Buttnekkiddoodles

On the grounds of Quebec Provincial Parliament, drew two toiling figures from Honoré Mercier’s monument. Mercier was a lawyer, journalist, politician, francophone, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and ninth premier of Quebec. Well, of course we expect liberals to be champions of the working folks, especially those who toil in the fields and bring  us our food. But as you see below, the fascists felt they had pull with the very same crowd.

Turns out, the Mormons chose to applaud the same honest folks of the soil. To wit, a statue in the Utah capitol in Salt Lake City. Notice the bee hive cradled by the gentlemen. That’s their symbol for industry. Busy as bees. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop it is said.

Oh there’s more to it than that, in young countries, new states, huge countries with large agrarian tracts and burgeoning mouths to feed, new arrivals were welcome. Check out another statue in that same state house.

Yep! Welcome them newcomers. Bring us them tired poor yearning to be free and hankering to start fresh with a hungry work ethic. Well, we’ve seen what become of that unfortunate message. Canada’s prime consideration now is the size of the new applicants wallets and if you have specialized skill sets and educational pedigree. And their haughty neighbor to the south is no nobler, trying as they are to round up the very foreign born workforce union busting businesses are quietly encouraging. Quietly so they don’t run afoul of their angry political constituents who’d like to see our southern border bricked up solid. There just might be a Great Wall for sale in China.
And then of course, any country worth its salt will promote the education and cultural enhancement of its citizens, both longstanding and newly arrived.

Again, even the Fascists seem smitten with the notion of nurturing young minds.

Although a quick look at this pre WWII building from Mussolini’s reign could leave one unsure of the nature of the nurturing, and a suspect notion of the subject with which whom is smitten.
It seems all governments rush to extol their virtuous and historic accounting of noble intentions. The arts even get a slap on the back as long as their leash is short and their creativity finds its way to ad firms with a gimlet eye for well heeled clientele with a product to pitch.

Let’s have a look at dynamics useful in moving any great, ambitious nation forward. You know, building stuff. Useful stuff, and figuring out how to make grand projects, and new cool stuff. How to make better, and bigger stuff than your competitors. Well sir, you might just be talking about Science, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and other learned kinda stuff. How things work and how to make it all work better. Grow faster. Fly faster. You see where this is going. Check out my man below with the telescope. A visionary, looking beyond the local realm.

Now if we’re to tell the whole story, you gotta keep in check those who’d try and abscond with your cool new stuff, your good ideas. And maybe, someone’s got something you need to make your stuff better. But, they don’t wanna share it. Well, that’s where these guys come in.

And they just might have to do THIS!

Boy howdy!!! Who’d wanna keep doing that?

Well, you’ll need to come up with something persuasive. Something that not only show real gratitude, for like, your dangerous toil and maybe even ultimate sacrifice! But to let you know, you’ll be taken care of, real good, and for like, all of eternity.

So we kinda come back around in a way to the original statue where that hunched over woman looks to be working her tired body like a rented mule. And it’s not like all them fine folks in their fine shoes and soft fabrics eating delicious meals on fancy gold rimmed plates, don’t give thanks to those who had a role in …. well for certain they give some kind thanks. Maybe it’s a catch all thanks. One that covers ALL the bases. Like a big creator. You know, the BIG creator. But some time they leave thanks in a fairly permanent way, you know, as when they do a statues that represent all that contributed to this uplift. And they make it in stone. Or bronze, which will be around for gosh, a long time. Unless it gets melted down and reused, for something like a bell. Or probably a canon.
I’ll give further thoughts in a later post.

Drawings made with various inks, DeAtramentis and Platinum Carbon and pigmented markers by Faber-Castell and White China markers on several different papers, Stillman & Birn, Tomoe River Paper, Strathmore.

 
Went to a life drawing session at the Palette & Chisel today and found my subject, an artist new to the P&C, Andrew, at work painting the model. He had a great head of hair an enjoyed trying capture his hands at various positions of  work. Also like the way his shirt revealed his underlying features.

Hadn’t drawn the popular model Jayson in quite some time. These were drawn on various days but I like including them.

Orvieto. Did the layout and developed the buildings on site. Got to Milano and finally decided to switch from Fountain pen and Pitt Pen Markers to watercolor and lay in the landscape and clouds. Quite the clutz and a bit tight with that medium but this is the year I make a game effort to get comfortable with a medium I am really moved by and in the hands of so many artists I admire can have real zest.

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   It was extraordinarily enjoyable to return to Orvieto after 46 years since I first saw it. The majesty of the cathedral, Maitani’s facade, a the great, great frescoes by Luca Signorelli were as astonishing as when I first stood before them.

 
Now I’m not sure of the source of this eye gouging coat, but I was sketching someone else when I happened to turn and see her wrapped like a chevroned cocoon. Jumped subject’s immediately and drew what just might have been the striped tail from a very, very large Coatimundi.
Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on Tomoe River Paper.

Four weeks in Italy. First stop, Venezia. First surprise, no tourist. We were them. Longs walks about the city were without crowds of any sort. Restaurants had 1:3 occupancy and those were Italians, many were workers and locals.
It had been 44 years since I was last there.

The flight was uneventful. Chicago to Dublin, switch planes and then fly to Venice. The alps are so close! When we landed at the airport across the water from Venice and then boarded the bus to Venice we could see very clearly the peaks of the Italian Alps and at that time of day, late afternoon, they were pink.

  

We had very enjoyable meals out and about but we also cooked some at our apartment. If you choose to do that, you’re well served to go to the Fish Market alongside the main canal. Not only was the selection of fish absolutely superb, the produce was glorious! It was December for Pete’s sake.

 
I returned to some locations I had first seen as a college kid. The Tintorettos and Tiepolos were grand. I spent over two and a half chilly hours sketching and gawking at huge Tintoretto canvases, and could have stuck around for another few hours but Giamila was chilled to the bone by then and the dinner bell was ringing.