not allowed to be in the show, because the Board felt it might upset some of the Veterans. [?]

I got enough compliments on my work to last a lifetime, that is for sure. I had a great evening and was very tired.

My thanks to Sean, who framed all of my new works himself.

Miniata Groupers, Chinese Wetmarket, Singapore

This watercolor painting is called Miniata Groupers and is from the Singapore series. Click to enlarge.



It is based on this photograph that I took on my trip to Singapore in 1996 at the Chinese Wet Market. This was a tank of live miniata groupers.


The painting was an exercise in watercolor washes and gradients and was tons of fun. I drew the tank and fish and then painted the water and the painting sat for a long time before I got up the nerve to paint the fish. But once I got started, I was okay and couldn't stop.