That Is Obscene

After posting The Lovers -VI- [B] [Photo-realism version] and The Lovers -VI-[pseudo-painted version],  made for the Tarot Contest, sponsored by Spicy-Manips;

It reminded me of some recent posts about DA Guidelines regarding Nudity and the Mature Filter.

Mature Content

----------------------

DA Guidelines: Re. Mature Filter:

According to the DA Guidelines

Nudity: This flag is appropriate if your work contains explicit nudity; revealing the genitalia of a model or fictional character or revealing a full female breast including nipples. 

Ideologically Sensitive: This tag is intended to be used in the event that your work contains a controversial opinion, religious, political, social, or otherwise which can be considered offensive. 

-----------------------

The latter may be a problem; as a friend said, a lot of people seem to find my existence a political act of defiance.

A girlfriend said being around me is just too hard, having to fight all the time with her family, church, and politicians, all the time.

I get that. I thought it would get better; but, she thought otherwise; and, she is a lot smarter than me; and, so far, she’s been proved right.

-------------------------

So, is this the Committee on Climate Change politically sensitive, and potentially offensive, or Boris the Bear and His Ventriloquist Dummy? Idk, maybe…

-------------------------

Anyway, back to the matter at hand…

As to the former, we really need to stop identifying nudity and breasts as inherently objectionable or sexual.

----------------------------

According to “Topfreedom” in Canada - Wikipedia, in Canada,the law on public decency is found in sections 173 and 174  of the Criminal Code.

In 1991, toplessness as an indecent act was challenged by Gwen Jacob in Guelph, Ontario, after she removed her shirt and was charged with indecency.

Part of her defense was the double standards between men and women. Although she was convicted, this was overturned by the Court of Appeal...

So, being topless is gender neutral and not indecent in Canada.

And, Women can go topless in Canada, as reported by the CBC.

-----------------------

In Hylonome the Centauride for Fairytale Fantasy Contest, hosted by Spicy-Manips

Both Hylonome the Centauride and her spouse Cyllarus the Centaur are nude;

But, you know- centaurs.

-------------------------

Okay, In The Library..., for the Mask Contest, sponsored by  EroticManipulations, is obviously meant to be fun; and, a little provocative;

But, Nature Tour, or Look Back, for RETRO GLAM CONTEST - EXTENDED, sponsored by we-HEART-photomanip, is just intended to be funny.

And, in Sculpture Gallery for the Out of Your Comfort Zone Contest, hosted by CRPhotomanipulation, again they’re mythological.

----------------------

My Dad always argued that there was no difference between Playboy and things in an art gallery, like Sculpture Gallery.

He’d say that the only difference was the frame or the thickness of the carpet.

Obviously, there are other differences.

----------------------

My Dad’s argument has always been that all art is an obscene waste of time and money.

He was so mad that my Mum went to an art gallery, without his permission;

And, I was in the school play, when my health allowed, that he sold the all-electric, specially built house, which we had;

And, moved us to an old house, built on a swamp, between a foundry, highway, and mill; not surprisingly my health suffered.

And, the school was so bad; the teachers had been fired from my old school for groping the female students, as well as being Neo-Nazis and denying The Holocaust: the history department said it was a British plot to spread Typhoid, as a bio-weapon.

The librarian refused to have The Diary of Anne Frank, in the stacks, because she claimed it was a hoax;

She said that it was also pornographic: promoting homosexuality and lesbians.

That is obscene.

----------------------

Watching:

Who Was Anne Frank? | History

Animation of Anne Frank, the graphic biography

An interview with the creators of the new graphic novel about Anne Frank

----------------------

Anne Frank - Courage, by LittleRamona

----------------------

Amsterdam Prinsengracht, by Snowflaky

---------------------

The Anne Frank Statue, by Penguin

--------------------
Anne Frank, by LinZStylee

--------------------

This issue of Mature Filters came up before, when I posted Spaekona, for the MYTHOLOGY NORSE Contest, hosted by majesticARTS

Which someone said needed a Mature Filter, according to the DA Guidelines.

It didn’t occur to me; since in the scene they’re just bare; not in any way sexual;

Since it shows the Spáekona [völva]: seers and shaman in Norse mythology.

Of course, seiðr (sorcery) was considered female, or Ergi and argr, in  Old Norse, in the Viking Age.

-------------------

Sidebar:

In Magnus Chase and The Gods of Asgard:  a trilogy^[1] of fantasy novels written by Rick Riordan, based on Norse mythology.

Which is set in the same universe and shares characters with the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, and The Kane Chronicles series. 

Alex Fierro is a  gender-fluid demigod child of Loki, whose gender identities  is both masculine or feminine‍ in the original sources, in terms of  gender binary.

------------------------

In Pendragon-Art’s Journal, Porn and Violence  on DA, she discussed the problems of some things that clearly are offensive.

And, reposted mirandaadria’s Journal, Nothing Exists in a Vacuum: Stop softcore porn., further discussing the problem of some things being posted on DA, which clearly don’t belong, not being art.

---------------------

There have been some things posted on DA, which compelled being reported, because it violated the DA Guidelines prohibiting  “obscene or pornographic materials”;

And, anything which promotes “hate propaganda… which strongly implies and encourages violent acts against any individual, race or ethnic or social groups”;

--------------

But, there have been times, when the images are so ubiquitous, when just looking on the main page or searching for Stock Images, for anything that it’s just numbing.

And, I’ve scrolled through, trying to just ignore the objectionable materials, which are taking up space and bandwidth feed on the internet.

Of course, that’s not very helpful.

If we want things to be better; the only way is to try to do something.

As my Granddad often said, if we don’t vote, or do anything, we can’t complain.

----------------

As the tagline says, DeviantArt “is the world's largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art.”

It launched in 2000, with people who modified computer programs and modified them to their own tastes, or who "deviated" the applications from the original designs.

So, members are known as "deviants" and submissions as "deviations”.

But, it is not a porn site.

DA has over 26 million members and 4 million visits weekly. So, that’s a lot.

-------------------

Recently, I’ve been reading The Trials of Apollo, by Rick Riordan, which reminded me of the story of Apollo and Daphne .

Watching:

Apollo and Daphne - Greek Mythology - See U in History

Apollon and Daphne - an animated short, 2011

Bernini, Apollo and Daphne

-------------------

Obviously, this has some inspired some fantastic art-

Apollo and Daphne, by cgaddictworld [link]

--------------------

Daphne and Apollo, by BeatrizMartinVidal

---------------------

Daphne and Apollo, by isnukwin

-------------------

This reminded me of a scene in the movie Better Than Chocolate [1999], a 1999 Canadian romantic comedy shot in Vancouver, directed by Anne Wheeler.

Part of the story is taken from the Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium being unfairly targeted by Canada Customs, which the Supreme Court of Canada found had violated Section 2 of The Charter of Rights and Freedoms-

Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication…

-Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Laws.justice.gc.ca-

-----------------

Better than Chocolate - Trailer

Better Than Chocolate (1999) (Trailer)

------------------

But, this mantle of free expression is not intended as a cloak to protect obscene materials, promoting violence or hate prohibited by DA’s Guidelines.

-------------------

Fukari has a couple of funny pieces about this- mature filter in real life and how to censor your artwork

------------------

Listening to:

Ice Cream (Live) - Sarah McLachlan

------------------

The Last Ice Cream, by Lampputar

--------------------

After all, everyone likes ice cream;

Even if you’re lactose intolerant, there’s always rice milk treats-

Like Rice DREAM™ Vanilla

---------------------

But, even some botanical ingredients can be toxic, if not handled properly.

--------------------

Reading:

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks,

By Amy Stewart 

--------------------

The Botanist, by uglybug

--------------------

The botanist, by LidiaVives

--------------------

Llama Prayer for deviantART, by VSConcepts

--------------------

Pax

------------------

Take Care and Stay Warm, or Keep Cool, depending..

-Cat…

The Phoenix Project Prospectus:
Re. Devious Dreams:

To help deviants achieve their creative evolution, DeviantArt is awarding over $20,000 to artists like you! Yes, you!

1. Brainstorm // 2. Comment // 3. Cross your fingers

--------------------

Well, this is exciting. There are a few things in the hopper.

---------------------

Things are often so dismal and dark, wrestling just to survive; and, wondering why.

It’s nice to think of dreams getting to their wings; and, having help to rise up.

Wings

------------------

Listening to:

The Parachute Club - Rise Up (Canadian Video Version)

-------------------

Project Title: The Phoenix Project Prospectus:

Proposal: Finish editing pencil sketches and mixed media for the graphic novels, The Deadman Lives, Beware The Windigo, The Hedge-Bird, The Phoenix Project, and The Quest: a captioned collaboration collection, with Environmental Activist/ Photographer, Marie LeBlanc.

Plan: Focus first on finishing The Deadman Lives, Beware The Windigo, and The Quest. Keep unit costs down by keeping volumes around 33-50 pages;

Publish with an eco-friendly publish on hemp paper and vegetable ink; if a publisher cannot be found immediately, offer through a web site an eBook directly on-line, in a similar model to Amelia Hill, a disabled environmentalist and inspirational writer’s You Can and You Will;

Print small promotional run on eco-friendly paper with vegetable ink, to be available at store fronts, such as Eco-Freako, and Marie LeBlanc’s art installations, as part of her on-going Endangered Humans Project.

Prospectus: Here are a few things that would help bring these projects to fruition.

DA Core Membership: Upgrade from Membership, for 3 years: $50/ year

Clip Studio Paint EX: Upgrade from Clip Studio Paint and Sketchbook: $219

[This would help manage large, multi-page work.]

Photoshop/ Creative Cloud: Upgrade from PSE10: Single App: $20.99/month

Adobe Stock: [To add resources from DA Stock Images.] $29.99 /month/ year

Secure Licenses for Cover Art for The Hedge-Bird: Stand and Deliver, from PirateLotus-Stock and Elandria. >$50? TBA

Secure Licenses: prn: pro re nata: as necessary: prn/ TBA -$?

Wacom Mobile Studio i7, SSD: Upgrade from Asus EP121 Slate: $2,199.95

[My current machine freezes with large files at dpi/ colour profile adequate for print.]
 ----------------
[Does anyone have any experience with the Huion Kanvas 13"? Is it a more affordable alternative to Wacom?]
www.huiontablet.com/kamvas-pro…
----------------
I'm afraid my Asus will permanently plotz the way it freezes up, whenever I try to edit a large file, 
especially something with a high enough dpi for print.
----------------
Presuming the lights can stay on; and, can otherwise continue to juggle expenses in the interim to cover oxygen, other prescriptions, electrics, and have a roof over my head; and, literally keep my head above water-

Anything to help bring these projects to fruition would be greatly appreciated.

It would be nice for them to see the light of day.

Everyone Has To Be Somewhere

-----------------
The dream, of course, is to find an agent, and/or publisher; and, not always be wrestling in a perpetual panic, struggling to survive.
-----------------

And, away we go…

-Cat…

-------------------

Great Caesar’s Ghost! Is it light out already!

Well, back to the Salt Mines.

Exhaustion

-------------------

Addendum:

A Whole House Water Filter, with Point of Use, for the well, should help reduce costs.

The doctors prescribed bottled water; but, with increased costs and decreased coverage, this is becoming untenable;

And, doesn’t address the quality of incoming water.

Doulton Whole House and Point of Use Water Filters, >$1,2oo
------------------

Background:

The government health plan used to cover the prescription for bottled water; or, filters; but, not anymore.
And, I used to have a hospital grade whole house filter; but, had to leave it behind, when I had to move via Air Ambulance.
People often think everything's covered by Canadian health insurance; maybe, that's the theory; but, it's hardly true in practice.

-----------------
Tip Jar:

Everything goes to o2, Rx, + hydro, 

www.paypal.me/EcoloCat

------------------

Memo:

That’s one thing I like about Spaekona, for the MYTHOLOGY NORSE Contest, hosted by majesticARTS :

In Norse Mythology, the Spáekona [völva] are seers and shaman can see the end coming.

They know Ragnarok is coming for; but, they still strive to live and do what they can every day.

------------------
Take Care.
-Cat...