February 12, 2009

Going to school is truly a learning experience in many ways that I had not anticipated. My classes include information about Global Warming, photosynthesis, women's Utopias and loess. I have learned to log off the computer in the hall when done using it and to print off Enthemology's Power Points from the same computer, to save ink. There is no consistency in any of the food places. Each time you order something you will be surprised. I have learned that the crosswords in the Collegian get harder as the week progresses. I've watched the fish at the Salt Water tanks and found a few new ones that I hadn't noticed before. I've gotten to know the orange fish who is always rubbing his/her belly on the orange amoebas looking something like a cat rubbing its stomach on a rug. You can get free NY Times, Collegian and Centre Daily Times with a student id. And I have yet to meet an employee of Penn State that wasn't helpful and pleasant.

Peace Always

Sharon

February 3, 2009

Today was a long day at school made more difficult by the fact that I couldn't fall asleep last night until 3ish (cramps and such). Have been thinking about adding a second major in the environment/organics /sustainable vein and training to be an organic certifier. I know it doesn't seem art like so where does that leave me as far as creating? So here's a rough plan.No art until spring break when I plan to take the book "Adventures of Sophie" with me to Tucson to finish (just have to tweak the art on the computer, everything else is laid out and ready to go. School until the end of April, 4 months of gardening, hiking and art and then back to school. Taking a full course load keeps the thinking side of the brain busy and the creative idle-it's good to swing the other way once in a while.

Whhhheeeeeeeee

Peace Always

Sharon

May 12, 2008

When I first became a vegan I immersed myself in all things vegan and read books, searched the internet and listened to as many podcasts about veganism, animal rights and cooking as I could find. A reoccurring theme that immersed was that as a vegan it is important to go a step more and use talents and skills to promote veganism in the world which is largely a non-vegan one. Some suggestions were to do pass out literature in public, write letters to various sources,and/ or write a book. I considered these options careful but knew my limitations and skills and decided to incorporate a message of veganism whenever I could in my artwork. One such piece, "A Silver Titter Stole My Baby" is about the dairy industry and how mother cows never get to have any relationship with their offspring. When I was a vegetarian and not a vegan I never considered this fact. It was only after hearing what other vegans had uncovered that the truth became clear to me. When one supports the dairy industry as I did as a vegetarian who ate dairy you support the veal industry as well as all non female offspring are sent to veal sheds to live their brief lives in a dark small closet. All babies, male and female are taken almost immediately from the mother so the mother can be a milk producer for the human animals not her calves. As a mother myself I thought of the angst that a mother would feel to have all her children taken away from her, never to realize the bond that mother and children have, only the stresses of having her offspring taken away. No matter how simple cows are I knew that from all accounts cows have real emotions when this happens by the verbal reactions both mom and child had when separated.