R.I.P. Good Design

We went to put flowers on Faye's grave for Mother's Day yesterday, and while I was there I saw two of the worst tombstones I have ever seen.  It is apparent that, for some, death is a free pass to get as tacky as you want with the one you love.  I have blurred out the names to protect the innocent (the innocent being the one who is dead and probably had nothing to do with this fiasco).

Grave #1:  "Until We Meet Again" or "Hope You Like Christmas for Eternity"  How ironic that the person who designed and planned this poor woman's grave had this inscription placed on it but hasn't been back since Christmas of 1998?  If you look closely, you'll see that the Christmas tree has lights that were once powered by a battery pack.  The casual, yet dramatic draping of the plastic beads suggest that the designers had once seen an episode on HGTV and attempted to "jazz up" Mama's grave.

Grave #2:  "Love Remains, but Design is Dead" or "Mickey and the Grave"  Yes, folks, that is a University of Tennessee "T" on one side and a Mickey Mouse silhouette on the other.  Since the woman who wants to take Mickey to her resting place is obviously not there yet, one can assume that she is also the one who picked out the Tennessee Vols logo for her hubby.  How much do these tombstones cost?  They aren't cheap.  Between the wedding bands interlocking, the T, the Mickey, the flowers, the crosses, the heart... it looks like someone went crazy with clipart on a homemade card in Publisher.  I will haunt anyone, ANYONE, who does this to me.

The Art Itch

No, it is not the same as athlete's foot.  It is that sometimes rare, out-of-the-blue, if-I-don't-make-some-art-soon-I'll-die moment that artists ache for.  Because I am swamped doing art, work, busy stuff for other people I don't always have a chance to step back, become motivated, and have the energy to draw.  Lucky me, the art itch has finally struck me, and it couldn't have happened at a better time.  I have 2 1/2 weeks of teaching left and then I'm free for the summer.  I have great plans to complete some show-worthy pieces.  How many I actually finish is another story.  I'm just going to enjoy the process.


I really want to focus on making some pieces that I've never given myself the opportunity to create.  They will be based on my thoughts and reactions to a personal battle with cancer.  After finishing up with a check-up with my Oncologist, I have now made it to the four-year mark of being "cancer free."  They say you're not really out of the woods until the five year mark, so I can't say I've quite made it yet.


I intend to post drawings, diagrams, plans, finished work on this blog as I create it.  In the near future, it may only be a "up-to-date" image, which I think may be interesting to see the development of a piece from start to finish.


So, off to do more sketching...