Rising Tides are something that seems to have always been a concern for waterfront folks. My own parents had a waterfront lot on the Chesapeake Bay that is now entirely underwater and doesn’t even begin to resemble it’s prior life as beachfront. Funny, it took the state of Maryland almost 30 years to finally agree to not require taxes paid on an underwater piece of property (underwater by feet, not inches). Well, that’s a subject for a political blog, not this one here celebrating the art of slinging paint.
There are two shows through Maryland Federation of Art with deadlines this week. Rising Tides and American Landscapes. I have entries for both, the Rising Tides piece being a reworked canvas that I had intended to paint for my 12 year old son, who is not super interested. So, today, I began (rebooted?) a piece that will be entitled: The Water Baptism of Coastal Cities
Whether you are a conservationist or environmentalist, it is hard to miss the changes in and on our earth. As a person of faith, a nondenominational Christ-follower, I don’t believe the earth belongs to us. I do believe that it was placed under our dominion as we are (possibly) the most rational of creatures. Unlike other living things, humans have the ability to make choices, even when it comes to hardwired and primal behaviors.
For instance, a lion with a human in its mouth will not choose to be nice and let the poor fellow go home to his family. Because a lion is a predator without the ability to rationalize right and wrong or think abstractly. On the flip side, humans may choose not to kill or eat other animals. This is why vegetarians are of peculiar interest to someone like me, who may go vegetarian at some point, after my kiddos who love meat have left the nest. Not because of political reasons, but because animals are often mistreated while being raised for meat. I’d still eat eggs from my own chickens and perhaps dairy because I simply cannot imagine my life without cheese.
Soooo- Here’s what I have so far is below. Tomorrow at midnight is the deadline so wish me luck!
