salliesART

A Difficult Day

2008-07-07T19:24:00.002-04:00

The idea for this "icon" came from a groups of drawings I found on the Internet that show protective angels with representative members of dangerous occupations.

I chose to do this one because I have a brother-in-law who has been interested in firefighting most of his life. To this day, in his 70's, he remains a volunteer fireman.

As for me, I have had a difficult day. Nothing in particular needs mentioning, it was just one of those days where things simply do not work out the way you had hoped.

I think the prayer on the drawing would be a good one for me: "St. Michael, the Archangel, defend me."

Peace be with you -- and with me!

Now is the Time

2008-07-05T19:10:00.004-04:00

This two-part icon, entitled "Mater Dolorosa", was completed a number of weeks ago.

I thought about posting it at that time, but decided not to. My feelings about the icon were too close to the surface.

As the weeks have passed and other drawings and events have filled my life, I feel that now is the time to post it.

Probably the most sensitive aspect of this icon for me at the time of drawing had to do with the image of Our Lady -- as the Mother of Sorrows.

I actually separated the icon and now have this image of Our Lady hanging on my wall as an individual drawing.

In its single state, I call it "Our Lady of the Empty Hands".

This title comes from an image I saw in a dream in the month after my sister's death last year.

Of course, the image of Christ in His death is properly suited to go with the image of His Mother with her empty hands.

For all of us are left with empty hands at the death of those we love -- empty hands and the hope that we will meet again.

Peace be with you.

What Have I Done?

2008-07-03T19:27:00.002-04:00

Here is my latest icon. It is entitled "Extreme Humility".

The title comes from the canticle found in St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians (2:6-11) where he writes of Christ: "...and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!"

Now for an explanation of the title for this posting.

The other night, I happened to decide to take a look and see what had been collected in my Picasa Web Album. This album is something I signed up for long ago but which I have basically ignored.

Well, when I looked at it, I discovered that there were all sorts of duplicate copies of drawings that I have posted over the past 10 months. Being a neatness freak, I thought, "well this needs to be cleaned up".

I selected a whole bunch of duplicates and pressed the delete key. A warning box came up which I basically ignored as I assumed it was just the usual question about "do you really want to do this?"

However, I then decided to delete a few more and this time when the warning box appeared, I happened to read it. It said that if you delete these pictures from Picasa they will be deleted from your blog!

I nearly had heart failure but managed to hit the cancel key.

I spent the next hour trying to find the pictures that I had originally deleted. I even went through all the information in Picasa Help and followed all their instructions for retrieving things -- all to no avail.

I simply could not find them anywhere.

Now I am afraid to look at my previous entries for fear that things have been deleted.

Of course, there is also the possibility that since I don't have Picasa actually inserted into my blog that the warning message doesn't apply to me. I don't know and I am afraid to find out!

So, if you are looking through my earlier postings and there seems to be pictures missing, I guess you had better let me know.

What have I done?!!

Well, peace be with you anyway.

A Tree and Me (Conclusion)

2008-07-01T17:01:00.007-04:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY! Hope you have had a wonderful celebration of Canada's birthday.

As you can see from the drawing above, I have been busy drawing another butterfly. I guess I will have to add them to my list of favourites! This one is entitled, "Another Butterfly".

And, now, for the conclusion of my art therapy story. As you may recall, my "assignment" was for me to get in touch with my special feelings for trees.

A Tree and Me -- the conclusion:

In the final dream I want to tell you about, I found myself feeling sad again as I remembered what it was like to be young and beautiful – free of scars and pain. I remembered the angel with the children and wondered again why they had chosen the old oak tree instead of me as a place to play. I imagined them playing under my autumn foliage as my leaves were falling. For a moment I felt happy again.

I also recalled the happiness I had felt when I dreamed about the butterflies and the robins and the new life hidden in my branches.

Suddenly, I looked up and there in front of me was the most beautiful lady I had ever seen. She was carrying a child in her arms and he seemed to shine like the sun. They were smiling at me and they both reached out at the same time and touched me. I felt a warmth and happiness greater than anything I had ever known.

Then the Lady spoke and said: I am the Lady of Sweet Tenderness and this is my Child – the creator of all things, including you, dear tree. We have heard your cries of pain and suffering and we want you to know that you have not been abandoned.

Suffering is a natural part of life – especially as we grow older – but as you saw in your dreams, you are still able to give comfort and shelter to all the creatures who look to you as their home – their place of safety from the storms of life..

Do not be afraid, dear tree. No matter what happens, we will be with you and someday you will be born again into the heavenly kingdom. There you will be forever strong and beautiful and you will give eternal shade to the mansions of the sons and daughters of God.

---------

When I awoke, I was the same old tree – scars, pain and all – but there was now within me a deep peacefulness that has remained. Now I find myself rejoicing in each moment as my life flows on into sunshine and birdsong – no longer afraid of what lies ahead.

The End.

Peace be with you all.

A Tree and Me (3)

2008-06-29T16:02:00.006-04:00

As you can see from the above drawing, I have been "playing" again. I am working on a new icon, but took a break to draw this funny kitty cat. The drawing is entitled: "Cat in a Fence"!

I am still trying to get a bit healthier -- hoping that I will soon feel better -- so, rather than listen to me complain, let's just move on to the next installment of my illustrated art therapy story from some years ago.

A Tree and Me continued...
The next day, while taking my afternoon nap, I had another dream. I saw myself as I am now: scarred and in pain, but still green. I was standing next to a lovely, little stream and surrounded by birds and covered with butterflies. You know how the butterflies swarm when they are migrating and how they need a place to rest. I must say, they do tickle just a bit!

Anyway, as the dream continued, I was suddenly aware of movement inside of me. I looked and there in my branches – right where the lightening had struck me so long ago – was a robins’ nest. The mother robin was sitting on the nest and the father robin was hovering close by. As I listened closely, I could hear the eggs underneath the mother bird starting to crack open. Both parents were very excited. I watched with delight as the babies struggled and the parents helped and soon there were four baby robins crying for food! What a noise that was.

As I watched the parents excitedly catching bugs and bringing food for their babies, I marvelled that an old and broken tree like me could be the home to new life.

I felt so very happy and promised myself that I would do my very best to protect this little family sheltering in my branches.

(to be continued)

May peace be with you.

A Tree and Me (2)

2008-06-27T16:44:00.009-04:00

Here is the icon of Our Lady with the Christ Child. It goes with the one of Christ the King that I posted on Wednesday.

And following is the continuation of the illustrated story I did in art therapy some years ago. Enjoy!

I had the most wonderful dream last night – did you not know that even trees can dream? In my dream, I stood tall and strong again the way I used to be. I stood on my hillside and there was no pain, no suffering. I was even dressed in my most beautiful autumn foliage.

Suddenly I heard the sound of children’s voices. As I looked up, I could see a lovely angel walking with two children

in the sunlit meadow below me. They seemed to be coming towards me and I felt so very happy as I knew that I looked so leafy and inviting.

But, then, just before they reached my hillside, they suddenly turned aside. They went instead towards an old, weather-beaten oak tree

where they sat down and begin to sing and play – leaving me alone in all my leafy beauty. I began to feel very sad and wondered why they had chosen that old tree instead of me.

(to be continued)

Peace be with you.

A Tree and Me

2008-06-25T18:51:00.006-04:00

Here is the latest icon. It is entitled "Christ the King".

One interesting aspect of this drawing is the footstool. You can see that it is not drawn using normal perspective.

The reason for this is that objects in icons are traditionally drawn using reverse perspective. This may be an additional way of trying to show the difference between the icon and the normal material world. I will have to investigate this matter further.

As to the matter of the title for this posting, it is referring to a story I wrote and illustrated a few year ago while doing art therapy.

I was working with a wonderful nun who encouraged me to consider more deeply my strong attachment to trees.

Here is chapter 1 (the other chapters will follow in successive postings). I am writing this as though I am the tree.

"My home is on the side of a gentle hill in a temperate climate. I have been growing in this spot for many years and am showing all the signs of age. About eight years ago, I was struck by lightening which almost killed me but, instead, left me very wounded and scarred. I will never be the same again, but I am still alive and the sap flows each year more or less as it should. Some days the pain is so bad; however, that I almost wish I had been killed by the storm after all. Deep down, though, I am grateful that each day the birds, squirrels, bugs and other creatures find a safe place in my branches."

(to be continued)

Peace be with you all.

Variety

2008-06-23T19:22:00.008-04:00

The old saying is "variety is the spice of life". Well, I am hesitant to say that this will be a "spicy" posting, but I do have a variety of things to mention!

First is this drawing. As you can see, I am still playing with different textures and placements.

The drawing is entitled: "Blooming High" because the flowers are blooming high up on the tree.

This next item is something I drew because the photo made me laugh.

This one is called "Kissin' Kitty" and as usual, I enjoyed drawing the cat most of all!

This next item is not a drawing at all.

You may recall in my previous posting, I mentioned that I had had some good news. This was news that my cousin had been busy doing some amazing work online.

I am attaching her email so you can take a look for yourself if you are interested. I know that some of you will not be interested in the content as you are not Christians, but you might enjoy seeing what she has done with the website for women called EtL Cafe. I think it is very classy.

"Dear Friends, GREAT News! I am very excited to announce that the landing page for our first project, The EtL Café, is now up, complete with sample material so you can get a sneak peek into what The EtL Café will soon have to offer. Please visit us at http://www.etlcafe.org/ Although we're developing The EtL Café for twenty something Christian women, we know it will appeal to women of many ages and stages. I hope you'll take time to click on the various menu items, including a thought-provoking article about pursuing your passion and a Bible study excerpt that's not to be missed! The EtL Café will offer a variety of resources to satisfy spiritual hunger with great pick-me-ups for faith-building women! As we move forward, I welcome your prayers. If you want to know more about what's happening with Son Cast Media, I hope you'll visit our newly designed site at http://www.soncastmedia.org/ I'd love to hear from you with any suggestions and comments. Your support – past, present, and future – is great appreciated! Feel free to forward this email to young women or anyone you know who would reap the benefits of visiting http://www.etlcafe.org/ And if you know someone who might be interested in partnering with us (either through prayer, volunteering, and/or providing financial support), I'd greatly appreciate your forwarding this email to them as well. Thank you for your support!Blessings!Jodi B. McMillianPresidentSon Cast Media, Inc."

So, that is all the variety I have for tonight.

I am working hard on a new icon.

Peace be with you all.

Taking it Easy

2008-06-21T19:28:00.004-04:00

I'm just taking it easy these days and drawing mostly things that are easy or playful. This drawing is entitled: "Orange Tulips" and was mostly an exercise in perspective.

Yesterday and today I was drawing a baby wearing sunglasses being kissed by a cat! It's a silly picture but I should be finished with it by the next time I post on Monday night.

I am considering a new icon, but it is a fairly complex one so I think I am sort of getting myself prepared by doing other things for a while. We'll see what happens.

I received some good news today and some really sad news.

The good news is about a cousin of mine and I will be sharing it with you soon as it involves a new website that she has created.

The sad news I can't share, but I would ask you to pray for my friend, Brenda, in the States -- if you are a praying person. Otherwise, please just send lots of good energy toward the southern U.S.

I am still taking my antibiotics and am hopeful that by the time I finish them next week I will completely well.

Peace be with you.

The Teacher

2008-06-19T20:51:00.004-04:00

Here is a new version of the Christ the Teacher icon. I am simply calling it "The Teacher".

The original icon I was working from had the text in the open book in Greek. However, since my knowledge of New Testament Greek is limited to the alphabet and about 10 actual words, I inserted some English text instead!

The quote is from one of my favourite sections in all of the Gospels -- the 6th chapter of St. John's Gospel. It reads: "I am the living bread which came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever."

I have had a couple of emails in response to my comments in the previous post about not feeling too well. Thank you so very much.

I am still fighting an infection but the antibiotics are doing their magic and so I am feeling much better. Hopefully, I will soon be back to my usual state!

Meanwhile, I, along with the rest of the people in Ontario, am waiting for summer to begin. Technically, summer will start tomorrow night, but until the weather acts like summer, it won't seem real to me. Sunny and 75 would be lovely!

Peace be with you.

Flower Bells

2008-06-17T17:06:00.003-04:00

Here is a little drawing I did last week.

It is a close-up of bell-shaped flowers. The common name for them is "Crown Imperial" which is what I also named the drawing.

The Latin name is fritillaria imperalis geophyte.

Interestingly, I had drawn a grouping of bell-shaped flowers 3 or 4 years ago. I worked from a magazine photo which did not give the names of the plants in the picture.

So, my title for the drawing was "Ring them Bells".

It looks to me as though I was drawing a pot full of Crown Imperials without knowing it!

I am posting this early today as I don't think I will be able to stay up for too much longer. I have gotten another infection and started a new round of antibiotics today. This has left me feeling very sleepy as I have been unable to sleep properly for the past few nights.

At any rate, I will be posting again on the 19th and expect to be back to normal by then. Maybe I will even have another drawing ready to show you.

Blessings and peace to you all.

Butterfly, Butterfly

2008-06-15T17:45:00.005-04:00

I was in a butterfly-type mood this weekend and so I decided to finish drawing this picture I started working on last month.

I wasn't feeling too creative in the naming department and so I have ended up calling it "Sweet Butterfly, Version 2" for the time being.

I actually enjoyed drawing the purple thistle as well although it is not really a very attractive plant in the wild.

Working on this drawing put me in mind of some of the other butterfly drawings I have done over the past few years.

This one, as you may recall, is entitled, "Brenda's Butterfly" because the image I worked from was a photograph taken by my friend, Brenda Whiteway.

This one was entitled simply "Sweet Butterfly", but now that I have used the same name for my new drawing, I will have to rename it "Sweet Butterfly, Version 1".

This one is entitled "Monarch Migration" and is a much older drawing, but it is still a popular one for people who order greeting cards from me.

I hear the thunder rumbling again so I guess another rain storm is on its way. I understand the whole week ahead of us is supposed to be cool and rainy so I guess I won't be seeing too many butterflies.

Anyway, I do like thunder storms so long as they don't cause anyone harm -- so I think I will go and enjoy this one while it lasts.

Peace be with you all.

Sittin' and a thinkin'

2008-06-13T19:47:00.005-04:00

Sittin' and a puzzlin' over things is more like it!

I sent my new computer in for diagnosis and treatment today (if you recall, I have had problems with the screen since I purchased it). So, here I am tonight trying to use my old computer.

When I went to set up my email on this computer again, I discovered that everything worked fine except for Outlook -- it refused to give me the option to send and receive!

Finally, I got MSN to work and am now receiving my email (and sending email) on the website of my ISP!

I am also having to use MSN to access the Internet. It works fine except each time I open the home screen, this cheery, mechanical voice says "Hello". I think that is going to get very annoying.

Hopefully, my new computer will be easily fixed and be back to me by this time next week.

This also means, of course, that I am limited for now in what I can share with you in terms of Sallie's art.

So, instead, tonight I will share with you a couple of really beautiful photographs by a professional photographer friend. Unfortunately, my computer downloads can't do justice to the spectacular shades of gray that he is able to achieve.

This was on the cover of this year's Christmas card.

He has been a life-long fan of Ansel Adams and I think you can see that influence in this photograph, but it is definitely more than just imitation.

This type of photograph is very easy to appreciate while many of his current works are a bit more demanding of the viewer.

I find this one especially beautiful in the starkness of its lines and contrasts.

I actually downloaded this one from a gallery website in Rochester, New York.

Well, I think I will now go back to trying to figure out how to do things on this poor, old computer that has never really recovered from the major crash it had a few months ago.

If all goes well, I may even be able to use my art software and start working on a new drawing. Wouldn't that be nice.

Peace be with you.

Love

2008-06-11T21:21:00.004-04:00

The images of Christ as the Good Shepherd have always spoken to me of love and that is very much what I focused on while working on this newest icon.

I guess I will have to call it "The Good Shepherd, version 2" as this is my second attempt at drawing one of my favourite illustrations of the love of God.

I was also thinking very much of the young people I work with who are preparing for marriage.

I am privileged to witness so many variations of love -- of people growing in love for one another in all sorts of beautiful ways.

I just finished a session this evening and I am feeling truly blessed and very aware of the Good Shepherd who "leads his flock and carries the lambs in his arms."

I am also very tired and so I wish you all a restful and peaceful night.

Too Hot for Me!

2008-06-09T19:58:00.004-04:00

I know that there are a lot of people out there who are saying how much they have enjoyed this hot spell, but to be honest, it has been too hot for me!

I am grateful that the weather is changing tonight and more normal temperatures are predicted for the remainder of the week -- and I am especially glad that the humidity will be decreasing.

Humid weather is really hard on arthritic joints!

Anyway, back to my art work.

The drawing at the top is a new one. As you know from earlier postings, I never get tired of trying to draw horses.

This work is entitled "New Friends".

This next item is something from my past that I stumbled across recently while doing an Internet search.

I was looking for something totally unrelated when I noticed in the items that came up on the screen, a link to a magazine article with my name on it!

And even more confusing, it said the article was from the Canadian Family Physician magazine dated December 1985!

This is what I found. An article that I helped prepare back in the summer of 1985 while I was working as a research assistant for a local physician. I had completely forgotten about it.

The Internet is truly an amazing thing sometimes. For good or for ill, it now hold a tremendous amount of information about all of us.

Peace and many blessings to you all.

Woofstock 2008

2008-06-07T21:45:00.005-04:00

This is not a new drawing. In fact, I have used it both as it is here and also in a revised drawing with Christmas gifts as one of last year's Christmas cards.

But it seems very appropriate to use tonight as my neighbourhood is once again experiencing the annual Woofstock festival!

I had to go out the morning to run a few errands and was immediately overwhelmed by dogs from the smallest to the largest. Dogs and their "masters" were everywhere as were booths set up by vendors to try to get them to spend their money.

Being in a wheelchair meant that I almost had several accidents with overly-excited dogs and even had some dogs attempt to chase my chair -- probably thinking that it was some kind of small car. Anyway, I obviously made it home alive.

I spent the remainder of the day at home, staying cool.

Here is something else that you have seen previously. A drawing of St. Paul.

Since you last saw it, it has been revised a bit, but that is not the reason I wanted to post it again.

Rather, over the past few days, I have been doing a lot of research on my Greek lettering that is traditionally used on icons. I guess you could say that I am slowly teaching myself the rudiments of the Greek alphabet.

In the process, I have discovered that some of the words I have drawn on various icons are not quite correct. That was the case with St. Paul.

I have now corrected the spelling of his name and have also learned to read what I have written. I now know that the Greek says "Holy" and "Paulinus". Previously, I just assumed it was some form of St. Paul.

If those of you who know Greek see any mistakes, please let me know so that I will learn even more.

Speaking of icons again, reminds me that I received a very thoughtful comment from one of my viewers whose opinions regarding icons I respect. He wrote me:

"Just dropped in the say hi, congratulate you on the beauty and depth of your work, and offer an opinion about the "icon" controversy. I still think it's not the media, but the heart of the artist that matters. And that makes what you have done Iconic, to me."

Stay cool and be at peace.

Faux or Pseudo?

2008-06-05T19:51:00.006-04:00

This rather unusual looking "icon" is entitled "Mother of God -- Inexhaustibe Cup".

In drawing it, I worked from a Russian icon which evidently has healing properties -- or so I was told. Evidently, numerous alcoholics have experienced complete healing while praying before the actual icon. I would not expect my version to have the same effect, but you never know!

Anyway, to explain the title of this posting and why I put icon in quote marks, I need to mention that there seems to be an ongoing controversy among some who have seen my drawings as to whether an "icon" drawn on a computer screen can really be called an icon.

Thus I decided to start calling my work pseudo-icons.

Upon reflecting upon this, however, I began to wonder if that was really the best choice. Pseudo means sham and I don't think my drawings are shams. That was when I thought that perhaps I should call them faux-icons -- as in faux-fur which means fur that looks real but isn't. I am still undecided, but I think I will go with faux.

Of course, there are also those who have asked me whether drawings done on the computer can even be considered real art. This is probably another area of controversy but I won't worry about it for now.

At any rate, I feel that those who like my work will continue to like it whatever I call it.

Now for something entirely different.

This drawing was among the art work that I inherited from my sister, Betty. I am unsure whether this was an item of hers or of her husband. At any rate, it is quite beautiful.

The frame it was in was almost rotten so I removed the print from the frame earlier this week with the thought that I would eventually get it reframed.

I wanted to share it with you but it is much too large to fit easily onto my scanner screen so I tried to get the tree in focus which leaves the outside areas rather blurry -- but you can still get a sense of the fine pen work.

At the bottom of the drawing, I found the artist's name: Gracie Melanson. This was followed by "ED 10 - 10" I really wish I knew more about this work and the artist. Ah, well...

That's enough rambling for tonight.

Peace be with you

Still Taking it Easy

2008-06-03T17:33:00.002-04:00

As you can see from the drawing above, I am still playing around with kitty cats and puppy dogs.

This one and the one I posted on June 1, are both from a series of animal photos where bunny rabbits are placed in unusual situations.

I have entitled this one: "How Embarrassing".

I mean it must have been very embarrassing for the dog when he was "asked" to pose with a bunny rabbit!

I imagine the poor dog is thinking: "What if my buddies saw me sitting here like this! How embarrassing."

Of course, I am also working on a new icon, but whenever I take a break, I look for photos of furry things to draw.

In fact, by the end of the week, I should have another icon in that first-draft stage which is when I initially share them with others.

Meanwhile, it's back to the kittens!

Peace.

Playing with Kittens

2008-06-01T19:41:00.004-04:00

You can always tell when I have taken a break from drawing icons or other demanding subjects: you will see a new drawing of a kitten or some other small, furry creature.

The drawing will not be particularly complex because it was done quickly; however, it hopefully is pleasing to the eye -- and maybe will contain just a touch of humour.

This drawing is entitled "New Best Friends

Before drawing the kitten and rabbit, I did finish off this icon.

It is another of the "sweet kissing" icons and the colours and background are intended to match the icon of Christ I posted on May 30.

Some customers ask for a set of icons where the figures are a similar size and the colours are similar.

I still have several orders underway so I am staying busy. In fact, I need to get back to work on one right now.

One of these days, when I have a bit more time, I will have to tell you some of my latest adventures with attempts to get my pictures on plaques. After so many mistakes and confusing assumptions, the whole thing has become quite funny!

Meanwhile, I pray that peace and joy will fill your hearts.

Dancing into June

2008-05-30T17:55:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of drafts of items I am working on at present. This first one was inspired by an advertisement for a Pow-Wow being held this summer in the western U.S.

I am still trying to figure out how to depict those long, leather streamers attached to her dancing cape.

This icon is one of several that I am currently working on. It is entitled "The Saviour".

I am also working on a matching icon of Our Lady with the Holy Child. The colours used in both are the same.

I am looking forward to June as the weather forecaster is saying that it should be warmer and drier than usual in the Toronto area. Warm weather and sunshine at last...

Peace be with you.

Another Magnificent Tree

2008-05-28T17:19:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to introduce you to a new photographer I have discovered. I knew I would like her work a lot the moment I saw this tree photograph.

Following is the information about how to see more of her work. As you can see, her name is Jackie Osmond Patrick.

Here is another one of her photographs that I find particularly meaningful -- partly because it reminds me of the mountain streams in North Alabama and Tennessee.

By all means, go and take a look at the rest of her work. Believe me, it is worth the effort.

I am working on a number of new drawings, but no time to post anything tonight as I have to get ready for students at 7.

Keep well and be at peace.

Paul

2008-05-26T20:25:00.003-04:00

I was asked to try my hand at drawing an icon of St. Paul.

This is the result.

It still needs some more work but the good news is that the people I am doing this for seem pleased with the results thus far.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the glorious sunshine.

Peace be with you.

Great or Grand

2008-05-24T21:16:00.003-04:00

I have always had difficulty remembering the proper terms for describing my relationship to this young man -- and to his cousins.

He is the son of my niece.

This means that I am his great-aunt.

However, does that make him my great-nephew or my grand-nephew?

This is what I always have trouble remembering.

And the worst part of the problem is that each time I learn what is correct, I seem to promptly forget it!

I would try to blame it on old age, but I was this way even when I was young!!

At any rate, this is one of my latest drawings. It is entitled "Cole".

Peace.

Then and Now

2008-05-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

AMERICANS IN CANADA, VIETNAM WAR ERA (that's me in the middle)

As you can see from the above photo, I was more of a weekend hippie. In this picture, i had just come from a full day of college teaching.

Canada was so good to us during the Vietnam conflict. I don't know what would have happened to the men in our lives if Canada hadn't taken us in and let us stay -- especially with the U.S. draft in effect.

I am posting the following information even though it really has nothing to do directly with salliesART. Indirectly, Canada's attitude toward Vietnam "draft dodgers" did help to make me the kind of person I am today -- which includes the type of art I produce.

So, if you don't want to read about war resisters, stop here. Otherwise, read on and maybe even consider taking action. Technically, Corey is a deserter and the U.S. penalty for desertion is death -- although I don't think they have actually applied that penalty since 1945. So we will hope for the best!

Peace be with you all.

May 21 2008 For Immediate release

IRAQ WAR RESISTER FACES DEPORTATION FROM CANADA

(TORONTO) – U.S. Iraq war resister Corey Glass was told today that his application to stay in Canada has been rejected and he now faces deportation.

Glass, 25, came to Canada in August 2006 after serving in Iraq as a Military Intelligence Sergeant. “What I saw in Iraq convinced me that the war is illegal and immoral. I could not in good conscience continue to take part in it,” said Glass. “I came here because Canada did not join the Iraq War. Also, I knew Canada had welcomed many Americans during the Vietnam War,” Glass stated.

It is estimated that several hundred Iraq War resisters are currently in Canada, many of them living underground.

“Corey Glass would be the first Iraq War resister to be deported from Canada. He would face imprisonment and severe penalties in the US,” said Lee Zaslofsky, coordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign and a Vietnam War resister. “This goes against Canada’s tradition of welcoming Americans who disagree with policies like slavery and the Vietnam War.”

On December 6, 2007, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration called on the Canadian Government to “immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals.”

“The Government should implement that recommendation immediately,” said author Lawrence Hill. “Corey Glass had the courage to listen to his conscience. He is working hard to build a new life in this country. He should be allowed to stay.”

“We must not forget that the invasion of Iraq was a war justified only by lies, greed and stupidity for which permission was not sought nor granted to the Bush administration by the United Nations,” said Alexandre Trudeau, son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and director of the documentary film Embedded In Baghdad. “This outlaw war has ravaged the Iraqi landscape, destroyed tens of thousands of lives and sorely sapped the American treasury all while filling the coffers of profiteers.”

“Those Americans who served in Iraq and have come to Canada to avoid being pressed into further participation in the indignities of the American occupation there are brave men and women of principle who should be given a chance to become landed in Canada. Like many Vietnam draft dodgers before them, their heightened sense of morality and truth can only be a benefit to our nation,” Trudeau concluded.

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For more information please call Lee Zaslofsky at 416.598.1222 or Michelle Robidoux at 416.856.5008.

The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is Toronto's city-wide anti-war coalition, comprised of more than fifty labour, faith and community organizations, and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance.

http://www.nowar.ca/

stopthewar@sympatico.ca

416-795-5863

Please donate! Send a cheque or money order payable to TCSW Canada to:TCSW, 427 Bloor St W, Box 13, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1X7

CALL LIBERAL LEADER Stéphane Dion:613.996.6740 or 613.996.5789

Tell him you want the Liberal Party...• to support the Parliamentary motion to allow Iraq War resisters to remain in Canada,• to oppose the deportation of people of conscience who have resisted an illegal war, and• to support the will of the Canadian people, not Stephen Harper’s decision to deport war resisters, and not the U.S.’s war agenda.•

Let Them Stay!

Thinking of China

2008-05-20T20:08:00.002-04:00

I just happened to be working on this intricate drawing of the China of yesteryear when the news broke of the earthquake there. I have continued to work on it over these past days as I have prayed for all those suffering people -- in China and in Burma as well.

The drawing is simply entitled "China".

Peace.