The life of a woman artist hitting her stride!

Posts tagged “Ann Telnaes”

I Continue To Wake Up—

—and keep observing the world and the times that I live in.

The on-going artist task of choosing what to do next requires thought. After all, producing art takes commitment and mental exercise. If chosen well, what is created may inspire fellow humans to a more benevolent, empathetic, and ethical world. It could happen!

Following are a few examples of profound insight by artists in history:

Forgotten Man

“…the Depression woke me up to the fact that I had a part in all this, as an artist.”
–Maynard Dixon, painter, circa 1934
White Angel Breadline

“You quickly forget yourself in your desire to do something that needs to be done.”
–Dorothea Lange, photographer, circa 1933
The Downtrodden

“I am in the world to change the world,”
Kathe Kollwitz, printmaker, circa 1930-40s
Street Scene (Self portrait)

“Artists are the carriers of history. Artists created the paintings on cave walls…”
Seitu Jones, community projects, 2016
You Have Not Converted A Man

“William Blake, in ‘Marriage of Heaven and Hell’, said that righteous indignation over injustice was the truest worship of God. I guess I am filled with righteous indignation most of the time…”
Ben Shahn, social realist, 1960
The Third of May 1808

“The sleep of reason produces monsters…”
Francisco de Goya, painter, circa 1797
Holtom was inspired by the outstretched arms of the peasant, in a white shirt, before a firing squad in Goya’s painting (above) at a time when he was in despair about world nuclear armament. The symbol he created became the most powerful, memorable, and adaptable image ever designed for a secular cause. Created for a protest march from London to Aldermaston in 1958, he based it on semaphore signals for “N” (Nuclear) and “D” (Disarmament) enclosed in a circle.
Nuclear Disarmament Logo original sketches.

“I’m proud that the symbol has become such a universal sign of hope and peace.”
Gerald Herbert Holtom, designer, 1958
The Cartoon Rejected by The Washington Post

“The duty of the artist is not to perform for everyone on command. It is to take a stand through their art.”
Ann Telnaes, political cartoonist, 2025
Sharecropper

“Art for me must…answer a question, or wake somebody up, or give a shove in the right direction–our liberation.”
Elizabeth Catlett, sculptor, circa 1960s
Judith and Her Maidservant

“I will show your illustrious Lordship what a woman can do.”
Artemisia Gentileschi, painter, 1600s

And so, I am embarking on my own series of ‘profound insight’. In 2025 I joined thousands in four different protests of “No Kings” and “Hands Off” against authoritarianism, immigration brutality, executive overreach, and in defense of democracy. Looking through the photos I took while at those protests I was emotionally touched by the determination in faces and accompanying statements of my fellow humans. More powerful than simply pretty smiling faces (although those have their place too) I have begun to explore my insights through the following portraiture.

Protect Our Public Schools and The U.S. Army Founded To Defend Immigrants From A Mad King
Preliminary sketches.
I Am America and The Patriot
Preliminary sketches.
We Are Workers! Not Criminals! and Free Dylan, Kidnapped By I.C.E.
Preliminary sketches.
Hands Off My Future and Recognizing A Nation In Extreme Danger
Preliminary sketches.
The Patriot
Has begun…

January 26, 2026 | Categories: Art With A Social Conscience, Social Conscience Art, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment