We. One Nation

“If we don’t come together they’re going to break us all apart.” 

This quote from Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile who was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in Minnesota as she sat next to him, upon learning of the deaths of 5 Dallas police officers the following day.  

Our nation continues to be pulled apart by racism, politics, religion and a big heaping of social inequities. We ARE a nation, and for a good portion of the population, ostensibly UNDER GOD, so how IS it that this continues to happen? I weep for the lost lives, the black men killed with minor to non-existing justification, for soldiers sent off to fight wars that pretend to be for a just cause, for our civil protectors in uniform, the police, who put their lives on the line every day so that the rest of us can sleep in peace. My heart aches for the innocent caught up in this war of anger playing out in front of us. 

The changes we need are inside our hearts. We need to be able to hold hands with the tatooed woman, stop gossiping about the starlet whose face has been altered, quit staring at the teen driver with his speakers on ultra loud, reach out to the bearded man making his living begging, listen to the non-English speaking immigrant. The list goes on. How much longer will we turn our heads and pretend the daily events happening in the streets, corporate boardrooms, pulpits and politicians offices don’t affect us? Why are we in a place where our citizens can actually encourage a ranting, raving, bullying candidate for the highest office in our country? How did we get here? How can so many people hate others they’ve never even met? How is it we can believe that hurting others will protect us? What is really fueling the anger?

If we are indeed a Nation, then we, in spite of differences, must find common ground and pull together. We must begin to say NO to all those things that pull us apart. We must recognize that as one people, there is no us and them, it is we. WE. We must stop letting others fill our heads with hatred. We need to take care of one another. We need to stand together. We. One Nation.

Kudos # 2

It's time for another Kudos. 

This one is for someone very special.  My studio roomie, Mike Keeling.  Mike is not only unique - just ask him! - he's the kind of guy that goes out of his way for his friends and never knows a stranger.  

This is Mike from several years ago.  It's the first time we ever collaborated on a painting.  Two, in fact, and we used my studio in Art Works.  We set up two large canvases facing one another, so we actually worked back to back.  Sometimes we'd switch.  But as the paintings progressed, we wound up working together on each piece, learning from one another during the process.  Because we had so much fun, AND because we both needed a larger space, we wound up moving to a new studio in another facility.  We've been roommates ever since. 

Although our spouses have helped us along the way, Mike has been the workhorse for our studios.  He built the loft in our current space.  

Mike attends nearly every one of my night classes.  He contributes to the conversation, helps when he can, works on his own art, photographs student work, walks students to their cars when we're done. 

Mike is also the kind of guy that will stop in the middle of a highway and chase down a stray Great Pyrenees because his studio roomie said he would.  And who stays with the neighbor's baby when the grandfather passes away. 

He's also a pretty fabulous self-taught artist who absorbs everything art like a sponge.  Mike brings joy into most everything he does - has a smile on his face, a joke on his lips, a compliment in his heart.  I've not met many people with the joy of life that Mike exudes or that are as comfortable with their inner child as he is with his own. 

New Blog

I have created a new blog - Adele Castillo Art - to separate my art posts from my other musings. Both will exist for the time being. If you wish to catch up on what is happening in my studio or related to art, visit Here.  Thanks for checking in.