Do Not Scream!! Do not Hit!! Walk Away and GET HELP. .

What is black and blue and torn all over? Women 's bodies and souls after beatings, abuse and torment that so many American women experience.  Americans in full honesty cannot judge other countries' actions while denying how much  physical and psychological violence occurs in this country,

Humans ripe to bully come out of the American drive to succeed accompanied by a value system that pedestals, rewards and teaches litigation and dominance to win only without the training of high ethical, educational and civic standards. Women are the greatest victims of this system and children.

Bullying in the home is the color blue for cold as inability to create warmth and love between humans. Bullying reinforced in school, churches and families as passive denial and repetition in social life freezes cold into innate behavior of lack of compassion.

Add the shock of violence the red of blood baths, beatings, shootings, red ignites and deepens wounds that are often stifled, blanketed darkened in shame and power to cover over the truth of ugliness at home.  The color is black.

Framed without controls from understaffed and badly managed legislation, neighbors who mind their business, transience, and fragmented families, there is no protection for the family, often again that single mother and children.

This month I celebrate the joy of my brilliantly colored garden host to friends, family and my critters. My wonderful gentle kitty. I find peace. When psychological violence comes my way I can leave. Can you leave if you want to? Do you know who to call on? There are many options. Find many of them.

Denial  blankets fear and cowardice  covering the  perpetrator.  Shame for the victim is understandable but  is not acceptable.  A victim is not guilty of the behavior eliciting violence.  Speak out if you know someone being bullied. Lets talk out loud. GET OCCUPIED.

We on FACEBOOK should be having conversations not on ly comments about  rampant violence in this society. Our mental health funds are far behind our medical health funds which leads to this violence.  SPEAK OUT.








December 2011

My work SUKKAH , WEAVING SHELTER, is ritual art for the Jewish holiday of SUKKOT.  A true Sukkah is created to shade occupants in celebration from the sun in daylight and offer view of the stars at night.

This work below if anchored with other walls to protect occupants from wind could be a real wall. Created of canvas and multi media, I followed Jewish law for the roof using many found baskets of organic materials to hold up the harvested materials.In a Sukkah they would offer shade and a view of the stars at night.

Incorporating found baskets, found fabrics, book bindings and  book jackets with canvas and multi media I followed my passion for  using found objects in works.

-A print of SUKKAH, WEAVING SHELTER as poster was used for the International Conference on Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies,  Columbia University, Dec. 2011.
-It currently hangs at ART ST. LOUIS, St. Louis, MO Jan 16- February 18, 2012



Claire