Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself. it’s up to us.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Everybody saw this coming.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Bark louder, little dog.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

A norm that restrains only one side really isn’t a norm – it’s a trap.

Fight them, without becoming them!

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

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Artists in Our Midst

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Been a long while since we have had one of these, so I figured tonight is as good a night as any. The point of these threads is that a lot of you are pretty talented people or married to talented people, but you never talk about it, so here is a thread for you to link to your artwork, music, photography, etc., and share it. I’ll start with reader Larime, who is a disabled artist who paints with his mouth. Here is one of his works that you might recognize:

His website is here, and with California screwing up his assisted care and the economic crisis, I bet he wouldn’t mind an influx of traffic and customers.

So go check out Larime’s work, and link your own or someone in your family’s below.

Reader Interactions

157Comments

  9. 9.

    burnspbesq

    I’m not surprised that the state is messing up his care – California is governed approximately as well as Sudan (I don’t think we’ve descended to the level of Somalia just yet).

    I just got forwarded an amazing special report from the BNA Money & Politics report. Apparently the State Board of Equalization, an elected body with both administrative and adjudicative power over state and local taxes, is a wholly owned subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

  10. 10.

    Larime the Gimp

    Thanks, John! And thank you all for the kind words!

    My live-in aid has been screwed out of about 2 months of pay, so we’re broker than broke – any orders or donations are HUGELY appreciated!

  12. 12.

    Violet

    @General Stuck:
    Oh, my gosh. I could never tire of looking at your hummingbird photos. Just amazing. Reminds me, I need to get my feeders up. I saw one last week but have been so busy I forgot.

  15. 15.

    Violet

    @Larime the Gimp:
    Larime, that drawing of Tunch is really amazing. I see from your website that you pets aren’t your specialty, but maybe they should become one. There’s such personality in your drawing of Tunch. I know pet photography is a growing market. I wonder if you could also find a niche in pet portraiture. This portrait of Tunch is really, really good.

  16. 16.

    Ming

    My friend Hua’s website. Gorgeous abstract oils full of life and humor, pen and ink drawings, paper tearings. The pictures are kind of small, but should give you an idea of her work.

  17. 17.

    Larime the Gimp

    @Violet: Thanks! I guess its more a matter of never really drawing them, before. That Tunch picture is only my second attempt at animals in, well, years.

    Maybe I’m better at them than I anticipated.

  19. 19.

    slag

    @Violet:

    This portrait of Tunch is really, really good.

    It is, isn’t it? It even manages to capture a bit of Tunch’s gofuckyerself face.

    Hmmm…Now that I think about it, even the Balloon Juice menagerie is kinda mean. It’s no wonder that the blog scares off so many new bloggers.

  20. 20.

    Violet

    @slag:

    It is, isn’t it? It even manages to capture a bit of Tunch’s gofuckyerself face.

    Yeah, but there’s a sweetness in the drawing. John swears Tunch is a sweet kitty, but in the photos he always looks like aloof and haughty Lord Tunch, looking down on everyone. This drawing makes him look like there’s some actual sweetness there.

  21. 21.

    DWGregory

    I’m a long-time fan of John Cole and never comment, but this time I will:

    I write plays that are produced mostly in schools but in some professional theatres. My big hit is a play about the dialpainters … corporate greed, circa 1928 … you check me out at http://www.dwgregory.com …

  23. 23.

    Adam Lang

    My girlfriend, Autumn Rhodes, is a very talented Irish musician. She plays the tin whistle, the wooden flute, the concertina, and the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes.) Here are a couple clips:
    Autumn and the rest of the Wrenboys play the Plough & Stars in San Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqWkT03Kaq4
    Autumn and a friend at Irish Arts Week in the Irish Catskills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDKh6yF67sw

    The Wrenboys are going to be playing at the High Street Station in Alameda, CA tomorrow (Friday) at 7 PM. Autumn and a couple of friends will also be performing at the Plough & Stars in San Francisco at 9 PM on Saturday. And every Sunday there’s an open session at the Plough & Stars at 9 PM that is well worth hearing.

    If you’re in the neighborhood, drop by!

  26. 26.

    jayjaybear

    With his MOUTH?! That’s better than I could ever do with my HANDS! Wonderful talent, Larime.

  29. 29.

    Geoduck

    I use computer art software to draw a daily fantasy webcomic about a rather atypical mansion and its diverse inhabitants. Some of them are even human. (I freely admit the writing is much stronger than the art..)

  32. 32.

    drew42

    @j low: Good stuff. For those who can’t reach the link, this should hopefully work

    I also play the rock music — my friends and I tool around and play the occassional local gig. We’re old and have day jobs and families, so expectations of fame and glory are at a minimum. http://www.dara-band.com

    Of what we recorded so far, “Take It Away” and Please My Saurus” are my favorites.

  33. 33.

    jinxtigr

    Oh, man, that is just a great picture :)

    I do various stuff- been getting it more organized, happily, in WordPress websites.

    I’m a writer who’s done 120,000 words on a novel since February, at http://www.jinxtigr.com/ with other novels also up on that site.

    I’m a musician and have some unusual, kinda avant-garde but expressive music (my most popular album) at http://www.jinxtigr.com/paintings/dragons.html available for listen or download. Again, there’s other albums there too. I’m old, I’ve been creating stuff for some time ;)

    I’ve drawn comics for years, sometimes as much as daily, and the best of that is up in rescanned, re-bigger form at http://www.tallyroad.com/ though it is pretty daring stuff and not to everyone’s taste. It is the story that continued in the novel I mentioned, and it’s likely to sputter back to life before very long- I have several new strips lettered and will certainly get back into that when I finish the current book.

    And I have a secret project that’s much gentler than any of this, which will wait its turn…

  41. 41.

    magisterludi

    I probably should explain my link a bit.

    My husband has been an audio engineer for decades. He has always written and played music for personal pleasure.

    These little songs were recorded at our kitchen table. Windows were open and birds were singing, dogs barking, etc.

    The Motor Scooter Song has actually been on the radio. NPR’s Car Talk played it (once).

    Anyway, just some harmless, well-crafted toe-tappers for the tired cynic by a tired cynic.

  48. 48.

    Guster

    @DWGregory: Very, very neat. How’d you get into that? I write novels for a living–dunno the first thing about plays, and I”m sure I’d suck at ’em. But extremely neat.

    @hilzoy: Are you blogging anywhere? Huh? Huh? Huh? My IQ dropped 20 points since I stopped reading you, and believe me, I can’t afford it.

  49. 49.

    Gwangung

    @hilzoy: Are you blogging anywhere? Huh? Huh? Huh? My IQ dropped 20 points since I stopped reading you, and believe me, I can’t afford it.

    Ditto!

  53. 53.

    jharp

    For the record. I have little to no talent.

    Though I was a good high school baseball player.

  55. 55.

    demo woman

    The talent on this site is amazing.
    DW Gregory I would love to see a performance of The Good Daughter, Radium Girls or any of your plays.

  56. 56.

    pdf

    I’m the editor (and one of the writers) of a quarterly magazine of music and the arts called Burning Ambulance. We sell it print-on-demand through Lulu.com, and you can get the first issue at this link. You can also get my book Sound Levels at the same link; that’s a collection of magazine features I wrote between 2002 and 2009, including interviews with Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman, and 11 other rock, jazz and Latin musicians. Both are available as paperbacks or as downloads. The second issue of Burning Ambulance will be out on Wednesday.

  57. 57.

    asdf

    magisterludi, I owe you an apology.

    I read “Willieditties” as wild titties.

    Guess it’s time to cut back on the porn.

  60. 60.

    HumboldtBlue

    I ummm … I can uhhh …. whistle pretty good an’ stuff and I am really good at drinking beer.

    As for drawing or painting with my mouth? Unless it’s a Picasso in cuss words I’ll leave to the masters such as Larime.

  63. 63.

    BGinCHI

    Mr Whipple, what amazing rods you have.

    And pdf, the journal looks great. Impressive stuff.

  77. 77.

    mr. whipple

    I’ll start with reader Larime, who is a disabled artist who paints with his mouth. Here is one of his works that you might recognize:

    Wow! Must commission a piece!

  79. 79.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @mr. whipple: Goddamn. You call yourself a liberal? Yer about as blue dog/DINO as they fucking get. This is the result of conservatives going batshit crazy. Anyone can be a liberal now.

  81. 81.

    JD Rhoades

    I write southern-based mystery/thriller novels in a style I can “redneck noir.”

    My experiment in e-book only publication is STORM SURGE, available for Kindle here, and in other formats here. Dead-tree books are here and here.

    And while we’re e-pimping, my blog is here.

  83. 83.

    soonergrunt

    @Violet:
    Twitter account johngcole, John Cole http://www.balloon-juice.com

    Tweet 37 minutes ago, so approximately 6:37 PM Central time:
    “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

    Oh, and @larime== that is absofrackinglutely amazing. I couldn’t do something that good if somebody put a gun to my head.

  84. 84.

    Violet

    @soonergrunt:
    Yeah, I went and checked it after you posted. It’s weird. Why’d he link Sarah Palin’s stupid rant about unions and Trumka? What was so funny? Weird.

  89. 89.

    Cat Lady

    @pdf:

    I am interested in your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter, so I actually will. I’m going to subscribe for my future son-in-law who is a public school art teacher and artist and musician. I wish he could make a real living at it, but he’s a good soul who loves my daughter and she loves him, so I keep hoping that the meek, and the talented, will inherit the earth.

  90. 90.

    Warren Terra

    This isn’t topical (and I’m not artistic and don’t know any artists), but it’s been sixteen hours since the last Open Thread started, and this New York Times story is just awesome, especially the open disrespect from the writer:

    A Call to Arms, for Mother Teresa
    By CLYDE HABERMAN
    Published: August 26, 2010
    On the 26th of August 90 years ago, American women won the right to vote with the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. That step toward a more perfect union was honored in New York style on Thursday when the Empire State Building bathed its upper floors in lights of red, white and blue.
    __
    On another 26th of August, 100 years ago, Mother Teresa was born.
    —
    ….
    —
    If you partially covered your eyes just so, you could have blocked out the red and seen only the blue and white. In that manner, you could have told yourself that the building was indirectly also honoring Mother Teresa, the beatified Roman Catholic nun and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Blue and white are the colors of the order, the Missionaries of Charity, that she guided until her death in 1997.
    __
    Alternatively, you could have rallied on the streets below the Empire State to protest the building’s rejection of a request for blue-and-white lighting — no red — in tribute to the woman known in the Catholic church as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
    __
    That’s what hundreds of people did at dusk on Thursday. No passive observance of the anniversary for them. They had answered an angry call to arms issued by William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights.

    Mind you, I think Hitchens was more-or-less right about Mother Theresa, but it’s just great to see Donohue being a dick as usual.

  92. 92.

    Spaghetti Lee

    I’ve got a page at DeviantART: jupiterwave.deviantart.com

    It ain’t much, but it’s home.

  93. 93.

    Anne Laurie

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    I drink. A lot. And play with guns. When are we going to get our thread?

    ‘Some people say’ that taking drunken potshots is the motif of this blog, 24/7/365.

    :}

  95. 95.

    soonergrunt

    @John Cole: Thanks. I don’t follow that twit(terer) so I’ll have to look it up.
    UPDATE==Are you fucking kidding me? That’s actually for real, isn’t it? I mean, that’s one of the dumber things I’ve read in my life. Wow.

  96. 96.

    Anne Laurie

    Larime, I want to second Beltane’s comparison of your Tunch drawing to Beatrix Potter’s art. Potter has been popular for more than 100 years because she worked to draw what she saw, not what she imagined other people might want to see. I think that’s why your Tunch has the genuine sweetness John knows, not just the “grouchy feline” it’s easy to caricaturize!

  99. 99.

    schrodinger's cat

    What a wonderful illustration of his Tunchness, captures his essence perfectly!

  102. 102.

    burnspbesq

    I was on a record back in 1971, the New Jersey All-State High School Chorus.

    Was a member of this group in the 1972-73 season. Got to sing the Bloch Sacred Service, Carmina Burana, and the Bach St. John Passion (at Lincoln Center on Good Friday).

  103. 103.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @demo woman: Me too. Unfortunately, I’m in management so I have to officially oppose them. But if the goats ever figure out how to organize, we’re totally screwed.

  108. 108.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    I was actually having warm (and very alien) thoughts about you earlier, Anne Laurie. So it’s odd you commented to me.

  110. 110.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @JD Rhoades:

    I write southern-based mystery/thriller novels in a style I can “redneck noir.”

    I don’t even know what it is but I fucking love it. Does it include terse dialogue between drags off a camel cigarette and utterances of “Gawdddd dang!”?

    This gets the Fuckhead Seal of Approval.

  113. 113.

    burnspbesq

    I love unions – except when they are having noisy demonstrations right below my office window on a day when I need to concentrate.

  119. 119.

    CynDee

    @Larime the Gimp: I think you are really good at capturing an animal’s essential qualities.

    A sensitive portrait of a beloved pet is something we would all want if we could afford it. Everybody’s got photos of their four-footed friends. Maybe they should send you several.

    Many pet lovers are well to do; the pet industry is huge. Any marketing people on this site? What’s your advice on reaching the pet owners who can afford portraits?

  121. 121.

    Violet

    @CynDee:
    I said the same thing earlier up. He’s really captured something about Tunch. There has to be a market for that kind of work. A little marketing and some connections and he might be getting a lot more commissions.

    He said in response to one of my comments that doesn’t usually draw pets, that Tunch is only his second, so maybe he could start slow to get going. I wonder if a vet’s office or animal shelter or something might be a good place to start? Maybe do a few for free or at low cost and then see if he could post a flier or leave cards for additional work?

  123. 123.

    sairarias

    I don’t think I’ve ever posted here before but hey! Chance to brag! I’ll take it.

    Uh… Not that my dabbling in paper/fiction really holds a candle to Tunch up there (Larime, that is AWESOME and you can definitely draw animals much better than you think!) but still.

  130. 130.

    anonymoose

    Thanks all….

    I have the telescope out right now waiting for the Moon and Jupiter to rise. Can’t do any deep space stuff tonight because the moon is too bright.

    MikeJ: I know what you mean. I am in a pretty bad place with light pollution, but I try anyways….having a light pollution filter for my camera helps quite a lot.

  131. 131.

    General Stuck

    @anonymoose: I am envious, wonderful pics. Always been a space cadet since childhood but never owned a telescope. I made you a flickr contact, hope you don’t mind, so I can enjoy your pics as you post them.

    Just took a new batch of night shots of hummers and getting ready to process, They will be gone fairly soon, so no time to waste.

    We need more of these threads Cole, too long since the last one. Screw a bunch of politics.

  132. 132.

    anonymoose

    @General Stuck:

    No problem at all. I bought my telescope a couple of years ago because I never had one. The moment I stuck a camera in front of the eyepiece I have been hooked. I’ve been amazed with the shots I can get in my light polluted area, been too lazy to take the scope to a dark site to get some really good images though. It is too easy to set it up in the backyard and try to get what I can :)

  133. 133.

    Yara

    Great job anonymoose – I’m always amazed at the beauty of the galaxy and you’ve done a wonderful job of capturing it.

  137. 137.

    PonB

    We do have some amazing talent here…

    If you’ve made it this far, please check out the latest offering by my good guitar friend and me: Audiot Savant.

    Also, I write professionally for my employer…here’s a link to an eBook I co-authored: The Data Governance eBook. Free for some marketing info…

    – PonB

  139. 139.

    Daddy-O

    Boy, am I late to the party…

    I’m a professional musician in a large Midwestern city. My band is called Silk Pajamas; I play guitar and sing light jazz–standards, samba and swing. My bread and butter is background music for corporate and high-end party events.

    It’s background–but it’s pretty good. Here are some of my songs. Hope you like them!

  141. 141.

    Redshirt

    I suppose it’s not art, necessarily. But I think my blog is pretty nifty – I try to have each picture flow/connect with the next. I’ve been doing it a long time now, so there’s a story/stories going on. Also, lots of Star Trek/Star Wars funny pictures. If you think that’s appealing, I think you’d dig:

    Redshirt’s Lament

  142. 142.

    Ruckus

    @greyjoy:
    WOW.

    Larime, what you do is… I’m speechless. I wish I could afford to commission some work. You find the soul in your subjects.

    There really is some amazing talent here.

  144. 144.

    catclub

    I agree it is a great picture of a cat, but JCole’s descriptions
    of a cat that is likely to either eat, or sit on and suffocate, a small dog, do not seem to apply to this cat.

  147. 147.

    Objective Scrutator

    Holy shit, that’s not exactly a skill you can find in another person very easily.

    You could easily branch out into other works if that’s your prerogative, and you’d be just as awesome as you are at drawing people. In fact, it would be a great loss to the world if you only restricted your work towards one subject.

    Words do not do you justice. Not many people can so effectively overcome their disabilities as you can.

  153. 153.

    REN

    I make canes and walking sticks from diamond willow. I don’t have a site as it is more of a hobby than a business, but I still do sell them. [email protected]. If you e-mail I will send you pictures and info.

  156. 156.

    Parrotlover77

    I write electronica. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s somewhere close to Progressive Breaks, but with more ambient and less sirens.

    http://www.avianwaves.com

    Available on CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, and so forth.

    Enjoy! Send me a message that you learned about my site from Balloon Juice and I’ll mail you a CD for cost of shipping only. Yea, like a real physical shiny disk. It doesn’t fit inside an iPod, but you can put it into your computer’s DVD-ROM.

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