Tag: Deidhre Wauchop Artist

Bully, read my lips

The continuing farce that is America prompts this post.

The duds in the Orangehouse are successful in one thing—rallying support against them.

Read my lips AI assisted digital 2025

The bully tactics are typical. But support for the victims (except American ‘victims’ that brought this on themselves) is increasing around the world. Bullies don’t win when sane and strong people stand against them.

I support our Commonwealth cousins, Canada, in this fight. They’re strong and I hope they remain strong.

There’s no point in decrying all the actions causing chaos in America and around the world without doing my bit.

So, I’m doing an audit of my material practice. A boycott is in progress.

Paints

Briefly, the oil paints that I use are from the UK (Winsor & Newton) and Australia (Art Spectrum), so I can continue to use them without concern.

The Acrylic paints I use are American. Boycott! That is, use what I have but don’t buy any more.

The Alkyd paints I use are from an Australian company that appears to source materials globally, notably China.

Yarns and other fibre materials

I have a stash that is equivalent to the size of half a shipping container, so I’m sure I can use up what I have for years to come.

If I need a yarn fix I will go to Bendigo Woollen Mills (Oz) and various favoured suppliers in Europe.

Digital

This is difficult.

I use Apple and Adobe exclusively for creating and manipulating digital works. My initial boycott will be to lavish care on my now elderly computer and downgrade my Adobe all-apps plan when it comes due. I will try to limit my Adobe fix to Photoshop.

The use of Midjourney is also deeply entrenched in my practice. But I have more than 100,000 images so am thinking about how I downgrade to a cheaper plan and maybe wean myself off in the future. I could spend an entire lifetime just working with the images I already have.

Aside from my arts practice—personal choices

I will never buy a swasticar. This choice is not an illegal boycott, buffoon.

I never eat unhappy meals.

I watch Australian television. I have no streaming subscriptions.

Already I have boycotted Twitter and closed my account, haven’t used Microsoft products for years, and limited use of Meta. We watch some Youtube to catch up with the fallout of the shitshow, only because our ABC doesn’t always cover it.

I have made a list of American exports into Australia so that I can check that I am not inadvertently buying American. Not much chance of that because we have so much good stuff here, specifically, made in Australia. I’ll be looking closely at country of origin and company ownership for toiletries, games, vinegar, fruit and nuts, paper and cardboard, books and apparel.

OK, so I’m just one boycotter but I’m looking forward to my part in his (and the knob’s) downfall.

Vessel

Vessel: Empty October 2024

I’m confused and frightened by American Politics. Republican politicians and commentators are clearly, and extraordinarily, misogynistic.

I question how Trump and his cravens can get away with objectifying and disparaging Harris, spraying all their outrageously false, or overtly violent or overtly sexualised criticisms, without reproach.

Even long time loser Mel Gibson, who Australia disowned many years ago, feels emboldened to say random stupid stuff about the Vice President. Worse still, the media reports it as though this is important information and not just the ravings of a weird sad old man.

A significant majority of Australians surveyed in various polls hope that Harris wins the election. However we have our own home-grown misinformed (or deplorables, depending on their intentions) and that group is not getting smaller.

My hope is that the strength of real and respectful American women and men carries Harris and Walz to victory.

Otherwise I will have to speed my efforts to grow fruit and vegetables, and install a fire pit ready to roast bush turkeys when the apocalypse comes.