by Marty Coleman | Nov 5, 2014 | Love - 2014, Stephen Stills |
Truth
This is one of my favorite lines from a song. The moment I heard it, I believed it was good and true. Years later I became familiar with Jesus’ teaching of “Love your neighbor as yourself”. When someone questions Jesus about exactly who is his neighbor, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. The point of that story is that everyone is your neighbor and should be treated as such.
In other words, you never have to question what it is you are to do. You are always to love the person in front of you.
___________________
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote are lyrics from the song, ‘Love the one you’re with’ by Stephen Stills.
Most people think it is a ‘Crosby, Stills and Nash’ song, but it was actually written and performed by Stills on his debut solo album in 1970. It was later recorded live with C S & N and that is how it became thought of as a C S & N song. The line was not made up by Stills. He kept hearing a fellow musician, Billy Preston, say the line in daily life and asked him if he could use it in a song. He agreed.
____________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Nov 4, 2014 | Collections |
Last week I showed you a collection of naked men. It got more hits than any other post I have had in probably 6 months to a year. I am sure those trolling were disappointed to find out they were cartoon naked men with very minimalist interpretations of their packages, but hopefully it was interesting for the rest of you.
Why Naked?
Today it’s a naked women collection. I am pretty sure the trolls will be equally disappointed in the lack of graphic rendering.
Those among you who are upright citizens might think, ‘Well dang Marty, aren’t you the ‘Napkin Dad’ and aren’t you suppose to be an example of good morals? So, why are you drawing naked women (and men)?’ The answer is simple. I like drawing naked people. I am an artist and a big reason for that was that I was raised in a family that appreciated and collected art. My Grandfather collected art and had a fantastic collection of prints, drawings and paintings. Many of those were handed down to my mother. Thus, my household growing up was full of art, many pieces were of nudes. How early did I actually start drawing the nude? From the very beginning. My first art exhibition ever was in my High School Library in my senior year. My subject matter? Nudes that I drew from actual models. No, I am not joking. It was a different era. I like drawing naked people because it allows me a fantastic opportunity to communicate both emotions and ideas.
The Naked Emotion
You might ask, ‘But you have 4 daughters, aren’t you worried you are influencing them to think it’s ok for women to be objectified by depicting the nude?’ My answer would be the exact opposite is what I think I am influencing them to think. That it is ok and positive for women (and men) to be depicted nude (and for artists to do the depicting) when you are being true to the story you want to tell and the feeling you want to arouse. Funny I know, the word ‘arouse’ is a loaded term when talking about the depiction of the nude. But feelings about the nude are not restricted to sexual arousal. Embarrassment, pride, relief, compassion, empathy, anger, hurt, shame, exhilaration, triumph, and many other emotions and feelings can also be depicted and elicited by the use of the nude in art, photography or film. Sometimes the nude is actually the best vehicle for getting those emotions communicated in a compelling way. I would hope my daughters and grandchildren would see art, and the nudity depicted in it, in that light.
Me and Michelangelo
Of course it is somewhat silly and ironic that I write an essay about the nude in art when what you are about to see are cartoon drawings. My drawings here are not in competition with Michelangelo’s sculpture of David for the exaltation of the human form. But they are in keeping with the impetus of the artist to try to communicate well, which is all I am really trying to do when you get right down to it.
Here is a selection through the years. A link to the original posts are below each image.
______________________
1998/99
_______________________
2001
______________________
2003
___________________
2004
_____________________
2009
_____________________
2010
__________________
2011
________________________
2012
___________________
2013
______________________
2014
__________________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Nov 3, 2014 | Collections |
Early on in my napkin drawings I started adding in our pets. We had a dog and cat, and now we have 2 dogs and a cat. They are recurring characters. We also had a snake, a turtle and lots of pet rats when my daughters were growing up. They make appearances as well.
I use animals as the voice of wisdom often. They are immune from the stupidity of society and humanity so they are a great objective reporter of our homo sapien pressures.
Here is a collection of animal drawings from 1998 to 2014.
_________________________
1998/99
Original post – It is Loneliness
___________________
2000
Original post – All Anger
Second drawing, years later, same quote – All Anger
________________________
2001
Original post – We Only Confess
_______________________
2002
Original post – Success Generally Depends
_____________________
2003
_______________________
2004
Original post – We all have the strength
__________________________
2009
Original post – The Time You Enjoy Wasting
__________________
2010
Original post – Art is the Only Way
________________
2011
Original post – Whatever Remains
_____________________
2012
Original post – Err, Forgive, Purr
_______________________
2013
Original post – Shopping For a Unicorn
______________________
2014
Original post – The Mosquito’s Power
_______________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 31, 2014 | Conscience - 2014, Lillian Hellman |
Let’s cut to the chase, it’s day #4 of my Conscience series.
Moral Fashion
Is this about fashion? Maybe, if you are a young woman who isn’t comfortable wearing short shorts. But ‘fashion’ comes in many forms. There is moral fashion for example.
This quote actually came from a fight about communism here in the US back in the 1940s and 50s. The House of Representatives started to hold hearings trying to get citizens to tell on their neighbors, co-workers and friends as to whether they were communists or communist sympathizers. When they brought Lillian Hellman, a play and screen writer, to testify she refused, using this quote to rebuff their attempts to coerce her to tell.
Heart
The reason I used the image of a heart being cut out is that more than any other element (besides perhaps one’s romantic entanglements) our conscience really is the heart of who we are. Take away our morality and our conscience and you pretty much leave an empty shell behind.
Pride
I am always proud of my friends, family and even people I only know online, who find their moral boundaries and grow in them. Don’t get me wrong though, I am not only talking about the ‘traditional values’ idea. I am also talking about the radical, or the nudist, or the person who foregoes the traditional life of the middle class for a life serving others in Africa. I am talking about the child of doctors who expect their child to follow in their footsteps but instead they incur the wrath of the family by deciding to be a singer, or artist. This is true of the children of artists who want to be doctors too of course.
I am talking about those who have courage to say, ‘This is me.’
___________________
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by Lillian Hellman, 1905-1984, American playwright and screenwriter. Look her up to find out more about her courageous stand against the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
___________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 30, 2014 | Collections |
We continue our journey into the Napkin’s archives with a collection of hands. This collection also happens to contain my favorite quote of all time. See if you can find it.
Hands are Handy
One of the reasons I used hands when I first started doing these drawings for my daughters was that they were very easy and fast to draw. I was drawing 3 drawings per morning to stick in their lunches so I had to be fast. I could quickly draw the hand with one line and have it express an idea. I liked that. Then add in that it was easy for the hand to represent something greater than self, from another world, and it was a no brainer to use the hand for ideas related to God, religion, hell, heaven, theology, etc. It came to represent more than that but that is where it started.
Here is a selection starting in 1998/99. The first napkin is undated but the only undated drawings I have are, for the most part, from those 2 years.
____________________
1998/99
Original post – ‘Sleeping Girl’
________________________
2001
Original post – ‘I Am An Atheist Still’
_________________________
Original post – ‘Thinking Clearly’
_________________________
2002
Original post – ‘We Are All Imprisoned by Facts’
_________________________
2003
Original post – ‘The Fingers Must Be Educated’
___________________
2004
Original post – ‘The Unexpected Life’
___________________
Original post – ‘The Test of a Religion’
________________________
2009
Original post – ‘If There is a God’
___________________
Original post – ‘The Intent of Theology’
__________________
2010
Original post – ‘Man Must Be Disappointed’
______________________
2011
Original post – ‘Religion Was Science’ – Creation vs Evolution #4
____________________
2012
Original post – ‘Perfection and Progress’ – The Perfect Perfectionist Series #3
_____________________
2014
Original post – ‘The Moment of Good Fortune’ – Wealth #1
______________________
Drawings by Marty Coleman
_______________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
