ooblog

Somewhere along the lines, my reading has declined.  Although I’m in the middle of two books, I haven’t attempted to read them in over a month.  With the exception of reading an occasional article about health care reform and the like, I haven’t been reading for the enjoyment of reading.  Reading frequently along with the radio/podcasts have a way of feeding my brain with inspirational visuals and although movies and television have a way of peaking my interest on color schemes and composition from time to time they are not the same as having to picture the situation in ones own mind.  With that being said I’m apologizing to August for being the worst reading month since I moved to NY three years ago.  In case you were wondering, I happen to read more since I’ve moved here.  When I’m on the train, I’m usually reading or drawing.  The art below is an exception as I made it to accompany a wonderful short story I read recently.

I’ve been told that if a shark were to attempt an attack on a person, that victim should hit the shark on its nose in order to fight back.  I’ve also heard stories of playing dead when being attacked by a grizzly bear as a survival tactic.  Natures predators often have the upper hand when it comes to survival in their natural setting, as the case should be.   Although I’m sure these might be good strategies,  a majority of people react on instinct in traumatic situations.  They freeze up or they run.  So what is the difference between natures predators and economic hardship which takes a person or family off guard?  I made the illustration below with this in mind.

Less than 24 hrs ago, with some hesitation, I decided to enter a contest which was due today.  The flaming coward creature was the task at hand and I have one of my studio mates to thank for convincing me to spend the little time I had to see it through.  More than anything, it proved as an exercise in tight turn around times.  This is something I’d love to be good at, but not necessarily something I want to get used to.  Below I’ve included my version of the creature and the finished versions of Medusa and Phoenix submitted from last weeks myth/superheros contest.

In other news,  Sophia Wiedemans book “The Deformitory” has been approved for distribution by Diamond Comics Distribution and needs your support.  If you read comics, love them, or support them, go to your local comic store and ask them to request copies of her book.  For more information you can go to www.sophiadraws.com or even better www.sophiadrawscomics.blogspot.com

Image from Sophia Wiedeman “The Deformitory”

I have always been fascinated with the correlations between myth and its relevance to how the individual relates to the world.  In many ways classic tales remain relevant because of underlying laws in nature.  Joseph Cambells Power of Myth helped clarify many of these themes and their current importance.  Myth has a way of showing individuals with conflict allowing the audience to have some comfort in knowing conflict is part of the human condition.  I was recently told of a contest in Thailand that has a superhero/myth related them.  Here are two images I hope to refine this week related to this theme.  Anyone interested in the contest should check out.  www.lookatthisgallery.com

When I was a child, I remember my father telling me to be careful about the amount of barbeque sauce and sweet relish I was adding to my meal inferring that these things aren’t healthy.  As a typical teen, I looked at the items and thought cucumber and tomato paste as main ingredients.  What could be wrong with that?  Although I believe that the discussion was mainly about eating anything in excess, I see another truth to the comment that was made.  The nations drug problem is one we consume every day, to a large extent unknowingly, and in high doses.  High fructose corn syrup is actually the main ingredient in both of the items I’ve mentioned.  It is also in many of the bread items we consume.  Yoplait Yogurt has a commercial contrasting a person doing yoga when instead of exercising they could choose to eat yogart in order to stay healthy. Yeah, HFCS is there too.  Along with its increased appearance in most beverages and many food items it is difficult to avoid. Tomatoes (along with many vegetables) have also been genetically engineered.  If one tries to lead a healthy life when all of the choices are tainted, what choices are left?  It is clear that one of the best ways to save on the cost of health care is to fight some of the nations biggest problems through prevention.  (Obesity, Diabeties, Heart disease)  If health care is one of our main goals we should start by having obvious healthy choices to make, starting at places we purchase food.

I was notified of this site because of this post.  If you are interested in HFSC alternatives, check out this site.  www.StopHFCS.com