Political Cartoon: United We Stank

What is the purpose of political parties?

Political cartoon: We aim to blame!

Is placing blame a useful strategy?

Political Cartoon: Democrat Double-speak

What is Democracy?

Is voting a mere formality?

Does anyone sincerely value the democratic voice of the people?

New Palm Frond Masks: Red Stone, Long Face. Updated!

Update: Finished this one.

Red Stone Face

Acrylic on Palm Frond

Feb 2017

Original Post:

I've been working on my palm frond masks lately.

Red Stone Face
Acrylic on Palm Frond
Feb 2017

I've cleaned up a new batch of downed frond bases. That involves trimming off the excess fringes, messy and breakable edges of the fronds, with saw, razor and shears. Then sanding the remaining rough edge as smooth as possible-- this part is tricky because the wood is porous with thick fibers, so sanding the edge more and more just ends up revealing more and more rough fiber ends.

I left them, concave side up outside in the pouring once-in-a-lifetime torrential California rain, and they got pretty clean, like being power-washed. Some sanding remains to be done on the surfaces, which often shed a wispy filmy skin which kind hinders the painting process.

Then the design goes on. I have a plan to do more quicker ones, say under an hour of painting, as well as a few more intricately designed ones taking much longer.

Long Face
Acrylic on Palm Frond
Jan 2017

Here pictured are an example of each type. The red mask was inspired by a vision, of a red stone face, not surprisingly. I have a bit more work to do on that one.

The wood textured mask was more or less doodled onto the frond in black acrylic paint, diluted with water. It has eye holes which I had drilled previously.  Painting the face on it took me considerably less than an hour. More like 5-10 minutes.

You need a mask! I have your mask! Hit me up! Let's make a deal, I will work with your budget. What kind of mask do you want? I'm your man for palm frond masks. I can draw or paint Your Face on a palm frond, and it will actually look like you! Or your loved one, your pet, or your favorite person or animal or image!

BFF!  Best Fronds Forever!

Support the Arts!

New Palm Frond Masks: Boston Terrier, Three Monkeys

My two latest palm frond masks are gifts to my brother's family.

The Boston Terrier pictured below is Bella, the Ari family dog. At age 16, blind and feeble, she is on her last leg. Here she is in healthier times, immortalized on the frond of a Queen Palm.
I searched in my collection of blank fronds (about 100 of them) for the one that had the closest shape to the characteristic stubby snout of the Boston Terrier. The fronds usually have bends and curves in them, suggesting noses, jowls, etc. This one was pretty close. Just a little upturn I could use for the dog's muzzle.  The angled shots below better show the shape of the frond.

Bella the Boston Terrier
Acrylic on queen palm frond
November 2016
a gift to the Ari's 

 And the mask below I made as a gift for one set of my brother's in-laws, who have hosted my folks and I for the last few thanksgivings. They are big collectors of art, and one recurring theme in their collection is the three monkeys of folk art: hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. This was my interpretation of the classic meme, which I call Hear, See, Speak ALL.

Three Monkeys, or Hear, See, Speak ALL
Acrylic on queen palm frond
November 2016
A gift for the Vorzimers.

Three Monkeys
Detail 

Three Monkeys
Detail

This video gives a feel for the 3D structure of the frond. Unfortunately, it's turned sideways, and I can't seem to fix that.
You'll just have to turn your head or your monitor slightly.
Thankyou.

Palm Frond Masks: Latest Two.

I'm not sure what to say about these two, except that they are my latest, and there are two of them.

Lookit!

Palm Frond Masks
Long Face
Toothy Smile

My current supply of cleaned-up palm fronds ready to go:

40 or so palm fronds

Political Cartoon: Look Who's Privileged

I am so mad at the DNC right now.  There are layers upon layers of criminality and malfeasance within the democratic party that I am no longer willing to tolerate.

They were caught stealing the election from the more popular candidate, who's more likely to win in November.  They broke the rules, and failed in their duty to present an impartial primary contest. This was a coup d'etat. I will not support it by voting for clinton. If I ever vote for another democrat again, they may count themselves lucky.

clinton: "YOU BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTERS ARE SO PRIVILEGED!"
Copyright 2016 David Fleischmann
"thefreeradical"

In so many ways, they rigged this election, and more critically, they maintained a stranglehold on the free flow of information, for instance about the candidates. They presented clinton as the winner before the primary had even begun, and announced the winner several times as it was continuing. Each time, they were reporting false information as fact.  They insulted and humiliated Senator Sanders, maintained a media blackout of his campaign, and sold a false narrative that he was old, infirm, ineffectual, unelectable.

They poisoned the waters of discussion on the internet by hiring an army to troll social media and tar all who spoke criticism of clinton as sexist, racist, homophobic, right-wing, etc., putting them on the defensive, rather than allow any scrutiny to fall on clinton. I have been called "privileged" for supporting the one candidate that actually proposes policies designed to help the poor and underprivileged, and I am against the candidate who's a paid representative of billion-dollar corporations engaged in exploiting the earth and its people for every dollar.

The DNC worked to slander Bernie supporters as violent, which could not be further from the truth, and is a clear case of projection on the part of clinton supporters, who have been unabashedly violent.

Any valid criticisms of clinton go ignored, explained away, disbelieved out of existence.  The leaked e-mails came from the DNC, and nowhere else. Regardless of your feelings about who may have leaked it, the leak and its content remain fact, and it needs to be dealt with.

The Dems wholeheartedly support the violent policy of prohibition, despite there being no public health or safety benefit.  The entire drug war is now well-known to have been launched (by nixon) only as a means to arrest, incarcerate, and disenfranchise large numbers of black people.

Democrat politicians joined with those on "the other side" to coordinate violent 3AM raids on Occupy Wall Street, a peaceful and totally legal people's movement.  In doing so, they stripped thousands of homeless and underprivileged people of a ready source of aid of all types.  Occupy was slandered as violent (much like Bernie supporters were slandered), blamed and framed for crimes committed anywhere in the downtown areas they located in. Rather than get behind the populist movement, establishment democrats sided with the corrupt banks, and protected the corporate billionaires from their due justice by the 99%.

This is your legacy, you corporate democrats. Suck it up. You made this.

Someone else's caricature of me.

A young man drew this for me at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, back in the early 2000's. Their caricature booth had all the amenities: four drawing stations, with cameras and overhead screens for the audience. This guy, having learned that I was a caricature artist too, busted out three amazing caric's of me.  This was one of them, which I still cherish as one of my favorite portraits of all time.

Well, ok, it's a little worn, and could use a frame, but anyway...

David Fleischmann in caricature
by ????

Photo, for reference.

Abstract Cartoony Vision Paintings - Acrylics on Masonite Board

 More paintings from a few years ago.
The first three are from visions I saw in my mind's eye.
The last one, just a random character doodled in a sketchbook.

Face Melting Over Box

The Body Like Soft Serve

Organic City-Structure

Toothy Character

Two Cartoon Abstract Paintings from awhile ago

Some art that I created a few years back.  Stream of consciousness stuff. No plan, just letting it flow.

Cartoon Lineup with Top Hat Motif
Acrylic and Marker
2012

Misshapen characters with basketball
Acrylics
2012

Caricatures: Katie, Joe, and the cats, Sudo, Tina, and Plop.

After all the political posts, I'm taking a break by posting some artwork and photos of beautiful Laguna Beach.

I completed a series of drawings in exchange for a weekend stay in Richmond, California.  They were done precisely to specifications.  The commission was completed a bit late, and one of the cats, who had been on his last leg, had since passed away.  He became the kitty ghost in the drawing below.

Katie, Joe, and the cats, Tina, Sudo, and Plop.

Sudo

Tina

Plop

Katie and 

Political Cartoon: Don't "Nader" Bernie Sanders!

I hear far too many times that Bernie is the "Nader" of this election, splitting the Democrat vote, potentially handing the election to the opposition.  This story is tiresome for so many reasons.

Don't Nader Me Bro!
2016

First off, it is inaccurate to say that Nader lost Gore the election. This is the establishment Democrats' spin on their historic 2000 election loss to "W". It is a false narrative that nonetheless makes them feel better about losing. In fact, Al Gore lost that election entirely on his own, without needing any help from Nader.  Right off the bat, thousands of Democrats in Florida voted for Bush, so they are to blame if anyone is.  Furthermore, when the result of the election was still in dispute, Gore conceded the battle, prompting judges and others to hasten the decision for Bush.  Any politician worth his salt knows to stay in the race until the very end.  That is, unless his corporate paymasters decide they'd rather have Bush and order him to concede, which is what I speculate may have happened.

Second, history is not destiny.  It is a different time, and we've come a long way since 2000. Progressive movements like Occupy have risen and fallen since then, and have significantly changed the parameters of discussion.  The Berniecrats are not just going to fade back into the woodwork because the establishment thinks that they should.

Finally, a large block of Bernie's supporters are Independents, and do not owe Democrats anything. It is specious to claim that Democrats are somehow entitled to the support of progressive voters or millennials.  A very large voting block adamantly rejects the Democrats' corporatist candidate, for a variety of valid reasons, not the least of which are her current criminal investigation, and her slipping poll numbers which show she could easily lose in Novemeber.

Hillary and her Trolls Unite the Party, Political Cartoon

Send Out My Trolls to Unite the Party!
political cartoon
copyright 2016
David Fleischmann
the free radical

Hillary and the DNC have attempted to unite the highly fragmented Democratic party using internet trolls, for which a million dollars were budgeted.  The Internet is a tool of open dialogue. Paying people to express political opinions is poisoning the waters.  Her aggressive measures will never unite the party.  Nagging Bernie Sanders supporters for not supporting Hillary is not a strategy for winning the race in November.  In my opinion, it is Bernie or no one.

Voting Goalie, Political Cartoon

Our election system is designed not to allow the free vote, but to inhibit it.

Voting Goalie
Copyright Free Radical 2016
David Fleischmann

There were many anomalies in the voting process this year, principally in Arizona, where 5-hour lines, and voter suppression squelched the free democracy we once enjoyed.  Democratic voters had their party affiliations switched, without their knowledge or consent, so that they could not vote for the candidate of their choice.  Polling places had been closed down, and voters showed a record turnout, backing up the voting system and causing many to give up on getting their voices heard.  Not everyone is physically able to stand in line for five hours.  The record turnout was blamed on voters showing up, by election officials, who themselves were clearly complicit in suppressing the vote.  Additional outrages followed in other states like New York, where 126,000 people from Brooklyn had their affiliations switched.

Exit polling has become a fine science, and anytime there is a deviation of more than a few points between exit polls and official tallies, it is an indication of monkey business in the vote count.  This election, many states were off by more than a few points, indicating a systemic failure of our vote counting system.

To date, there have been no statements from the establishment democrats about voter suppression, election fraud, or any such dirty tactics that they always scream about when republicans use them.

New palm frond mask: collage.

I have been trying different media in making my palm frond masks.  This one is a collage, I may add some paint over the top, making it a mixed media piece.  Enjoy.

Rift Portal Sketch

Sometimes the rift opens up before you, spreading open like an orifice, bursting, portal-like with teeming weirdies from nether regions, strange dimensions, converging on this nexus of hyperspatial awareness.  Dig it!

Rift Portal
2015

Security Man: Political Comic Strip

 



This is an old one.  An idea for a political cartoon featuring a psychopathic superhero, whose heinous acts are all in the name of "security."  You can probably guess this was around the time of the invasion of Iraq, following the September 11th bombings, which Iraq had nothing to do with.  At that time, many wrongheaded and destructive policies emerged out of blind calls for "heightened security," "homeland security," and "think of the children!"  I can't apologize for the violence of the cartoon: it's a cartoon.  The real violence and terror committed by our country in the name of "security", can never be apologized for.

Pardon my penmanship; translation below comic.

SECURITY MAN
Woman: You know, it's prob'ly nothing, but I just don't feel as safe as I used to, before that big unpleasantness a few years back.
>BAM!<
Security Man: Someone feeling unsafe?
Man: Security Man!
Woman: Oh Thank God!
Man: What the-?
(gun sounds) Klik!, Ch-chik!
Woman: NOOO!!
Crowd: AAAAAARRRGHH!!
(gunfire) Bada-bada-bow! Blammo!
Woman: No!! Please!!
(gun) Klik
KA-KOW!!!
>squish<
Security Man: Security Man is Secure.
Narrator: HOOORAHH!!!

by David Fleischmann
Copyright 2004

Sketchbook Page 36: Doodle Array

Just doodling on my notes at our latest Burning Man theme camp meeting.

Amalgam of Many Things II: Sketch

Latest trippy sketch.

Kind of like this other one.

Caricatures on the beach on a sunny May day.

Drew a slew of caricatures last weekend.  Fun times!