I Didn't Know My Artwork was so POLITICAL

This past week I experienced, in just a tiny measure, the world's sad state of affairs when  a comment about a post I shared in a farmhouse decorating group had me scratching my head.  This nation's political division, for the first time, raised it's ugly head in my studio.  

Don't get me wrong,  I have very strong political opinions, but I work hard to keep all that off of my Facebook studio artwork page.  I feel that this world lacks joy, and that a great deal of what is passed around Facebook is more like throwing rotten vegetables in a pot to stir up unrest and create division.  So I feel strongly that my online mission is to share art that brings people back to a happy place where they, even for a brief moment, forget all the junk going on in the world and just smile.  So how could I possible, in drawing a cow and some watermelon have made what can be construed as a political statement? 

I created this drawing that I titled "One in a Melon" to be my July 2021 artwork in the calendar that I have been working on.  What says July and summer more than fresh watermelon, cows and the American Flag?  Well obviously I wasn't thinking straight because here is the comment I received after sharing this artwork in one of the many farmhouse groups I belong to:

"Thinly veiled political statement, much"  and a second person chimed in "My thoughts too".  I read and reread that comment, and for the life of me could not understand what she was referring too.  While it is just one comment, I felt it important enough to understand what about this image prompted that statement.  I shared this question on my studio art page and received an explanation that is probably accurate.  My artist friend felt that the "RED BLANKET" under the flag was a promotion of "the GOP".  She is probably correct in her critique of what this comment was about but let me tell you that this of course was not my intention.  

Do you remember way back in elementary art class when we learned about the color wheel?  Do you remember the each of the primary colors of Red, Blue and Yellow have a complimentary colors?  Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Yellow and Violet are all complimentary of each other.  I can tell you that this art rule was my whole motivation for picking a "RED" blanket to lay my "GREEN" watermelons on.  LORD what has the world come too?  

The post never got ugly or any more negative.  She liked my explanation that the image was not political and that this was a COW under the flag and not an elephant or a donkey.  LOL!  

To end my little rant here, I do want to share with you that this week I made my 2021 calendar available for purchase and this drawing along with 11 other "Wash Tub" images look great.  I hope 2021 is a better year than this year has turned out to be and having my funny wash tub artwork to look forward to is just a tiny contribution to that end on my part.  Here is the link to the calendar on my ETSY SHOP if you want to order one for yourself or for a friend. 

Cover Artwork for my 2021 calendar

JULIE TOWNSEND STUDIO ON ETSY