Page 48 - Demo

she? Like playing bridge, another once-common female group activity is portrayed in The Ceramics Class, where eager hens are stretching their stunted creative wings. But is buying a half-finished, off-the-shelf object, made in a well-worn mold, then glazing it at the store%u2019s instructor/salesperson suggestion, really creative? Perhaps they%u2019re a little too chicken to risk trusting their imaginations to make something truly their own. And what could be a more societally acceptable activity for a female than going to a department store to check out the newest makeup offerings, then having them applied while perched prominently and queen-like on a stool. In The Makeover, an elder cockatoo admires the new look she%u2019s convinced makes her appear younger and more beautiful. The consultant is certainly no professional%u2014she%u2019s just a low-paid cosmetics-company employee applying gels, glosses, lotions, powders, and creams with little enthusiasm. Elephant Chargereveals an aging female, who seems to be having the time of her life buying whatever is being shown on a TV shopping program. Perhaps she feels free to spend with abandon now that her husband has passed on. Maybe, with no one to reign her in, buying feels liberating, fun, and exciting. But will it fill the emptiness she%u2019s really experiencing? Nostrums, Cow Pies Unlimited, Flying Fish, Coy Koi, Flight of the Bumblebees, Common Knowledge, Angel Fish, Patient Patients, Roast Pork,and The Front Lawn are all plays on words or common phrases, or simply my quirky observations. Having statues of human beings as outdoor decor in The Front Lawn was an amusing reversal of the predictable. There are some drawings that are quite special to me. Dragon Lady is very dear to my heart, partly because of all the time required to draw her innumerable scales. When I realized that only male dragons are depicted in art and literature, I decided that, surely, there must also be females dragons. My female beast has all the nasty claws, teeth, and a most frightening tongue, as seen in typical dragon depictions, but there%u2019s no mistaking her outward display of femininity%u2014she wears a bikini, jewelry, and a bow on one horn. Something Fishy was inspired by of those bizarre deep-ocean fish you only see in books, or on public-television specials. This fish is so, so weird, typical fish wonder if it%u2019s even a fish at all. Chickyin/Chickyang is a favorite due to its symbolism. Of course, it%u2019s a play on yin/yang%u2014the names used in the Orient to denote polar opposites. Yin is female with traits that include reticence, darkness, softness, and damp. Yang is male with attributes such as leadership, brightness, hardness, and dryness. Here, they%u2019re drawn as a hen and rooster together in an allembracing Dance of Life%u2014in an egg shape, which represents a wholeness that contains all the possibilities that can be born from their union.Multiplication Tables shows paired rabbits, because almost nothing multiplies as easily and quickly as male and female bunnies when they%u2019re put together. The multiplication tables extend far off into the distance%u2014likely forever. Bearing Itis unusual because of how many bears it has. I%u2019ve never counted, but their numbers are quite extensive. Of course, for the most part, the bears are bare%u2014and they%u2019re enjoying themselves immensely. This was a fun piece to work on.The American Lockstep is my particular take on a species common in our society%u2014creatures born with wings to fly, but chained by weighty materialworld must-haves. They are so burdened, they cannot take off and soar. Instead, each bird endlessly follows the bird ahead, who follows the one in front of him, and on it goes, ad infinitum. Every bird has a ribbon around its neck holding the key that could set it free%u2014but the keys are ignored, and the unthinking, unending march continues. The Family Reunion contains all types of birds. Some have flashy plumage, others are dull, a couple are quite large, there%u2019s even a tiny hummingbird. Could they all be of one family? Yes, because no matter what they look like, what they eat, or where they live, they are, in the end, all birds. What a wonderful state of affairs it would be if humanity would see how we are also all one big family. On two occasions, I created a drawing that lent itself to quickly doing another, using the same theme and characters. The first involved toads. In Toadies, a monarch resembling Jabba the Hutt has male toads at his beck and call. Everything he wants them to do, they do unquestioningly%u2014while crouching in servitude. After all, he is the king, chosen by the Almighty to rule them, and they know their lowly place in the hierarchy. In Toadalisques, it%u2019s the young females who do their master%u2019s bidding. All he needs to do is snap his fingers, and his desires are fulfilled. In neither piece, does the Top Toad seem contented, let alone happy. In fact, he looks downright bored, even a bit depressed. Having absolutely nothing to strive for has resulted in empty dissatisfaction. Being the peerless Supreme One can be quite lonely.My sheep drawings started as a set of two, with the first being Sheep Tricks. In it, a half-dozen sheep are preforming a cheerleader-team or circus-acrobatictroupe pose%u2014a kind of sheep pyramid. Pinwheels and an Amazing pennant add spectacle to this hyped-up act preformed by docile and rather dull ovines. Before I was finished with this drawing, Sheep Thrills came to mind with the same six sheep moving on to their next feat. This time, a Leap of Danger involves an Evil Knevil-type jump over 3 kneeling sheep from a launching ramp to an identical landing ramp. Again, the pinwheels are there, but now there%u2019s also a pointing-hand sign and lettering on each ramp, including the Greek alpha and omega. So, with everything labeled and set up just-so, the sheep follow each other like, well, like sheep, executing what%u2019s actually a rather lame display of daring.While A Different Drummer is composed of similar sheep, it was drawn somewhat later. In it, one sheep stands a little outside the herd. He%u2019s number thirteen, just beyond the even dozen, and inexplicably, he doesn%u2019t have the usual white fleece. Instead, he%u2019s sporting a snazzy plaid coat, with a glint in his eye of self-knowing and satisfaction. To the other sheep, his aberrant appearance and behavior is unsettling. What does he know that they don%u2019t?