Ashley Cecil

10″ x 20″ oil on canvas
SOLD
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Traveling to Venezuela in February of this year left me perplexed about my own stance on various forms of government, capitalism, and corporate involvement in politics, the media, and foreign affairs. I met with many disadvantaged Venezuelans who made the benefits of socialism hard to dispute, if as nothing more than a transitional solution to their social and economic crisis. On the other hand, I associate with many people working for, starting, and investing in capitalist ventures who logically make solid arguments as to why competition in an open market benefits society, including who least fortunate.

Essentially, I’ve come to the conclusion that corporate responsibility is the issue at the heart of the problem. Venezuela’s poor majority has repeatedly elected a president who promises social and economic salvation. Hugo Chavez stood on a platform of free health care, education, and the availability to business opporunities; exactly what the majority of Venezuelan people want and need. It’s hard for someone in this position to consider the downfalls of socialism when children are going hungry and uneducated because there is no work (that pays a living wage) for family members. If corporations thought beyond their fiduciary duty of making money for shareholders, the social impact of their decisions would be taken into consideration. Christine Arena, author of The High Purpose Company, calls this the triple bottom line.

Going into the details of what constitutes an especially responsible or pathetic company is the start of a very long-winded spiel that you’re better served to read about in The High Purpose Company. What is worth expanding on is my endorsement for organizations that offer first-hand exposure to the countries and people grappling with these issues. Paintings, like this one, are the result of my trip to Latin America with Witness for Peace. I applaud the broad itinerary the organization compiled for the delegates with meetings and appointments covering the full gamut of political perspectives. There’s no better way to develop an informed opinion than to witness with your own eyes what is going on behind the curtain. It certainly shifted my thinking.

10″ x 20″ oil on canvas SOLD See all artwork available for sale. Traveling to Venezuela in February of this year left me perplexed about my own stance on various...

I was surprised to hear on an NPR program yesterday that LA Times reporter, Gustavo Arellano, thought this year’s May Day marches were subdued in contrast to 2006 “because there’s no need. La lucha — the struggle — is almost over.”  Wow!  We may be making progress, but I’m not sure I would go that far.  I was especially surprised to find that Arellano himself is the son of an illegal immigrant who crossed the border in the trunk of a Chevy.

The reporter did list successes on the immigration front, but feels confident that immigration raids did not keep protesters at home, nor was it simply an impossible feat to reenact lat year’s tremendous demonstration.

Here are Arellano’s fleshed-out thoughts in his LA Times article, “Many migrant marchers have moved on.  If you’re like me, you’d rather listen (so you can multi-task) than read, so here is the NPR interview with Arellano.

What do you think?  Have changes been made?

I was surprised to hear on an NPR program yesterday that LA Times reporter, Gustavo Arellano, thought this year’s May Day marches were subdued in contrast to 2006 “because there’s...

Where will I be in 2 hours?

“Julian Bond (a younger version sketched above, front and center), chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will deliver the University of Louisville’s first Anne Braden Memorial Lecture and open a new institute named in her honor.

Bond, NAACP board chair since 1998, began his activism during his college days as founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He served more than two decades as a Georgia legislator and is a teacher, writer and speaker.”

April 4, 5:30 p.m.
Brown and Williamson Club at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium
Admission is free and open to the public

Come and join me. If you ask nicely, I might sketch you

Where will I be in 2 hours? “Julian Bond (a younger version sketched above, front and center), chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will deliver...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas
SOLD
See all artwork available for sale.

I’m always surprised to see how people respond to each of my artworks. Evidently, I’m not very good at estimating which of my paintings will be favorites. This sketch got great reviews and one of my clients asked to buy it, even though I don’t typically sell drawings out of my personal sketchbook. Then I got an email asking if I would make a painting of the image, and voila!

The request for this painting came from a friend, Jardana Peacock, who has been good news for me since day one. Jardana contacted me months ago to ask if I would submit a few paintings for a civil rights focused art exhibit in Lexington, Kentucky sponsored by Open Ground. Not only do I love that she follows my work and emails me about events of interest for my blog, I’m also inspired by her professional commitment to activism. Jardana is a graduate student in the Pan-African studies program at the University of Louisville, and a graduate assistant for the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research.

Louisville is proud to claim Anne Braden as a resident since she was a pioneer in white leadership during and after the civil rights movement. The research institute named in her honor is an asset to this community in continuing Braden’s work of advocating for social justice (the institute’s next event will be to host a lecture given by NAACP chairman, Julian Bond, on April 4th).

Jardana was especially drawn to Braden’s work, evident in her confession that, “I am an activist because of Anne, I moved to Louisville because of Anne. I know that one person makes a difference because one life affects one which then affects others… Anne Braden said, “Part of the direction your life goes in is simply an accident of whom you meet at a certain time.” (taken from Anne Braden’s biography, Subversive Southerner by Cate Fosl).” Ashley is one of the MANY beautiful/conscious-building/revolutionaries I have met in Louisville and for this I am forever changed.”

Thank you so much Jardana! I hope you enjoy the painting.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas SOLD See all artwork available for sale. I’m always surprised to see how people respond to each of my artworks. Evidently, I’m not very...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $220 ($50 donated to Witness for Peace, or a nonprofit of the buyer’s choice)

See all artwork available for sale.

Harsh criticism never gives anyone the warm fuzzies, and until I returned from Venezuela, this blog had only faced mere complaints about careless typos. I’ve certainly changed that. In my on-going efforts to tell more people about my artwork, I recently jumped in on other blog conversations related to Venezuelan issues. I was quickly reminded of how naive I can be when I was verbally jumped by bloggers and blog readers because of my “10 day tour of generalities.” My novice, although sincere, interest in Latin American issues of politics and humans rights were indicted by many with long standing personal experience in Venezuela. With a simple link to my website and two lines of text, I unleashed a Pandora’s box of emotion and fervor in others that made my palms sweat (here’s a rather mild example).

My greatest struggle has been surrounding myself with a group of people who share very similar beliefs and, without any previous point of contextual reference, I begin to mold to that group’s philosophy. Then, I intentionally immerse myself in another group with opposing views because I want to get both sides of the story and find that, again, my thoughts bend to that group’s opinion. As a result, two things have happened; 1) I’m overwhelmed and uncertain, and 2) I’ve really ticked some people off by simply entertaining ideas of people on the other side of the fence. Everyone has facts, statistics, and personal accounts, but as I taxi back and forth from one side to the next with new information, inevitably I’m met with equally substantial informative ammo once again.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave me anywhere especially productive, but I have a plan. I’m going to list just a couple of repeatedly mentioned talking points, and with extra prompting on my part (via sending emails), I hope to start a discussion in comments below.

• Hugo Chavez has been decidedly democratically elected president three times by clear majorities, but have his election platforms been more talk than anything else? Some argue it has been unfilled propaganda to appeal to the poor majority; playing to their needs foremost to position himself in the authoritarian role he is now in. Others feel that Chavez has truthfully implemented many of his promises, such as social programs addressing literacy and job creation. For those agenda items left unfinished (or even not yet started), many believe he will come through in time and that anyone with such a monumental job of leading a revolution needs allowance for error and time for implementation.
• Although Venezuela has a long history of being a country rich in natural resources, the distribution of this wealth has not been fairly distributed. Corruption has bred a great divide of classes that Chavez is supposedly tackling by nationalizing many companies and industries. Through small business loans and support of community cooperatives, Venezuelan poor are enabled to pull themselves out of poverty and develop a skill that sustains them and a community. Others argue that many such ventures are not sustainable. They rely on government aid for survival, reinforcing the dependency of the majority of Venezuelans on Chavez’s “hand outs” which keep him in office.

This is my enticement to encourage the behind the scenes messages that slam my inbox to come to the forefront by leaving comments here.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $220 ($50 donated to Witness for Peace, or a nonprofit of the buyer’s choice) See all artwork available for sale. Harsh criticism never gives...

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas
SOLD
See all paintings available for sale.

The more I travel abroad, the more I realize how unaware many homebody Americans are of the horrible reputation we’re assigned by virtue of the Bush administration. There were many times while I was in Venezuela when I wished I could have taken my painfully obvious “whiteness” down a few notches while Latin Americans chatted about US policy and US interference. In other countries the complaint is often more vaguely along the lines of arrogance and snobbish superiority. Then I come home to answer the question, “How was your trip?” only to get a blank awkward face staring back at me in confusion, or maybe the statement, “but the Washington Post said…” It makes me feel like I’m watching an unruly child, who has never been taught appropriate behavior, throw a fit in a quiet crowd of strangers watching with raised eyebrows.

There is hope! Most people I’ve met on my travels either give me the benefit of the doubt from the start, or are open to changing their mind after they get to know me. Goodbyes usually then consist of “You know, the American people are good. It’s just your president that I don’t like. Why was he voted in a second time?” (please note that I’m just the messenger).

How does this rant specifically relate to Venezuela? I’m not under the illusion that non-Americans get an unbiased opinion of Americans anymore than we do of them, BUT what dilutes the conviction in my defense of fellow countrymen and women is that, as a whole, we are relatively far less involved in our own government and politics than citizens of others countries (Venezuela being a prime example). Never in my life have I seen so much politically focused public artwork, a general grasp of history and government structure among youth and the poor, and general community involvement. Political posters wallpaper every streetlight and retaining wall. A fifth grader in a rural community could tell you about Simon Bolivar, the National Assembly, what a coup is, and how much oil Venezuela exports. Some adult Americans don’t know who Condoleeza Rice is. It’s no wonder I was blown away by citizen engagement in Venezuela, and also ashamed that I knew nil about my own government until I decided to wake up in high school history class.

Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, it’s inspiring to witnessing a community come together in an organized manner as many Venezuelans do in public places such as the one shown above. It also gives me hope that here, in the crossroads of America, the guy next door, who has a lot in common with many Venezuelan communal council members, has the potential and opportunity to get involved in local government and be a part of change as he sees fit. I’m grateful that Witness for Peace organized the meetings for me in Venezuela to renew my sense of responsibility to be an engaged American and inspire others to do the same.

For as many gripes as we Americans have about our government, we often don’t utilize our own voices when we have the opportunity to be heard. Many people don’t have that liberty, so don’t take for granted what’s served to you on a silver platter while you watch American Idol.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas SOLD See all paintings available for sale. The more I travel abroad, the more I realize how unaware many homebody Americans are of the...

7″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to Witness for Peace)

See all paintings available for sale.

The best possible approach I’ve come up with thus far for reporting on what I was exposed to in Venezuela is to simply play storyteller. I’m absolutely overwhelmed. I left for Caracas concerned that I was stretching the truth with my coverall statement, “It’s perfectly safe. I’ve done my homework.” Friends leaning left were eager for a report back, and some friends leaning right seemed insulted that I was even going.  Much of what was addressed in my exhaustive itinerary of various meetings touch on very polarized topics that tend to ignite intense debate like gasoline to a flame.  I’ve come back to Kentucky in a dumb-founded state of culture shock, and possibly more unsure on where I stand on political theory.  The experience has been akin to a college freshmen, lost for direction, going to a career fair in hopes of discovering, in one day, what career path defines them best.  I was happy to return to the comforts afforded me by a capitalist system that embraces proportionately rewarding the amount of effort, talent, and resources possessed by an individual.  On the flip side, I was painfully aware of the feathers in my comforter, the clean drinking water from my sink, the fact that my walls are brick and drywall, not corrugated sheet metal.  These are all luxuries that the majority of Venezuelans I met and stayed with did not have access to, and never would, regardless of their potential, if it were not for Hugo Chavez’s government.

So, in maintaining a neutral status by simple virtue of my own uncertainty, I want to share with you, over a series of paintings, what I witnessed.  I strongly encourage your thoughts and open these topics up for debate.  Hopefully, my personal records will stir questions in some of you.  If there is one thing I am certain of as a result of my visit, it’s to scrupulously question what you read in privately-owned, mainstream media.  Everyone has their version of the story, including our best known American news media.  For this reason, I will be making all of my usual donations to Witness For Peace, which is the organization I traveled with to see with my own eyes the “socialist democracy” of the Bolivarian Revolution.  Without Witness For Peace, I never would have had access to the organizations and individuals who eagerly spoke about their own personal and professional opinions of the Chavez government.  I heard from citizens on both sides of the fence and will be sharing all of it with you as I post new artwork of Venezuela in between my usual, American-focused pieces.

And thank you to all of my supporters who financially made this trip a reality.  I truly appreciate your support and look forward to sending my work to those of you who pre-purchased paintings.

7″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to Witness for Peace) See all paintings available for sale. The best possible approach I’ve come up with thus far for reporting on...

6″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to The King Center, FYI, the link to this site has automatic audio)
SOLD
See all paintings available for sale.

I hope you have found time in your day for reflection on the meaning of this holiday. If it isn’t moving to you, I can only imagine there much more for you to know about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Right Movement. This morning, I read a story on Seth Godin’s blog about the disappointing lack of recognition this day receives.

The FedEx woman stopped by my office on Friday. She wanted to know if we were going to be open on Monday.

I explained that our hours really never make sense, but that my team and I would be thinking of Dr. King and his work all day, regardless of what we were doing.

She sighed deeply and said, “Every year, we’re supposed to ask if offices are going to be open, and last year it made me so sad, I had to stop asking. I even got written up for not doing it.” It turns out that most people either said, “what holiday?” or “oh, we don’t celebrate that…”

So in honoring King, here are few things about the man you may not know, which speak to his excellence and success:

• King received his BA in sociology from Morehouse College at age 19
• In 1955-1956 he led a successful effort to desegregate Montgomery, Alabama, buses
• In 1964, King became the first black American to be honored as Time magazine’s Man of the Year.
• In 1965, King organized a mass march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that created national support for federal voting-rights legislation
• At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
• Delivered to over 200,000 civil rights supporters, King’s “I have a dream” speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address.

It certainly makes me feel that regardless of how hard I think I work to make this world a better place, I’m not trying and doing nearly enough. Will I look back on my life and think that my efforts and contributions were as honorable as King’s? This day is meant to stir such questions, and I hope similar introspection has found its way into your thoughts.

6″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to The King Center, FYI, the link to this site has automatic audio) SOLD See all paintings available for sale. I hope you...

I was waiting for the rain soaking us to the bone to change to snow as our group of 11 Akron Ohio church youth group members and 2 CRIS (community refugee and immigration services) employees fumbled our way up several flights of stairs with 2 truck loads of donated furniture. Thank goodness Somalians keep the heat cranked up while adjusting to the frigid November temperatures in Columbus, Ohio.

My Saturday entailed attending an informative meeting about the refugee resettlement process, delivering furniture to 2 Somali families (as well as a third American family in need of our surplus), and finishing up with a hearty meal at a Somali restaurant. Although certainly needed and welcomed, our day’s work hardly seemed to put a dent in the broader problem. Columbus is a new home to thousands of Africans who fled their native country left uninhabitable by civil war. Columbus has the second largest Somali population in the nation (about 45,000). Many arrive in the US speaking little English, often with several children, and unprepared to acclimate to the American culture. It’s a far from perfect system they are given to work with, but nonetheless, deep appreciation was was felt for our efforts to contribute a small bit of help and support. And no matter what momentous struggles are ahead of you, having a bed to sleep in verses the floor still seems make all the difference. For more personal stories and info check out this blog.

Tomorrow I will be working on a painting from this weekend’s activities so I will leave further details for that post. But I’ll leave you with this last sketch which was one of the highlights of my day. As we repeatedly walked past the home of the boy on the right (PJ), we stirred enough curiosity to get him, his 2 brothers, single mother, and aunt outside to watch. We ended up giving them several pieces of much needed furniture that honestly was more than the 2 Somali families needed. The 2 youngest boys were completely enamored with the us and especially the boy on the left (Michael), who was one of the youth group members from Akron. I snapped a picture of both them as PJ, without missing a beat, affectionately took Michael’s hand and vigorously tried to warm it between his own after Michael had complained that his hands were cold and freezing from carrying boxes and furniture outside in the elements. I couldn’t feel my fingers, feet, or the end of my nose, but the warm fuzzies were at least keeping my spirit dry and out of the cold.

Technorait tags: refugees, immigration, Somalia

I was waiting for the rain soaking us to the bone to change to snow as our group of 11 Akron Ohio church youth group members and 2 CRIS (community...