Waterlilies and Prostitution

lily pad painting (early stages)

In my current artwork I am using lily pads to talk about human trafficking and sex slavery.  For those of you who have been wondering how water lilies tie in with sex trafficking, keep reading. If you already have an idea, enjoy the pictures, look at more of my in progress lily pad art and keep reading just in case there is something new.  Be sure to like my Facebook page while you are at it.

Detail of lily pad (early stages)

For starters, I am comparing of the underground root system of the plants to networking system of human trafficking, prostitution, and sex slavery.  The intricate roots are located in dirty, slug and leech infested waters several feet below the surface. Traffickers and pimps manage to go unnoticed and stay just below the surface under the guise of a massage parlor owner or one of many other professions.  The dirty water tends to be hidden by the beauty of the flowers much like the happenings in the sex industry are disguised by the women with tough skin and fake smiles.

Waterlilies can often have up to 50 lily pads all connected to, and working for, the one root system.  In larger species such as the Amazon Waterlily these lily pads can grow up to 6 feet in diameter. The edges and underside often times have sharp spines and air pockets. The lily pads bring back chlorophyll to the roots and the beautiful flowers often bring back oxygen and allow the plant to reproduce. 

Beginning of some watercolors and upcycled shrinky dink

With their impressive size it is no surprise that this gorgeous and aggressive plant can easily take over a lake and choke out all other life in a body of water.  These plants have learned to adapt for survival even if it is at the expense of other life.  Many of the women and children in the industry have been forced to survive often times at the expense of each other.  This keeps them submissive and trustworthy allowing the viscous cycle of sex slavery to continue.

Here is another example of how I am using water lily to represent and talk about sexual addiction.

These are just the basics of my analogy for this body of artwork developed by significant research.  As I continue to research and develop the ideas further I will share more.

Open Studio Tour

My open studio was a hit.

I had a large variety of work on display.  My current work took up about half of the space.  Snakes and lizards on one wall and water lilies and lily pads (see image) on a second wall.  I had some of my posters as well as a portfolio of my Make it Plain show on display. Some photographs of the building just for fun and jewelry were on display as well.

I am so very thankful for everyone who came to my Open Studio night. We estimated that between 60 and 80 people trickled in and out. The studio space is pretty small so it stayed full most of the night which made the evening go quickly.

If you were not able to make it, be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, follow my Facebook page and keep up with this blog to see some of what you missed.

It was great to share my art with everyone.  There will definitely be another studio night in the future.

Chuckwallas

I am currently working on a series of snakes, lizards, and frogs. When people who are unfamiliar with watercolor or ink they tend to be surprised to watch the piece progress. When I was learning watercolor we had a joke that you have to ruin and then save it if you want a good piece in the end.

Here is my painting of a Chuckwallas from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Snakes&Lizards exhibit.

This seems to be true for many of my paintings. They all go through a rough patch or two right before they work out.

These rough patches are what keep me going. I love the challenge of fixing what seems to be ruined.  

The finished work is up on my studio wall…

Subscribe to my newsletter to see the finished Chuckwallas and other paintings before they are seen online or at my open studio (August 17, from 3 - 7).

If you are interested in attending  my Open Studio Party RSVP or learn more follow this link.

Human Trafficking: Art+ Global Justice

My next body of artwork will be focusing on the sex industry and human trafficking.  I am not sure where this will go but I would like to share a photograph I took over Christmas break while back home in Rapid City, South Dakota. I am not sure if I will use this image or not; however, I do think that it is a strong image.  It shows the contrast and addiction that our society possesses.  There are so many addicted to porn, many who think there is nothing wrong with and few who understand the effects that it actually has on our county.  Be sure to follow my blog for more information on the sex industry and human trafficking as well as my artwork in response to the topic.  This link will take you to posts directly relating to this body of work.

My goal is to have an idea by the end of this semester and a body of work by the end of summer (or a couple months after).  This may be pushing it but I think I can make it happen.

Haitian Abstract

Just thought I would share a photo that I took while in Haiti.
I like this image as a photo, but would love to push it a little further.

I am not sure exactly where I will go with this, but

I would like to draw the or paint something similar.

I really like the lines and shapes.

What would you like to see this turn into?