Jean Burman

What is the use of living if not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?  -  Sir Winston Churchill

I spent this morning at the hairdressers. It’s a once-every-six-weekly treat for me… and it’s always bliss to just sit there for three glorious hours and be pampered. I catch up on the papers… and the latest Vogue… and Harpers Bazaar… sip coffee… you know… do the girly thing… flip the pages and dream about all those beautiful clothes! (Which to tell you the truth… is the only time I ever think about it… so I figure it can’t be all that important!) But I digress…

cartoon Copyright 2007 Jean Burman
Pen and watercolour 8″ x 12″

So what’s this about the tail wagging the dog… you ask? Well… it all started when I was perilously incapacitated… my head wrapped in a mountain of tin foil… and jammed tightly beneath the steamer. It’s amazing how those contraptions amplify sound… and make it seem as though conversations all around the room are taking place under that one small hood!

That’s when it happened. With my nose buried deep in Harpers… the lady seated beside me and the “gentleman” assigned to her coiffure… began discussing gay and lesbian rights. Should same sex couples be allowed to marry?

Why “sure they should” both agreed in loud, resounding mutual agreement. Up to this point… I was okay with that. But having said that… the fact that same sex marriage is still illegal in this country is okay with me too. Let’s face it… being heterosexual… this debate doesn’t really bother me either way.

But when the conversation came around to the rights of homosexual couples to adopt and parent children… (hmmm… as a parent… at last some common ground) I was shocked and dismayed at what was said next.

The words tumbled a little too easily from his lips.

“Homosexuals make better parents anyway… they are able to offer more stability… both financially and emotionally… they are happier… and seem to have more love to give”. Hmmm… I thought… that’s provocative! And I began to wonder… on whose behalf he was authorised to speak… raising such a contentious issue… and on such hallowed female turf to boot! (grin)

But it was the woman’s indecently hasty retort that really got the atmosphere steamed up… (well more steamed up than it was already… steam now flowing freely from my ears as well as out from under the hood!) She looked to be late 50s early 60s or so… a good hearted woman I suspected… and as she had previously revealed… also a mother. To my total surprise and without a moment’s hesitation… the words of righteous affirmation came streaming from her lips…

“You are so right… yep… they have every right… why not… yes… I totally agree… what difference does it make… absolutely… completely… of course”… she trailed off. I was shocked… and mildly annoyed. She hadn’t even had time to consider what she was saying! The words tumbled out almost carelessly… a thin stream of absentminded rhetoric.

*sigh*

I thought about it for a moment… and came to the realisation that this woman was the perfect product of our politically correct society which abhors prejudice of any stripe… regardless of the consequences. Why else I had to ask myself… would a woman who has successfully raised a family within the traditional setting (mum dad - naturally conceived kids)… not choose to defend her position as a natural mother… or at the very least dispute (or at least question) the recklessness of that statement?

It occurred to me then… that political correctness has done it’s job… and really “protects” no-one. It may seem to protect those minorities who would otherwise be marginalised… but it could be argued… political correctness marginalises everyone and is… in reality… just a muzzle for truth… and freedom of thought and expression.

By our inability and unwillingness to discuss (and dispute if we so wish) the very real issues… (and differences)... that exist within our modern society… without fear of offending someone… we are trapped by the words we must use in order to not seem “prejudiced”… and may easily find ourselves funnelled en masse into a way of thinking that might or might not be healthy or in the best interests of society as a whole.

It’s the one way street that I object to. For instance… as a member of the silent majority… I am not allowed by law (but mind you… nor would my moral conscience allow it) to discriminate against homosexuals, aborigines, or muslims and yet they are free to call me whatever they like… homophobic (which I’m not)… whitie (sorry…undeniably yes)… and an infidel? (hardly)!  Where is the healthy balance in that?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that it’s okay to judge others on our own pre-conceived standards or belief systems… but rather… I am suggesting we should consider carefully where we stand on issues before allowing ourselves to be dragged blindly in the direction that others would have us go. The silent majority should be heard too… but how will they be heard if no-one can (or will) speak up?

cartoon Copyright 2007 Jean Burman
Pen and watercolour 8″ x 12″

And so… minorities continue to rule (because the rest of us are too afraid to have an unfashionable opinion)… Government’s continue to legislate to protect the few… and in so doing muzzle the rest… and the tail continues to wag the dog!

Confucius say… “only the dead fish swim with the stream”

Confucius very smart fella… (grin)

(And undeniably smarter than me for daring to bring this up!)

artwork & content - Copyright 2007 Jean Burman

Gen X - watercolour 22″ x 30″ on 640gsm Arches

Although she bears no resemblance at all… this painting nonetheless found it’s inspiration in the iconic oil portrait of Madame Gautreau (or Madame X as the work was later re-named) painted in 1884 by John Singer Sargent.

From the outset… my intention was not to copy the great artist or his work (even if that were possible *wink*)… but rather… to capture something of the spirit of the “pose”. It was the “pose” in particular which has held my fascination… and finally threw out the irresistible challenge to attempt my own humble version!

From laissez faire beginnings… and a very rough idea of what I was setting out to do… this painting suddenly and quite unexpectedly took on a life of it’s own… and proved in the end to be a most delightful and fascinating process of discovery for me. Although not without the requisite “struggle”… I enjoyed almost every single step along the way to capturing her. And I just have to say… I am rather proud of the strong, independent woman who has burst forth onto the paper!

Just who she is is shall remain a mystery (even to me)… for she exists only as she appears here… a few globs of paint mixed with water… on a large sheet of Arches rough!

But in many ways she represents “modern woman” hence the title Gen X which… whist giving the nod to Sargent and his late 19th century Madame X… also alludes to the strong independent women of modern day Generation X. I thought it was an interesting parallel.

APEC’s all over for another year and in the wash-up of comment after the fact… it was unanimously agreed that the annual conference had been a real hoot… and there really were very few recriminations all round… (here are the 21 delegates all smiling happily in their drizabones)

Yes… there were the requisite protestors… (some with a serious axe to grind)

some not so…

There were those who couldn’t figure out which axe to grind…

And those who didn’t have an axe to grind… so they brought along what they had…

and then there were those who just wanted to bury the hatchet altogether.

There were those without a cause…

and those whose cause it was to deal with those without one… (huh?)

And some were as confused as George Dubya himself…

Then of course… there were the village idiots from the ABC TV’s The Chaser’s War on Everything who could’ve got themselves seriously shot wounded maimed (or worse) after infiltrating the multi-million dollar security juggonaut to get within (oh heavens!) metres of the US President… (well… his Hotel anyway)

But they too had their supporters and detractors…

All in all it was a fun day (or two)… and the crowd had a whale of a good time..

And as the sun set over APEC… that was it for another year…

***Ahhhhh***

Oops almost forgot… I took your advice and gave “the one that got away” a bit of CPR. I think it’s finished except for a few tweaks here and there. I threw the book at it… what do you reckon?

artwork Copyright Jean Burman 2007

“Conspiracy Theory”

watercolour 22″ x 30″ on 640gsm Arches

Well… it’s official. He’s here. Just a little over 10 hours ago President George W. Bush… touched down in Airforce One under “lock down” security in Sydney, Australia. I smiled when I saw the picture…

But not as much as when I saw this picture…

but that’s another story… (grin)

In an impressive show of strength (and not so much faith) the President and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were whisked from the airport in the armour plated Cadillac One in a 30 vehicle motorcade along a route cleared of civilian traffic… (just as the airspace above Sydney had been cleared for his arrival) for the 15 minute journey to the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Sydney and his $4300 a night 7 room suite.

Accompanying him were 50 White House political aides, 150 National Security Advisors, 200 Specialists from other departments, 250 Secret Service Agents and their sniffer dogs. With that many hangers-on he’s going to need at least 7 rooms…*wink*

Reminds me of a function DH and I attended many years ago for then US Vice President Dan Quayle. Held at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas we were frisked and interrogated then sat down to dinner in a huge marquee on the lawn. After dinner I had to giggle as the VP, his wife and extensive entourage stood to take their leave. The tent emptied in record time… and all twelve of us “invited guests” who were left -(okay I’m kidding - there were at least 30) just sat there gobsmacked! LOL

Traffic lights glowed green along the route and as the motorcade rounded the corner into the Hotel carpark… 20 puzzled onlookers and a handful of police scratched their heads in wonderment as security helicopters hovered overhead and security snipers took up positions on nearby buildings.

It was a peaceful beginning to what could be a very interesting next few days as world leaders arrive for the annual APEC (Australia Pacific Economic Co-operation) Conference.

Oh… to be a fly on the wall Thursday as Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd broaches topics such as (say it quickly) Australia’s involvement in Iraq with the US President. What a hoot that’ll be!

And Saturday should be a fun day… (and the irony will not be lost)… as the President gets to goof around with Prime Minister Howard and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over bacon and eggs. Discussions will no doubt include the North Korean threat and why it is necessary to scuttle the island of Guam and turn it into a permanent aircraft carrier (anyone else get the sneaking feeling that the war machine is moving this way?)

Ahhh yes… an interesting few days ahead… but I digress.

The real topic of “A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush” is this latest watercolour that I have been wrestling with for over a week.

Here is the initial sketch

Conspiracy Theory - watercolour 22″ x 30″

artwork & content copyright Jean Burman 2007

In some ways I like the recklessness of the original version (above)… and may take the new piece all the way there again. Just need to think about it some more… and let the paper dry right out… (which could take until this time next year if the damp keeps up)

Hmmm… maybe I’ll just start all over again…