NO ONE IS IMMUNE: THE ART OF IMAGERY

As a child, reading challenged me. Few stories captured my heart and my mind as James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. I know now that the visual interpretations crafted by N.C. Wyeth for the hardcover book  brought me into the epic (Alas, my copy disappeared). Debate continues as to whether Wyeth's work, and others such as Norman Rockwell's, is considered "art."

Being an active Tweeter, in a circuitous way another Tweeter asked me to compare Andy Warhol to John Singer Sargent (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has a large collection of Sargent's paintings). The conversation led to a consensual conclusion that Andy Warhol changed the boundaries of "What is art?" in the sixties and seventies. Not to disparage Warhol's contributions, if his silk screens are now accepted as modern art, why do current art historians question N.C. Wyeth's distinctive, classic illustrations?

When the satirical magazine Charles Hebdo hit the news, I remembered my brother's copies of MAD Magazine and how much the visual artistry of the cartoonists stayed with me far beyond the captions. Maybe as a visual learner, pictures impressed me more than words. The humorous and sardonic imagery made an impact.

N.C. Wyeth's illustrations had the same effect. Look at the cover he did for The Last of the Mohicans: Chingachgook, father of Uncas, is featured.  Heartbreaking as I remember (SPOILER ALERT) Uncas’ death, as the fictional death of  a bloodline, a tribe, and the eventual demise of a people.

When illustrators’ work reaches into the soul of many, I argue we must put subjective tastes aside. Many will agree that art IS subjective but the cover above reaches beyond the individual. And if a drawing, painting, photograph; an illustration or even street art awakens our numbed senses, deadened by over-stimulation via technology, then the work should be elevated to the status of art. Any hand-made, hand-captured image which makes a community stop and think has more value than any masterpiece hanging in a museum. Awakening the sleeping public is priceless.

It’s been often said that great writers paint pictures with their words. Powerful speakers do the same. For in the end, visual imagery which underscores historical, contemporary and personal events lingers in our consciousness.

WATERCOLOR SEA

(Copyright 2012 Wendy Shreve)

Teal, aqua, sky blue,

Seafoam, emerald, wisteria green,

Tawny, sienna, chocolate brown,

Mauve, lavender, lilac purple;

Intermixing as colors in nature do,

Sparkling with sunlight and misty hues;

Raging, dark, infinite depths,

Sometimes shallow, polluted; imposing deaths;

Watching myriad-colored fish amid tidal pools in the sea,

Water reflects eternal wisdom: all colors are equal; all living things are free.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Originally published 2013)

PLEASE GO TO: www.shadowwater.net for more information on my books, SHADOWWATER & DARK SEA.

MARS & WATER: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Percival Lowell

If you're anticipating a blog about Tarzan of the Apes, you'll have to look elsewhere. This commentary will explore the once popular serial by Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars (titled in the 2012 movie John Carter) the first book in Burroughs' Barsoom Series. Why is the popular American author and his fiction relevant? Because Burroughs' associates, scientists of his time, predicted that Mars has water.

A Princess of Mars, set in the 1870s, depicts the red planet dying after once being covered by oceans. The remaining water has receded and disappeared to a point where rival societies fight over water rights. And, an American, John Carter, is accidentally transported to Mars to become a respected hero in this strange, new world. (Wikipedia)

Burroughs learned that lauded astronomer Percival Lowell, discoverer of Pluto, believed that Mars had once been alive with living organisms millions of years ago and had become a dying planet with only water remaining at the polar ice caps. Lowell wrote Mars in 1895. Edgar Rice Burroughs read the publication but didn't directly borrow the scientist's detailed theories, though the author did adopt Lowell's basic premises.

If you skipped Disney's John Carter, I recommend going back and watching it or reading Burroughs' A Princess of Mars (the first book in the Barsoom Series). You will be astonished at Burroughs's depiction of a place not unlike our southwest--where the story begins--and what Mars could have been, fantasy elements aside, in its ability to sustain life.

To conclude, the recent discovery of "water" on Mars by NASA scientists could be the keystone to unlocking secrets long hidden by the cold red soil of a planet once considered dead by real-life scientists but never by Percival Lowell or his sci-fi interpreter Edgar Rice Burroughs.

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT? CLIMATE CHANGE REVISTED

(Wrote this draft January 1, 2015)

Went to a discussion three weeks ago on climate change, a follow-up to a sermon given by a minister that day at a local church. I participated because I walked in the People's Climate March in New York City. The speaker commented that climate change encompassed all the world's problems but didn't elaborate on that grandiose statement. Eventually, a woman, ninety years old with lots of moxie, asked how could it be that climate change is tied to all the world's problems? He replied with brief examples--he had to leave for another commitment--including hotter climates producing hotter tempers, devastating floods, and so on. However, the woman's question has resonated since that discussion.

CRYSTAL LAKE
(During drought, Summer 2013)

Informed, long-term followers know two critical points: that scientists have warned of climate change long before our current crisis. And, science fiction predicted scientific fact (a topic I mentioned in an earlier blog). What weakens the controversy is how, like an extended outline for a research paper, the subheadings, i.e. direct and indirect effects of climate change have been overlooked. To simply my premise, I will list these consequences, in random order, and then provide my observations about some of these current/future effects.

1.     Housing

2.     Jobs

3.     Income

4.     Health

5.     Discrimination

6.     Poverty

7.     Global conflict/International relations

8.     Displaced refugees

9.     Censorship

10. Security

Of course, the above represent a short list of the immediate challenges our changing weather patterns have produced, will produce. Moreover, each could be a topic for a scholar's dissertation. To address these challenges with an academic's eyes, however, would be for naught. Most politicians have ignored scientists' warnings for years, and scientific data goes over their heads. And, for anyone in our global community who works just to survive, the list above means little until we look at real world, concrete examples that will forever change their lives.

Think about this: the population of the Maldives (an island group, south-west of India in the Indian Ocean) is @345,000 people. Within our lifetime, their lifetimes the islands will be swept away by rising seas. Where will they re-locate? How will these refugees be sheltered, fed, given opportunities for work?

Americans know from Super Storm Sandy that thousands lost their homes in New Jersey, Staten Island and elsewhere. The cost to rebuild skyrocketed as some businesses saw their chance to capitalize on the disaster. Flood insurance rose significantly not only there, but along the eastern seaboard. Many first homeowners who've lived their lives and worked their trade along the coastline will be unable to return.

Already illnesses related to increasing temperatures will only worsen as pollutants percolate in the already thickening smog from local industries. Nuclear plant run-off, depleting or threatened aquifers, and agricultural run-off will threaten water supplies. Steep increases in respiratory-related illnesses, such as asthma, allergies, chronic diseases, as with Lyme, have and will continue to rise.

Yes, these examples have been highlighted; nevertheless, Congress, the media, the power elite refuse to see the now short-term dangers of ignoring climate change. In fact, Congress just agreed to slash the EPA's budget when the agency had finally begun to make strides to reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants.

Climate change must be a major issue in upcoming presidential platforms. Let’s all contribute our voices to insuring politicos hear the call and continue to act on preserving our planet for generations to come.

HUBRIS: HUMAN NATURE HASN'T CHANGED

Wikipedia image of
Pentheus being torn apart by two of  The Bacchae

Euripides' Pentheus characterizes hubris in the classic Greek tragedy, The Bacchae. I've never considered the play to be sad only tragic, here's why.

Human beings, men and women, educated or not, continue to ignore their hubris--in simplified terms "pride." Whether they achieve greatness or not, humans instinctively believe that in the course of overwhelming obstacles they know what's best, even when told their tactics will eventually result in their demise.

No one is immune to hubris. This optimistic cynic has to tussle with her instinct to embrace cynicism and deny optimism on a daily basis. I'm sure I'm speaking in behalf of many people who face the same temptation. Politics, religion, medicine, environment and daily strife push us to the edge where we wish to raise our voices in anger and knock down the walls that keep us from living contented lives. And that's the problem: our pride, and modern media, lead us to believe we deserve to live an easier life especially as we age, an idyllic existence.

Pentheus, Euripides protagonist, sees the world as his manufactured oyster. Self-delusion also haunts Pentheus. He wants to taste the bitterness (war) and ignore the sweetness (love). Yet, anyone who lives near fresh oyster beds and gets to slurp the delectable bi-valve knows that oysters come in a wide variety to tempt the palate, degrees of sweetness to bitterness. Here on Cape Cod, the prized Wellfleet oysters taste differently depending on where they've been cultivated. If you attend Oysterfest, a yearly October tradition in Wellfleet, and sample oysters offered by different shellfishermen (and women) you will indeed taste the differences. No one can guarantee that their oyster will satisfy you. And that's the rub.

The Cape, and much of New England, sometimes reminds me of the Old West. Long time Yankees (not the team, this is Red Sox nation) "pride" themselves on being rugged individuals who can stand on their own and live their lives without depending on others. A sense of community does exist, sprinkled here and there, men and women willing to give back and help those in need. Yet, like the lone protagonists we find shouting out their defiance, especially on the national political stage, we have individuals here who strut their self-reliance and how they don't need anyone. These humans' overconfidence have undermined not only their own existence but also their family's, friend's and so on. How can this be?

Yes, free spirits have floated around since the rise of homo sapiens. From the ones that we know of in history made significant contributions, Alexander Humboldt or Emily Dickinson, to those who destroyed the people around them, Attila the Hun or Benito Mussolini. Whether they be past presidents or subsequent global leaders, if these men or women are unable to listen to others, to hear the voices of their people or in a micro example, heed advice from loved ones, especially when their world is falling apart, then their self-destruction will affect everyone around them.

Euripides, warns us in the The Bacchae I. 480:  “Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish." Or it's variant translation (which I prefer):  "To the fool, he who speaks wisdom will sound foolish."

Life for any human being will never satisfy regularly. The misconception that wealth, power, fame will solve our own fallacies continues to assert itself in our precarious world. And if, like Pentheus, we believe that we can prevail on our own without help from others or we can be citizens of the world without contributing to its future, its community, we too will be ripped apart by our own hubris.

MY FRIEND THE "KEEPER"

On Cape Cod, we have beekeepers, pond keepers (e.g. Orleans Pond Coalition), gardeners, nature volunteers and climate activists. And then there's my friend who does all those activities and more. Older than I, though most wouldn't believe it, with endless energy; determination, she commands your attention with quiet gravity but smiles with grace. Also, in today's jargon, she'd be called an ambivert.

B.'s also a wife, mother and grandmother. I get to see B.'s family on special occasions. Needless to say, she's garnered enormous respect from her children and their spouses; squeals of joy from the grandchildren.

Illinois Indian roots along with northern European: long, razor-straight dark hair, now sprinkled with salt; sharp eyes that open wide with defiance when challenged, there's no question that my friend has strong opinions. She occasionally adopts strays like her blind, arthritic mutt that sounds the alarm when visitors enter the house, yet calms quickly when he detects a friendly presence, and humans like me who don't fit society's mold but bring curiosity to the table.

More so, my friend has artistic precision. Her woven rugs (see above) and tapestries demonstrate fine attention to detail without clutter and great sense of color. This woman dresses in clothes that understate her personality and do away with fanciful accessories. Although she does accessorize, minimally, she saves her energy for her commanding personality and creativity.

Of all her interests, I'll call her B. to maintain her anonymity, something she'd want I'm sure, B.'s love of beekeeping mesmerizes me. How does one decide to take on such a challenge? After attending a workshop, B. became interested in preserving nature's pollinator's, particularly after learning about honeybees dying off in droves. Ever the nature-preserver, B. became a beekeeper. Clearly, to me at least, a hobby she has undertaken with inner calm and careful authority. Like a queen bee, no setback will deter B. from maintaining her colony.

Yes, B. can be a taskmaster: questioning, sometimes simple responses--a reporter fact-checking her source's story. Exacting standards sometimes bow even the normally unflappable, though her wanting perfection doesn't mean others will achieve it.

With that said, having a friend one can rely on to listen, do and act, if available, demonstrates an ability few people will embrace these days. As friends go, B. is a "keeper."

For a description of more of B.'s tapestries, read my book DARK SEA (Shadowwater II). www.shadowwater.net

PURPLE FLAG WARNING

When potentially dangerous ocean animals have been spotted, you'll see a dark blue or purple flag. These flags fly either on their own or with other colored flags. If you see a blue or purple flag, but the water is not closed to swimming, use extreme caution and keep a close watch for dangerous animals. (USA TODAY)

(Google Image)

A hidden, life-long goal had been to relocate to Cape Cod. I didn't come close until Summer 2002. Moved here permanently in 2007 and have felt lucky. Living near the sea has brought magic into my life that I never thought possible. Yet, there's always a "but," isn't there?

Walking Nauset Beach and watching seals popping their heads up to catch a breath and get their bearings delighted me, though my head told me the playful pinnipeds were eating all the fish, affecting recreational and commercial fishing. My heart savored every moment. Then, an ever-increasing threat, once a concern in other parts of the world has since been acknowledged here: climate change. I heard your groans and moans as you read those words. Today's blog will be more anecdotal than evangelical.

This time, I will focus on how climate change has affected my lifestyle and that of others who love to frolic in the waters off of Nauset Beach. Planet Earth is a living organism which, like shifting sands, changes at a moment's notice. Human beings have precipitated changes and we have to live with that. Still, beauty abounds even among danger and chaos, at least that's what I tell myself. My point? Sharks have invaded the Atlantic coast, off Cape Cod. At first, I joined the ranks of the curious. For example, Mary Lee and Katherine, regular visitors, have been tagged and studied by Atlantic White Shark Conservatory and Greg Skomal, PhD. Occasional visits by threatened Great Whites seemed fanciful and necessary to cull the overpopulated seals which, like me, had decided to move to Cape Cod. 

I'd forgotten why seals came here, however. The Atlantic Ocean temps have warmed, bringing sea-life not seen off Cape Cod and not in such record numbers. Well, nature has a way of restoring balance, so more and more Great White sharks have discovered their cornucopia. Damn. Purple flags, as described above, have been posted regularly at Nauset and other coastal beaches. One of the efficient predators was spotted in Nauset Inlet recently. That's right an inlet!

Left-side brain in charge: I'll approach the Great White shark phenom with a rational observation. The more sharks, the fewer seals, and more fish for our struggling commercial fishing industry. We who live on the Cape, especially those whose ancestors came here and our indigenous peoples, settled here because of the ocean's bounty. A way of life has been saved, right? Well, temporarily, but organisms must adapt to survive and based on predictions from the global scientific community, more drastic change will come. Besides, shark attacks are rare.

Right-side brain banging: no one would dare swim when purple flags have been posted. News and social media show people standing by the water's edge, waves brushing their toes, eyes looking out to sea wondering when they will be able to return. Overreaction? Not when last reported twenty-three Great White sharks have been seen trolling the coastline for seals, fish and a nibble of a bitter-tasting human. No longer being able to swim in the waters that my family and friends swam in cuts to the bone. Uh, unfortunate idiom, makes a point though. Thus, nostalgia has been wiped away by pre-historic predators. I feel for children, families that can't swim regularly off our coastal beaches. They at least have the Bay beaches (Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Bay). 

Ironic. In my case, health issues--potentially caused by climate change (see earlier blog, dated 2/9/15)--keep me from stepping foot in the ocean. Feeling sorry for myself won't fix the problem for others. Therefore, I'll finish with these comments. I will take the changing marine environment as an opportunity to observe, to retain and then use the material for my writing. After all, human beings are animals, and like other species we must adapt.

Fascinated by the sea? Cape Cod life? Read my Shadowwater books. Details: www.shadowwater.net