Seeing Red, Not White, Black and Blue

I confess to being disheartened in 2020 by the relentlessness of the news of police brutality, federal militias violently interfering in local affairs, and the blatant and emboldened racism of our times. I was fortified by the Peaceful Protesters, as well as the Moms, the Dads with Leaf Blowers, and the Veterans in Portland — who stood up for our Constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, while trying to protect their neighbors. Yes, there were looters and other opportunists playing at violence as well as the police and the federal forces. But the violence of some does not negate the heroism of others.

This piece, Seeing Red, Not White, Black and Blue was completed on July 4, 2020 when my own patriotism was bruised by government sanctioned self-aggrandizement and senseless brutality. The central image of this piece is abstracted from a photograph of old and battered store mannequins that I took while on a mad shopping spree at SCRAP*. I chose this image to make reference to the casual way federal militias are firing on peaceful protestors as though they were inanimate objects of little value. In using iridescent hues from pearl to bronze, I tried to reflect the multi-racial reality of our country’s people, all of whom are precious. Seeing Red Not White, Black and Blue is dedicated to the heroes in Portland who give me hope.

*San Francisco’s Reuse Depot and a haven for artists of all kinds.

Materials & TechniquesThermofax prints on silk printed with pearl, gold, bronze and copper metallic paints. Machine quilted with embroidery thread. Raw silk backing. Gold lame binding.DimensionsH: 56” x W: 18”Price$900.00Date2020