I am both sickened and saddened that the PC party is yet again in charge of Alberta, and is in charge of Canada as well. I am afraid of my country's government and the people in it. Clearly, in this country, one vote really does not make a difference, and that is a horrible thing.

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Star: "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?"

Vassago: "That depends. Are there real dykes in it?"



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EDIT:
Nothing against lesbians... or dykes for that matter. Some of my best friends are dykes. Actually, some of my best friends are gay men who probably resent being called dykes because they think Pussy is the 8th deadly sin.

I have no motivation for art, but I really wish I did. Confession to the journal and the few who read it -- I'm not an artist, I'm a writer. I CAN do art, but I'm a writer first and foremost. With art, half the time I have to force motivation, and yes, I enjoy it once I get started, but mostly, I make art for the finished product, not the act.

That said, I have no motivation for art. So, i might just work on more color stuff and hell with the paintings for a while.



CONTEST!

Hey gang, the amazing, talented is holding an art contest with a great theme and really good prizes. You should check it out!
I will be one of her judges, but I won't be playing favorites (sorry kids, that's just not fair), so, sadly, I'm not eligible for any of the goodies. But, YOU are. Spread the word, and enter!

Man am I busy! So much to get caught up on and going on. It's a good thing, believe me. I would like to make money on my painting - really, I would. (If you are reading this; commission me, I'm starving to death! ) On that train of thought it occurred to me - there are hardly paintings up in my gallery - just doodles and colors. Doh!

So, I will be posting some *new* painted works up in the gallery, and hopefully - hopefully, I will be able to make some money offering commissions, or maybe even - gasp - get to do color work for comics and the like!

Um... not too much else, really. I'm just going to post a list here of what I have on the go so as I can keep it straight in my head.

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To paint:

Titiana - 100% complete

Yuri - 20% complete

Sixtus #1 - 40% complete

Sixtus #2 - 20% complete

Lessa - 20% complete

-For others-

Vu (for ) - 20% complete

Something for ( ) - 0% complete



Anyone wanting to comission me, send me a note. I don't have set prices, just let me know what you want! I will draw/paint booby art; nudie art; hardcore, nasty action (lol); or something tame. If you have an idea - i will paint it! I will paint over your line art!

Off to work now!

I am not going to rant about Deviant Art here, because this is my Deviant Art journal, and I am using the services they provide me, free of charge. When one signs up for Deviant Art one agrees to all the terms and conditions outlined in the TOS (Terms of Service) and the rules and regulations. That's just the way it is.

They could have something therein that states 'all females over the age of fifteen must wear a purple hat every Wednesday, take a picture of themselves in said hat, and post it to their Deviant Art account'. If we wanted to use the Deviant Art service, we would have to agree to that term, and would do so when we checked the box indicating that we agreed to the TOS. If all females over the age of fifteen did not comply with the aforementioned rule, Deviant Art would be well within their rights to ban or suspend said person.

I understand this. Sadly, I think that the banning, removal of images and suspensions taking place on Deviant Art are not so much happening because someone has violated something in the rules or the TOS, but rather, that someone has violated someone else's sensibilities.

It seems that these days Deviant Art (and maybe people in general) are more concerned with not offending anyone, being politically correct, and keeping the masses happy as opposed to what may actually count as grounds to not have a piece of art seen over the internet.

It's rumored that there are admins and others on Deviant Art who watch and target specific users, lying in wait for a piece of art that may upset or offend. It's said that they remove that piece of art, sending a note to the artist in the form of a generic letter stating that that artist's image may or may not have contained any number of various things that were either, in violation of the law or the Deviant Art TOS. That letter also goes on to say that even if the image didn't contain any of the above mentioned things, it may still -- for reasons never made clear to the artist -- violate the TOS or the law in general.

I don't know if this is true or not, and I would hope it not to be. Just thinking that it may be makes it a sad day for art in general.

To you, the reader of this journal, I pose some questions -- some things that really should be thought about by all who delve into the 'art online' world, including, but not limited to Deviant Art. After all, the internet is a powerful media, for art and all things. It is not going away, nor shrinking. Online art and online art hosting websites are only growing and here to stay. I think that's great, but I also think that it warrants a particular responsibility on the part of the hosting website and its staff.

This responsibility is not about what may offend, upset or what young eyes shouldn't see. It's about the truth in art – all manor of art from images to sculpture to written verse. It’s about respect to art, artists and the history and struggle for artistic freedom and expression. It’s about not playing favorites or ‘targeting’ those who may post art that is strange, risqué or offensive, but embracing the message behind and within the piece.

I ask you all:

At what point did art stop being about expression and start having to be politically correct?

If someone is offended by a piece of art, or it's naughty or racy, does that mean that it shouldn't be shown?

Though Deviant Art is a service we all are using, should they be allowed to ' police ' the artwork on the site based on their whims, offering generic notes to artists as to why a piece has been removed?

Shouldn't those in power be fair to everyone, and not allow one person to post a graphic nude image with no consequences, while coming down on someone else who they've 'targeted' for posting a suggestive image because the former is a photographic piece, while the latter is digital art?

Should we - as artists - be given more rights and respect?