Just Off the Easel...

Essential Tool for Political Discourse

22”x30"

Acrylic and graphite on paper

 not sure if this guy is political or not...

But I just had to comment on the political discourse I have heard in the last 16 months or so...

Not the content of it (that is much needed), but the style and method of it (which I feel is detrimental to achievement).

Busy Hands

I just kept thinking, what if all these debaters, FB posters, marchers, legislators and demonstrators had to do something constructively expressive with their hands while stating and debating their points? (and no typing does not count as constructive...think talk-to-text) Something that was NOT related to what was coming out of their mouths?

But what would those hands be busy doing?

Maybe using one of these things in my painting above...a mini zen garden.

We have a small one on the desk in my sun room at my house.  I also gave one to a high school counselor years and years ago.  And while many of us are probably think, “whoa Kathy, how is this constructive?  Playing with a zen garden is just frivolous fun or energy burn off.”  To which I say maybe, or maybe not.  Depends on the result of the conversation. 

High School Non-Drama

And back to that high school counselor, she told me that she put the zen garden on her desk at work thinking it would just look cool and that was about it. 

 But then something wonderful happened...

When her students came into see her, instead of only mumbled mono syllable responses...(well she still got those in the first few minutes)  while raking the mini zen garden for a while, these students starting talking.  Really talking. Telling her the below-the-surface stuff that was weighing on their young souls.  She said that cheap little novelty desk top toy made her job much easier because when they opened up like that, she knew how to help these students better.  

And a lot of time the deeper talk was the only thing these students needed.  

Political Therapy

I like to think of this zen garden as constructive mini art therapy in the moment.  Would love to send out about 1000 of these little guys to all the knee-jerk posters, marchers and politicians out there...

Whoever thought a plastic container with some sand and rocks  could make such a big positive difference?