Hoodie Girl #2

Here she is, the product of my last few weeks’ brushstrokes – she came out of a friend’s desire for her, cups of coffee with semi-strange men late at night, sleepless midnights and the unstoppable desire to create. She was meant for another, but I love her so much I don’t think I can let her go.

She’s my new Hoodie Girl, and I’m running out of wall…

For now, she’s a stand alone, I’ll not write more until inspired to. For now, she’s just here, looking at the ground, unassumingly existing.

The picture is oddly prophetic. Today I spent the morning making a patch of soil for my local cafe ready for planting. I did what this picture here above is talking about and made a patch of land fertile around a tree so it can grow food for the local community – and I loved it.

Just like Michael Jackson, a lot of us peak early, then perhaps look around the world for a time only to find we had it all in us to begin with. Some of us get lost along the way – whether it be by the ‘paths’ we take through danger or addiction or destructive behaviour. Mr Jackson was an incredibly beautiful and talented child, his voice and lyrics sang the world into meaning for many people, including me. He was incredibly generous with his inherant gifts. It seems he was perhaps too sensitive and hearty and lost his way amongst money, fame, isolation and painkillers.  Maybe something in him gave up on love.

People are sharing their memories on his site put up by Sony Music so we can all grieve his passing together. When I think of all the wedding dancefloors, daggy nightclub DJs and house party mixes that have included a moment of “Don’t Blame ii on the Sunshine” or all the times I’ve felt overjoyed when I find “Rock With You” playing on an AM radio station in the country whilst on a roadtrip, I feel humbled and grateful. As a teen we would sing “PYT Pretty Young Thing” at the top of our voices on the back of the school bus. I was lucky to have been a teen when Thriller topped the charts for record time. It was truly thrilling back then.

So my hope for everyone reading this is that we remember our innermost passions and stay with them, and never, ever give up on them no matter what. If we find ourselves in an innoportune place to live our loves, know that whatever got us to where we are today can get us out of it.

Today, green means love to me. I love Michael Jackson and his music, and I love the fact that despite his addictions and his madness much of the world is celebrating his life and his gifts. Rest in PEACE Mr Jackson, let’s hope you find your love and your meaning somewhere, somehow. Your mission, reader, should you choose to accept it, is to make a decision to be the love, and do it now.

what is green…..

This picture below is a semi-self-portrait, whipped up in response to a lingering image of a faceless man in a hooded jumper, and probably inspired by street artists around the globe who use this image, including but not limited to one of our favourites -  Banksy. Apart from his amazing street art, he generously flew street artists from around the world to the Cans Festival in May last year (he was the sole sponsor). For more on this you can go to the official site or have a look at a wonderful Aussie blog called Images to Live By written by Melbourne-based academic Alison Young that I found today on the subject. The Australian street artists that were flown to London for the festival were Vexta, Tom Civil and DLux (have a look at a great collection of the work of theirs and others here on Flickr).

All those great things led bit by by to the formation of this image here.

hoodiegirl detail - pen, acrylic & crayon on canvas

hoddie girl self portrait

Please comment and let us know what you’re thinking, and a big shout out to my little bro who is the proud owner of this picture as of tomorrow. Happy Birthday little brother, you’re my hero.

‘Nuff said.

Oh, and hey bro’… did I tell you, you’re my hero?

Just to be alive would be enough.

Pencil and acrylic on canvas by Alena

Here are some of her greener works.

Art, all acrylics on canvas, various sizes, painted by Alena Russell

On the official site this ‘manifesto’ appears:

Via twitter we asked Banksy2 if collaboration on this I Heart Green project would be possible, could he ‘chuck in’? Here was the reply:

Peace back-at-ya Banksy, there’s something about getting my first rejection from such an upside down icon that seems appropriate.

‘Nuff respect.