Drawing II Midterm Portfolio Strengths

Charcoal Composition using water to spread the media

Inkwash Composition

Inkwash Composition

"Intoxicated Midnight"

http://www.myspace.com/artivistrationale -my song completed

"They say your life is an open scripture,
so unwrap your ignorant ears and seize this picture.
This isn't a composition for ache and love,
its a piece dedicated to sights expanding above.
It's not a universal credence among my people alive,
apparently its just what I suffer inside...

And what I refuse to let hide.

At midnight, you're comatose on the base,
cutting the strands from wisdom grown into place.
Mutilated and reshuffled like a puzzle,
vigor and support, trickster chooses to scuffle.
Your life timer twisting down to its closing stages.
Morality and culture apathetically left in cages.
Revered children eyes are the ill-fated circumstance,
nothing now but a modernized providence.

Look back and see your reason for existence.
To traditionalists you pay forward repentance.
Drunk at midnight, another intoxicated midnight...
Beloved aged principles down the drain at midnight.

Try to picture this reality..

Poison bottles hang silent from tree's piercings.
Sage, sweetgrass and feathers now elapsed things.
The mother's womb weeping stridently from peace.
The sanctified pipe tipped towards the nearest city streets.
With the sniping spider whirling webs of deception,
you're included in his tactics of pretension.
All of this fails to convene your inadequate attention.

Society sculpturing children into a mere replica.
Assimilation raping our lands with a blazing swastika.
Littered drapery shadowing over the branches reachings,
blocking out the warmth of our once daily elders teachings.
Rubbish from the tree cascades and splinters child eyes.
A tipping bottle to drench their now sole disguise.
Their only role models they appeal to suffice.
You keep this soulless ceremony a perpetual motion device.

Look back and see your reason for existence.
To traditionalists you pay forward repentance.
Drunk at midnight, another intoxicated midnight...
Beloved aged principles down the drain at midnight.

They say art doesn't replicate but makes visible,
so unlock your eyes to distinguish what's observable.
They say children have limited ears but constant eyes,
can't value words but your proceedings can't speak lies.
They say from our children we're loaning our traditions,
so make your culture in life an unconditional expedition.
They say children need guidance more than instruction,
so search for profound understanding and start a reconstruction.
They say one generation plants trees, the next gets the shade,
You'll comprehend down the road the alterations you have made.
They say that your life is an open scripture.
The book hasn't closed yet, so paint a new picture."


- - - - - - - - -

A reflective poetic composition in response to my new art piece that's developing, which depicts the effects of alcoholism on children, how it affects their decision making, how culture is slowly being lost because of it, and the etc domino effect. Below I'll re post the poem, and go through each line's symbolism.

"They say your life is an open scripture,
so unwrap your ignorant ears and seize this picture.
This isn't a composition for ache and love,
its a piece dedicated to sights expanding above.
It's not a universal credence among my people alive,
apparently its just what I suffer inside...
And what I refuse to let hide.

At midnight, you're comatose on the base,
cutting the strands from wisdom grown into place. (Relates to a drunk Native man at night, so drunk he has no control over his body, laying on the floor and getting his hair cut by fellow drunks, losing his indigenous identity and purpose for his long hair.)

Mutilated and reshuffled like a puzzle,
vigor and support, trickster chooses to scuffle. (This adds to the effect of losing control of his body, being rearranged and mutilated like a puzzle. His "strength and support", aka the people who love and care for him, "trickster chooses to scuffle", which relates to alcohol itself being a traditional symbol of a trickster spirit having control of his body, and forcing him to scuffle and fight with those who care and try to help him.)

Your life timer twisting down to its closing stages.
Morality and culture apathetically left in cages. (This refers to how life passes by each day, losing chances to do the right thing, and how so much of his culture and morals are left behind him in life, apathetically or "not caring for".)

Revered children eyes are the ill-fated circumstance,
nothing now but a modernized providence. (Children are considered very sacred, for they are the next ones in line to pick up and practice our culture..but their eyes only see this man who is his role model..and instead of being what he should, he becomes a similar figure from nurture. A modernized providence relates back to my previous art piece.)

Look back and see your reason for existence.
To traditionalists you pay forward repentance.
Drunk at midnight, another intoxicated midnight...
Beloved aged principles down the drain at midnight.
Try to picture this reality..

Poison bottles hang silent from tree's piercings. (Refers to beer hanging from the sundance tree, from the ropes attached to piercing skewers for sundancing. Beer bottles are replacing the sundancers to symbolize how many have lost their way.)
Sage, sweetgrass and feathers now elapsed things.
The mother's womb weeping stridently from peace. (Traditional beliefs view the sweatlodge as the womb of the earth, from which we go in to purify ourselves and pray. She weeps loudly from the peace and silence, because people are no longer entering the sweat lodges to conduct loud singing ceremonies.)

The sanctified pipe tipped towards the nearest city streets. (The most sacred medicine pipe, smoked during sweat lodge ceremonies is usually placed on a rack outside the lodge facing east, but instead points aimlessly to the city to which we now spend most our time.)

With the sniping spider whirling webs of deception,
you're included in his tactics of pretension. (Again the spider is referenced as a trickster spirit, making webs of deception against our own people, keeping them off the good road.)

All of this fails to convene your inadequate attention.

Society sculpturing children into a mere replica.
Assimilation raping our lands with a blazing swastika. (How children grow up looking more to modern American/Canadian society standards rather than their cultural protocols, comparing this reason to the assimilation that has taken place since the invasion and take over of Euros.)

Littered drapery shadowing over the branches reachings,
blocking out the warmth of our once daily elders teachings. (This refers to my artpiece, which shows the U.S. and Canadian flag draped over the sundance tree in a littering rubbish fashion, to symbolize many things including the attack on Indigenous spiritual practices, and what the supermacies have done to effect how we practice them now.)

Rubbish from the tree cascades and splinters child eyes.
A tipping bottle to drench their now sole disguise.
Their only role models they appeal to suffice.
You keep this soulless ceremony a perpetual motion device. (This refers to the bottles and cans hanging from the sundance ropes off the tree, symbolizing the constant exposure and pressure to go to alcohol to solve their issues and emotional stresses. Also again referring to the role model figures they have in their lives doing this, subconsciously teaching them to do the same..kinda the "leading by example" thing. The last line symbolizes this constant domino effect it has throughout generations.)

Look back and see your reason for existence.
To traditionalists you pay forward repentance.
Drunk at midnight, another intoxicated midnight...
Beloved aged principles down the drain at midnight.

They say art doesn't replicate but makes visible,
so unlock your eyes to distinguish what's observable.
They say children have limited ears but constant eyes,
can't value words but your proceedings can't speak lies. (Children aren't always listening, but are always watching, so make sure you're aware of who is looking up to you and the actions you are showing them.)
They say from our children we're loaning our traditions,
so make your culture in life an unconditional expedition.
They say children need guidance more than instruction,
so search for profound understanding and start a reconstruction. (A call to end this domino effect and return to our culture.)
They say one generation plants trees, the next gets the shade,
You'll comprehend down the road the alterations you have made.
They say that your life is an open scripture.
The book hasn't closed yet, so paint a new picture." (It isn't too late to make changes, even if its just one person and child's life you change positively..make the change.)