A little art

It’s raining again in Houston, and while I know lots of people–especially those who drive in it–are sick of it, I can’t help but enjoy it because it drops the temperature a little and nourishes my yard. And in spite of the fact that it caused one of my gutters to swing loose and scare me and the dogs, it’s also great reading weather–if only I had SOMETHING NEW to read. So I’m rereading books, and never mind which ones, because I can’t take the snark.

Between books, I grabbed a Barbie from the naked model box and dressed her in one of the Barbie Basics little black dresses. Then I posed her in front of one of Lindsey’s unfinished paintings that I like and am not even sure if it should BE unfinished because it’s so cool. Although I’m not presenting it right-side-up here.

And speaking of art, last week’s challenge on Bravo’s Work of Art was for the artists to create a piece that was shocking and memorable and spoke to issues that are important to them personally. The bodily fluids! The nudity!

If you’ve read my novels, you know that “shocking” is not really my thing. But here’s what I created to submit to the Work of Art blog.

(view large on black)


Materials: Acrylic, ink, blood, bloody tissues, magazine collage, book excerpts, product packaging, and used lancets and glucose test strips on canvas.

Statement: Diabetes may not seem shocking in art, but it’s shocking to the person who has it. Words and pictures on the canvas present the challenges of dealing with this chronic illness including fears of blindness and amputation, unfounded guilt about the illness, and the wearying necessity of being aware of the content of everything eaten every day and daily testing of blood glucose.