I am so fucking depressed about
the turn of events in our country,
about how divided we are, that
I have not been able to sketch anything.
For the first time in years, I am stuck.
Hear me out, because I don’t think this is about being a Republican or Democrat,
but about crazy crazy bat-crazy shit.
I rarely wade into politics here, but this
is not a normal time. I’m a Democrat,
but in past voted for a Republican,
once long ago. I won’t say when.
But this is not politics as usual.
With either Bushes, with Reagan, I never thought for a minute they wanted to undermine our democracy, or
actually harm the American people.
Trump is different. I don’t even begin to understand why he or his people would
set out to undermine our democracy,
but they have in past, even looking to
hang one of their own, Mike Pence!
It upset me so that while we watched it
on tele, I sketched from images
so that I’d have my own record, with
my journal notes, on what happened.
Thankfully Biden beat him last time, but here we are, trying to defeat him again.
Why doesn’t the GOP get behind a sane candidate?
What has made them go in this direction?
What the hell is going on?
He has said what he means to do clearly yesterday at a rally:
“Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed… You won’t have to vote anymore my beautiful Christians. I love you Christians. I love you. You gotta get out and vote… We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not gonna have to vote.”
A friend says it is because Trump knows where the bodies are buried, implying blackmailing (so to speak) of the GOP. I have trouble believing that.
My sane (IMO) Republican friends are voting for Harris or Independent this time.
They have no interest in destroying the many benefits of being an American citizen,
and they love our flawed but wonderful democracy.
I have read some of the 2025 document.
It does not treat women well.
It turns us into chattel, to be made pregnant and dependent upon a man.
Women want the same control over our bodies and reproductive systems that men have, and the choice of how we will live our lives. I CANNOT believe we are here again, having this conversation.
In July of 2020 a talented journalist, Maranie Rae, was in Portland,
and posted images of the
Proud Boys who were rioting
and fueling hatred here.
I asked her if I could use
a couple of her images as reference
and she generously said yes.
I remember being frightened then,
and wondering if or even when they
might show up in our studio neighborhood.
Much of what was happening was
not too far from our studio.
For a few nights we stuck around
taking turns napping on the sofa,
listening to the screaming of the clashes,
going home only to shower and return.
Between Maranie’s images and videos of the nights of violence, I created a few sketches in my Nostalgie Sketchbook.
This time, however, I am more worried than a few years ago.
I mean, nightmares, don’t-sleep-well-at-night worried,
having-trouble-concentrating-on-work worried.
NOT sketching.
How are you all doing?
OLD sketches above in a Hahnemühle Nostalgie Sketchbook,
De Atramentis Document Urban Grey ink in Pentel Aquash waterbrushes,
TWSBI ECO 1.1stub with Robert Oster inks,
Platinum Carbon pen with Platinum Carbon ink waterproof cartridges,
Sennelier, Holbein, and Daniel Smith Watercolors.
☾
©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back to dkatiepowellart.
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D.Katie Powell Art 
These images are very good.
It seems we are teetering on the brink of misogynistic authoritarianism, and to be a democrat or humanitarian or law abiding or to believe in equality or justice or to want genocide to stop, any of this is to be an extremist.
But we can resist this wave of horror. I don’t know how your politics works but I know that good organisation on the ground to turn out the vote can carry an election. I hope you can be active to help defeat this threat to democracy.
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I (we — husband is my partner and is in this with me) can’t be as active as I would like because I own a business, but I am posting on social media, sending out emails, talking it up and giving money to both the general Democratic Party fund (for many candidates) and to KH. As an artist I have rarely waded into politics in my art, but feel I cannot NOT give my voice. What I am trying to find a way to do is to get the 18-29 age group to register. They poll as liking KH but many are not registered, probably a general apathy because it is hard to imagine making a difference in the items that worry them, like climate change. Thank you so much for your reply; it is heartening.
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Seriously, congratulations. Helping young people to register to vote and ensuring they have voter id is so crucial. We have to what we can. I’m in a profession in which I have to be hugely careful what I say and how I say it to not lose my registration. So I am careful. Still, I look at this and think, it’s now or never.
In the UK our campaigning just ousted a chaotic extremist government that was moving to being authoritarian. However, we need to continue to be active to keep the incoming centre left well-meaning government focussed.
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i have *never* understood why they backed him. he scares me, really really scares me. he was so intent on turning people against each other, them vs us, those people.
i am so glad those in power are standing with KH. it was horrible when 22 democrats all talked smack about each other before backing JB. “they” can call me *extremist* and that doesn’t bother me. all people are created equal; man has unfortunately made a mess of that.
Katie, as always, your sketches and thoughts resonate with me.
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i have *never* understood why they backed him. he scares me, really really scares me. he was so intent on turning people against each other, them vs us, those people.
i am so glad those in power are standing with KH. it was horrible when 22 democrats all talked smack about each other before backing JB. “they” can call me *extremist* and that doesn’t bother me. all people are created equal; man has unfortunately made a mess of that.
Katie, as always, your sketches and thoughts resonate with me.
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Thank you for responding. Yes, he really scares me. His recent talk of them not needing to vote, they have it all worked out scares the pants off me!
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