CAT FIGHT

It’s February 13th, the sun is shining, first time it seems in quite awhile. Standing by the kitchen sink looking out the window at the backyard bird feeders I notice, on the window, a flying ant. It’s a quite ordinary ant, a black ant, and I think to myself the fact that it has wings that it may been a mated queen from last fall. Perhaps, it somehow flew into the house and settled in some space around the window to wait for spring, and now that the sun has warmed the area it’s woken from its hibernation, and is looking to get out and start a colony. It doesn’t realize just how cold it is outside and that the 3 feet of white stuff covering the ground is snow. I have a choice now, kill it, or ignore it, and it may find its way back into a crevice and wait out the balance of the winter. I chose to ignore it.

February 16th, the ant is flying about and crawling on the sliding door leading to the rear deck. What to do? Left where it is it will no doubt eventually starve to death. I could catch it and let it go outside. The outside temperature is close to 0C. It might survive and find shelter? I catch it with a water glass, place one hand over the top so that it won’t fly away, and open the sliding door. I remove my hand. The ant flies out the door is hit by a blast of cold air, and drops dead onto the deck. I feel badly.

On February 14th a deranged teen in Florida goes to school with an automatic assault rifle, pulls the fire alarm, then proceeds to massacre 17 persons as they file from their classrooms. Sadly, it was commonly known that the teenager was mentally unbalanced, but no one acted on this information. Had they, seventeen persons would have celebrated Valentine’s Day, a day set aside for love. I feel badly.

On February 17th the day begins promising with the sun shining, and then slowly descends into cloud and snow flurries. Drinking my second cup of coffee I think of the ant and the massacre in Florida, and wonder about involvement, or the lack thereof, and the consequences of our actions. Would the ant have survived if I’d left well enough alone, and if it had survived what of its future? Would it have become a pest, or a cog in the very nature of things. Had the deranged teen been intercepted would he have been helped, gone on to live a decent life? And, what of the persons he gunned down? How will their loss affect our world? We may have lost a cure for cancer, or the answer to perpetual motion?

I remember, a long time ago, my mother-in-law attempting to break up a cat fight. Sticking her hand where she shouldn’t have resulted in her own cat badly scratching and biting her resulting in hospital visits, a round of antibiotics, and scars for life. As for the family cat, an evil creature called Ming, it licked its wounds and went off to fight another day.

What I’m trying to get at here, is whether we should get involved not having thought through the result of our actions, or lack thereof. Seems to me that we’re always kicking a hornet’s nest, rather than thinking things through, and working to fix our own problems. Sectarian, religious, warfare has been raging in the Middle East for centuries. Does anyone really believe that intervention is going to solve age old religious hatreds. Perhaps, we should step away and look closer to home and solve our own problems, let the hornet’s nest(s) alone. Of course, then, we might just discover that "we are the problem".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Philosophical thoughts finished for the day it's time to get back to writing my art book, of which I should, or would, point out that there are few these days due to the excessive costs to produce. The following are a couple of field sketches, ink and watercolour, that led to a painting. All will take up pages in my forthcoming publication. Enjoy!

Spruce Island   Algonquin Park   Pen & Ink Field Sketch

Spruce Island   Algonquin Park   Watercolour Painting

Spruce Island  Algonquin Park   Watercolour Field Sketch

CRAZY LAND

February 14th, 2018, Valentines Day, the headline read: -

Florida community in mourning after school shooting leaves 17 dead

I’m barely moved by the headline. I think that it’s crazy, but then we’re speaking about life in Crazy Land, once known as the United Staes of America, the Good Old USA, now land of the paranoid where ownership of guns is considered a God given right. You know, I used to be shocked, saddened, when I read about shootings, mass killings, people, innocent bystanders, shot while shopping, and simply minding their own business. Now, it seems like a daily event in the USA, hardly worthy of being considered news. Violent video games, and news reporting designed to have shock appeal, have made most insensitive to violent acts, fodder to create panic and paranoia. Has the American sense of decency sunk to levels where evil is considered….not so bad?

We used to travel to the United States to vacation. Now, well, it’s become a bit scary. Crossing the border is a bit of a nightmare. No matter how good you are, no matter your lack of a criminal record, you’re still considered suspect with border guards plying with trick questions in an attempt to deny entry. So, who wants to, needs to, visit the USA just to be hassled, and put in harm’s way? The scary thing is that the American Way is beginning to seep out of its borders infecting the rest of the world.

It is interesting to watch, however, the so called Fall of the American Empire. I wrote a piece dealing with the history of the fortress, and how it bears a great semblance to a prison: -

Imaginary Enemies

Wikipedia:-

"Fortifications are military constructions or buildings designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and also used to solidify rule in a region during peace time. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs. The term is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make”)."

When I was very young I’d attend the Saturday afternoon movie matinee. The movies that were offered often played to the interest of younger children, Disney features, nature, and more often than not a western that pitted the calvary against Indians. The calvary would ride out from their fort, and confront the blood thirsty Indians. The calvary it seemed always came out on top, and would ride back to their fort victorious. Our imagination fired by what we had seen we’d make spears and bows and arrows, and go off into the woods at the edge of town, and make forts to defend against imaginary enemies.

As we grew older we were introduced to medieval history and the forts and castles of that time, as well as the part that they played in the protection of the rulers, and the citizens over whom they ruled. We also learned that fortified cities had been around for a long time, as long as 4,000 BC. Cities are no longer fortified, although we still make use of fortifications as a means of temporary protection for armed forces fighting in foreign lands. With the advancement of technology a wall is no longer protection, especially against ballistic missiles.

Still, despite the fact that fortifications, walls, such as the Berlin Wall, served as only temporary solutions to political problems, there are those that continue to try to fight political turmoil by building walls. The United States seeks a solution to an internal drug, and foreign policy problem, through the construction of walls and intense surveillance at their borders. The wall fortifying America from Mexico is meant to keep drugs from being smuggled into the country to feed a home grown drug problem. Passports, and background inspection, of not only foreign visitors, but of American citizens entering and leaving the United States, creates yet another wall. Ironically these walls of presumed security,  a fortress of sorts, rather than protect American citizens is creating a prison of sorts to control American citizens. American citizens instead of enjoying freedom, are fast becoming prisoners, victims, in their own country.

It seems that there is a price to pay both physically, and psychologically, for protection against one’s own vices. Time no doubt will prove that walls are only a temporary solution to facing head on the problem(s) for their creation.

So, guns and fortifications, signs of a nation gone crazy? Then there’s this billionaire that sent a rocket into space, obsolete by historical standards, just to prove that some of its parts could be reused, and that it would cost millions less than other rockets, and as a gesture of what I don’t know, he sent the rocket with his expensive sports car on a journey into space accompanied by a tiny replica, and a tiny driver…….why? The best day of his life, or something to that effect, he mentioned. Personally, I’d be more enthused for his accomplisments if they were humanitarian in nature, instead of self centred. How about you?

I find it quite sad to realize that the money and energy of a nation are being spent on futile ambitions, and that a people, capable of solving this world’s problems, are being driven crazy immersed in fear for their own safety, and the safety of their families. Perhaps, we’re witnessing a once proud nation self destructing?

Since there’s no doubt that I’ve now been barred from entering the USA for the rest of my life (who cares) it’s probably time to get back to writing about nature and art, and in that regard, all things considered, I should have Part Two of, "My Painting Places - Algonquin” ready to publish by Blurb in two to three weeks.

View from the Visitors Center - Algonquin Provincial Park   Watercolour Painting

THE WAY THINGS WERE

While searching through files for use in my new book, Part Two of My Painting Places - Algonquin Provincial Park, I came across some scans of various waterfowl paintings and etchings. Looking through them I was transported back to my beginnings, my early attempt at becoming a wildlife artist. Having made the decision to pursue my passion for nature and become a wildlife artist, then discovering just how difficult it was to find reference for drawings and paintings, I began to haunt the nearby marsh to gather reference material. I’d head out to the marsh in all kinds of weather at all times of the day. At first I tried to photograph ducks and geese in flight, but despite using a motordrive and a long lense with a 2X adapter, I’d still end up with specks, nothing worthwhile to be used as reference. I finally realized that the best way to capture material was to simply watch, do the odd sketch, and scribble notes on the fly to remind me of moments spent walking the marsh. I acquired a lot of memories, such as one very early spring morning when the mist held heavy on the marsh I suddenly came upon  as many as 25 - 30 drake Wooducks in a drainage ditch. I instantly froze to take in the site, but it only took seconds for one of the ducks to realize that something had been added to the landscape, and they exploded as one and flew off over the marsh. In time I would come upon Baldpate, Green-winged Teal, and Pintails in similar settings. As well, there were Canada Geese by the thousands, and sometimes Swans and Snow Geese. Wonderful memories that sometimes became paintings. Sadly, things have changed out on the marsh. Urban development has encroached on wetlands, and destroyed farmland, sanctuaries for waterfowl. Few seem to care. Young persons are being denied outdoor education in favour of fantasy delivered by technology. Television paints a picture suggesting that all is well out on the marsh, all is well with the nature of things for that matter, but it isn’t. Come spring the ducks and geese are fewer out on the marsh, absent in the case of some species. Supporters of the way things were, are becoming older. Soon, no doubt, the marsh will be abandoned to developers, and nature with all of its wonders will exist as digital memories, and mounts in museums to explain to future generations, the way things were.

Mates Wood Ducks  hand-coloured Etching

Spooked - Mallards   Hand-coloured Etching

Mates - Canada Geese   Etching & Aquatint

Paired - Mallards  Hand-coloured Etching

Spring Flight - Scaup  Hand-colouered Etching 

Tiny Marsh - Canada Geese  Watercolour Painting

Drake Wood Ducks  Watercolour Painting

Spring Mallards   Watercolour Painting

Three Mallards    Hand-coloured Etching