In the Studio | Vishuddha Under Fire
I don't think I've ever written anything very political on this blog. I usually keep it pretty easy going here - design, art, motherhood, etc. (Ha! Not that motherhood is easy going!) But I've made a piece of art this weekend that requires a little backstory.
It's been a tough row to hoe here in Texas this month on the women's rights front. If you've been following, last week Texas state Senator, Wendy Davis, filibustered for thirteen total hours against some pro-life legislation (an abortion ban) while the republicans in the room did all they could think of to shut her up. Now our governor, Rick Perry, is calling a (very shady) second session to pass the bill that failed last week because of Davis' successful filibuster.
Now, I have my own ideas about a woman's right to choose, but that's not what bothers me about this past week's events. What bothers me most is that our state government wants Texas women who are speaking out on this issue to shut up and sit down. They believe our thoughts to be poisoned and our values to be misguided and our brain function to be slow and our core selves to be corrupted. They don't want to hear a peep. And our state government will even break the law and resort to political trickery in full view of the American public to accomplish this wide-spread silencing.
Anyhow, Davis' awesome filibuster got me thinking about the voice. About speech. About women. About the act of speaking truth. This is not a pro-choice or a pro-life artwork. This is a pro-voice piece. An exploration in trusting - trusting that women know what they need. Women know, whether they'll keep the baby or chose to abort, they know in their souls what is right for them. The government must cease their pro-life legislating and hand this issue back to the women in this country. I promise you that we will make the right choice for ourselves.
Vishuddha is the throat chakra associated with vital breath, voice, truth and the spoken word. It represents the faculty of higher discrimination, between choosing right and wrong. When this chakra is free and open, negative energy is transformed into soulful wisdom, universal truth and expansive learning.
Again, this isn't about abortion. I'm not sharing this work with you in order to start an abortion debate - there's no need for that here. I was simply inspired by Davis' refusal to be silent.
It's been a tough row to hoe here in Texas this month on the women's rights front. If you've been following, last week Texas state Senator, Wendy Davis, filibustered for thirteen total hours against some pro-life legislation (an abortion ban) while the republicans in the room did all they could think of to shut her up. Now our governor, Rick Perry, is calling a (very shady) second session to pass the bill that failed last week because of Davis' successful filibuster.
Now, I have my own ideas about a woman's right to choose, but that's not what bothers me about this past week's events. What bothers me most is that our state government wants Texas women who are speaking out on this issue to shut up and sit down. They believe our thoughts to be poisoned and our values to be misguided and our brain function to be slow and our core selves to be corrupted. They don't want to hear a peep. And our state government will even break the law and resort to political trickery in full view of the American public to accomplish this wide-spread silencing.
Anyhow, Davis' awesome filibuster got me thinking about the voice. About speech. About women. About the act of speaking truth. This is not a pro-choice or a pro-life artwork. This is a pro-voice piece. An exploration in trusting - trusting that women know what they need. Women know, whether they'll keep the baby or chose to abort, they know in their souls what is right for them. The government must cease their pro-life legislating and hand this issue back to the women in this country. I promise you that we will make the right choice for ourselves.
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| Vishuddha Under Fire - 18" x 24" acrylic and oil pastel on canvas |
Vishuddha is the throat chakra associated with vital breath, voice, truth and the spoken word. It represents the faculty of higher discrimination, between choosing right and wrong. When this chakra is free and open, negative energy is transformed into soulful wisdom, universal truth and expansive learning.
Again, this isn't about abortion. I'm not sharing this work with you in order to start an abortion debate - there's no need for that here. I was simply inspired by Davis' refusal to be silent.
Here she is hung next to my piece from last week. They look like sisters.