Orphan Works Bill Legalizes Theft of Artistic Works

I have held my tongue long enough. I have tried to keep my blog free of politics, but I cannot remain silent any longer. The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act was passed through senate in a sneaky maneuver of "hotlining" the bill through at the end of session last Friday (09/26/08), amidst the panic of the US banking system collapse.

This bill compromises every artists' works and right to self-copyright, and practically invites opportunistic thieves to steal it. If an artist was to catch a hypothetical thief who stole creative works, wording in the bill states that if the artist sues the thief, that the thief and artist would have to come to a "mutual agreement" about the value of the stolen creative work. Preposterous.

Rather than try to summarize many other problems with this bill, and try to say what others can express so well, please just read Ted Rall's recent article on the topic. Ted Rall is president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

This bill's next stop is in the House Judiciary Committee, and there is still time to stop this bill from going into law. If you are an artist working in any medium, please educate yourself on this issue. It effects all of us in some pretty frightening ways.

TAKE ACTION: EMAIL CONGRESS TONIGHT
Tell the House Judiciary Committee not to adopt the Senate version.

The Illustrator's Partnership of America has supplied a special letter for this purpose: http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/alert/?alertid=11980321

You can learn more at the Orphan Works blog here:
http://orphanworks.blogspot.com/

Saturday Morning Portrait

Life can be overwhelming sometimes.

So many new things to take in all at once. Adventures and interactions. New places, smells, creatures and people. Nature trails and creeks that demand to be explored. Squirrels that taunt, and snakes that slither. Mice that dart to the safety of their burrows upon my arrival. These are the things that must not be ignored.

After the adventure is over, sometimes a nap is in order.

"All Things Horses" Photography Exhibit at The Center for Fine Art Photography

There's something about horses that
make them fascinating photography subjects.

Never having been much of a horse person, I was not holding my breath for the upcoming exhibition. I was greeted with a great surprise once I saw the final results of the juried photography exhibition. Juried by world-renowned equine photographer,
Christiane Slawik, this exhibit brings together wonderful visions of a great variety of horses, and the impressive power and beauty of these animals, together in a cohesive and impressive display of art by forty two different artists from four countries. If you are of the equestrian-persuasion, you are sure to enjoy this gallery, and if you are not, these photographs might just change your mind! Click here to see the web gallery.

The All Things Horses Exhibition runs from September 5 - 27, 2008, at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO. The artists and public reception is tonight, September 5th, from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.
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PS While it has been an incredibly busy and exciting summer, I have not posted any articles on my blog lately. To my faithful readers, rest assured that several of my personal photography adventures and themed galleries will be posted in the upcoming weeks.