A long time ago, I spent many hours discussing the philosophy of making art with my friend Jon Frank. We talked about many things, including what tools we thought were and were not acceptable. I think about these conversations often, and how my outlook has changed since those days. Now, I might say “Use whatever tools are available to you – just use them safely, kindly, and with care.” It’s possible that this change came about because too many kids in my circle seem to think they aren’t really making art if they’re not doing it from memory. I don’t know how this idea became popular, but it creates a barrier between the artist and their creativity. Even the Old Masters used models.
I doubt that any of my art or stories will ever be considered “masterpieces”, but I plan to cut myself some creative slack moving forward. I want you to do that too. I want all of us to make as much art as possible in the year ahead. Let’s use all of the tools at our disposal to try to make the world a little better, a little more beautiful, or little kinder. Let’s make art, crafts, stories and whimsies without stopping ourselves with worries about whether it’s “good” or “bad”. There are people in this world who do horrible things; let’s strive to be a little “army” of fun, creativity, joy, beauty and understanding (it’s okay if being true to yourself means making dark art too; someone might feel less alone because of it). So, to start, here’s a small piece I finished late last night. It’s a small tribute to the friend I was with when I saw this view and to Jon and his early work.
A small water color and ink, about 5 by 8 inches, by db mcneill (aka “buckheister”)
db mcneill 
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