PANDEMIC:

As I was thinking about the impact of the COVD 19 pandemic, the isolation and problems this has caused, I thought of one of the required protocols. The mask, which has had many people upset and willing to participate in violent protests. Then I remembered a wood engraving I had made in 2016 that I titled "Face Mask". Wait a minute! I believe the epidemic began in 2019! So, three years before the epidemic began, I (somehow) came upon an idea to create an image of a mask, placed over an item that was my symbol of "Facetime" (A clock. Clocks have faces) My description of the print content is in the "See What I'm Saying?" theme on the website http://www.telusplanet.net/public/jimwest/facemask.html, (and is included in my book). And how are meetings and large gatherings often conducted now? Yes! Facetime, the no-contact online gathering alternative.

Then, pondering this further, I remembered that the "Face Mask" print was not the first print, about wearing a mask, and I searched back further in time to 1994 and found "Loose Mask"! http://www.telusplanet.net/public/jimwest/lsmsk.htm. Now I have to wonder: Was this me getting some kind of message from some kind of creepy mystical other-worldly influence? Or am I just so bored and isolated that I've gone bonkers and have no incentive to settle down and get a new wood engraving started?

UP AND AT 'EM!

I've been out in the studio each day trying to focus on an idea to turn into a wood engraving. Most of the time there are only thoughts going through my head about the tough times, aches and pains and the boredom of isolation. But the other day the words dancing through my head stumbled a bit and got me headed in the "See What I'm Saying?" direction. I opened my "inkubator" (sketchbook) and started to put some images together to convert the words to a visual state. When I had it together and took a break, then came back later to see if there was any more I could do to it, I was confronted with an image that I found boring. (This is a common incident and part of the process.) So I kept pushing and pushing to see if I could come up with something else. Since the word relationships idea I had come up with was a dud, I turned my thoughts to the "Aliens of Planet Earth" and I've got some ideas I'm going to chase down. When I Have an image worked out I'll open the "inkubator" and let you have a peak.

THAT'S ENOUGH

Enough is enough... More than enough. Hopefully, now on to something else. (Click on the sketch to enlarge)

AS THE MOMENTS GO BY

Here's the next moment in the growing Pandemic Moment. Moment after moment the only moment that has my attention is this moment. So here it is... So far. I call this a progress report of the moment. (you can click on the image to enlarge it.)

A PANDEMIC MOMENT

The other day (as frequently happens nowadays) I couldn't get myself motivated to work on something in the studio, so I decided to lay on the bed and read a book. After awhile I put the book down and just stared up at the white ceiling. The ceiling was apparently sprayed with what looks like little pebbles. As I stared and studied the little patterns of texture over the ceiling, quite a bit of time had gone by and I was in a trance following over the surface. It reminded me of the patterns of craters on the surface of the moon that have captured my attention and motivated me to create the wood engraving, "Mickey's Moon Landing". I decided to get off the bed and use this moment of Pandemic boredom to motivate me to at least do SOMETHING, even if it's mindless doodling in the sketchbook. At least it's in the studio and moving the pen around.

This is an earlier moment of the doodle:

This is where the moment has taken me today:

WHAT THE.....?

Back on August 24 I tried to get to my website and all that came up was a notice from Telus that they were no longer going to offer websites to their clients. I tried over two or three more days and each time I got the same notice. Then I gave up and accepted it. No more website. I let more days go by then tried again...BINGO! There was my website! Since then it always opens. I don't know anything about the technology but I figured it had something to do with the fact that I had the file of my website sitting on my computer and when I entered the link to my website on my computer it was connecting to the file on my computer. Then I decided to ask a friend if he could get my website on his computer and...BINGO! He could get it! I kept asking others and it was the same story. Somewhere, out there in space my website is floating around, all disconnected, but still reachable: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/jimwest/

SOON TIME FOR AMERICANS TO THINK ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIMITATIONS

STATUE OF LIMITATIONS © wood engraving (ed.46) image: 7 x 5 in. $150.00 _______________________________________________________________________ The legal term, "statute of limitations" describes a law that is passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event, within which legal proceedings can be initiated. Mention this term to someone who has never heard it before and it's a sure bet they will hear: "statue of limitations". During a discussion of this misunderstanding with Darrel Morrow, he dropped the hint (as he's done before) that there might be an image for a print there. As the idea began to grow, I remembered a quote from Tommy Douglas, a Canadian social democratic politician in the 30s who was instrumental in the establishment of the universal health care program in Canada. He said, “I don’t mind being a symbol but I don’t want to become a monument. There are monuments all over the Parliament Buildings and I’ve seen what the pigeons do to them.” And so, there grew out of all this, a statue of something that has limitations, including not enough room for all the pigeons who need it for their comfort. _________________________________________________________________________ So, American voters, think about it.

MICKEY'S MOON LANDING

In July I started "Mickey's Moon Landing" and in September I ran the edition. I haven't bothered to look back in my records to find out if this print took the longest for me to complete or not but I think it did. My ability to stay with it and concenrate has diminished as I age, but I was pleased that I finally ran the edition. A small one (20, plus two artist's proofs), but at least I did it. I have been captivated by photos of the surface of the moon, covered with craters, and I've enjoyed suddenly spotting arrangment of patterns that offer more than the craters.

NO MORE JIM WESTERGARD WEBSITE

I recently received notice (when I tried to open my own website) from my website server that "due to aging hardware", they have decided to shutdown subscriber websites. Oh well, I don't think there were that many visitors to my website anyway, other than scammers. 

So, scammers, what's your alternative route to scamming me now?

FINALLY, ANOTHER ONE

Just finished printing the edition of Poodle Moth, a new member of the Aliens of Planet Earth series. Like I've mentioned earlier, it seems to be taking longer to accomplish what I set out to do. I guess that's part of what goes with membership in the Octogenarian Society.