The prevalence of substance use disorders in persons with bipolar disorder is well documented and at times with a lifetime prevalence. “Dual Diagnosis” conditions, co-occuring bipolar disorders and substance abuse disorders commonly co-occur and are challenging to diagnose and treat.
Recently, I illustrated an essay for the LA Times OP_ED about Muslims in the US and I posted it here on my blog. In one of the sketches I addressed “Muslim Baiting” which is a term Haris Tarin, the author of the essay, used to describe a tactic the fear-mongers in our country are using this election cycle. Even though another sketch was selected for publishing I decided to take the sketch to final as a personal work.
Heather Hopp-Bruce (AD) on the Op-Ed page was hoping I might cast a positive depiction of the sturdy, stately, Pineapple bed as a comfort to generations of the author’s family rather than a resting place for the very ill and the dying. In one sketch I chose to make the mattress and blankets of the bed as two hands posed palms up to connote comfort and security. In the second sketch the sheets and blankets become a smiling face. We went with the second sketch for the final.
Although gathering some steam, the Rhode Island economy has some very rough patches. The housing market is sharply divided with signs of life at the top, a squeeze in the middle and so far, unremitting stress at the bottom. Unemployment amongst the middle class is not good. Now, they don’t have a job or the job they have pays half of what it paid a year ago. The state’s health and human services programs are seeing a steady uptick in cases. April saw the highest one-month number for emergency shelter occupancy. There’s a pension liability and the state has a high tax and cost structure. And to add salt to their wounds, there have most recently been devastating floods. There are signs of recovery in some areas but most people don’t see it.
The rain and floods invoked umbrellas. As a ray of hope, I added a bit of sunshine to the scenario by brightening the outlook in the two sketches of the man and women sheltering themselves from the downpour. The hand with the string denotes the state hoping for more dollars from the feds to aid in their recovery. Finally, I thought of using the state bird of Rhode Island the Rhode Island Red hen. Here it is shackled by a ball and chain. Dean Welshman, the AD of the publication didn’t hesitate when he picked the state bird. I was hoping he would go with it. Thanks Dean.
Haris Tarin’s essay titled, “My Father Did Not Fear for Me, But I Am afraid for My Children”; parallels the openness and tolerance his Muslim, Afghan born father and mother experienced when they moved to the U.S. in the 1980’s and the bigotry and fear-mongering present today as Muslims seek to open mosques in regions of our country. He speaks of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and the host of “Professional Bigots” building a cottage industry out of “Muslim-Baiting” in this election cycle. He refuses to allow the voices of fear minimize his father’s experiences and degrade the America he fell in love with. He writes that his children deserve better. “We all do”.
Eventually Wes Bausmith (AD) and I settled on the hands holding and supporting a mosque as our solution. We felt that it best reflects the positive ideals the author’s father revered about Americans. However, I really liked the power of a couple of the “Muslim Baiting” sketches too. Maybe someday.
I worked with Kerri Abrams at The National in Abu Dhabi to create a portrait of a street artist named Leonard. The essay, “Moving Messages” by Sarita Mehra, describes the London streets where Leonard with his dirty, tangled, grey beard; chalk smeared face and dressed in his customary grim and grubby coat works in colored chalk on the grey wet sidewalks in the Square. No one notices. Everyone has a better place to be except Leonard.
Time International ran a profile of the Chinese environmental lawyer, Wang Canfa in the “Heroes” Issue. Canfa represents the rural poor by fighting huge corporate polluters. Aside from capturing his likeness I really like the background. The mountains, villages and fields seem almost abstract in their patterning.
Seattle Business Magazine: Commercial office building owners and managers in the Puget Sound region face a conundrum: although everyone agrees that retrofitting a building to reduce energy consumption substantially reduces operating costs while also boosting green credentials, few owners have the money or the credit to make the necessary investments. This one is a light hearted interpretation of how to reduce energy leaks in older buildings.
Working with the folks at Siegel and Gale, NY I created an image that would appear as a window decal in boutique shops around Seattle. The idea is to work with local artists around the country. Each artist would create an image that gets at the heart of their particular city. After a round of pencil sketches and color comps I took this one to final. The outdoors, salmon and coffee are almost equally important to the people of Seattle with the edge going to coffee.
