A Wicked Life

A Wicked Life (c) 2015 I have been busy getting ready for this year's Auburn Community Festival.  I have a few items that will be for sale along with some oil paintings.  Making goodies! #artist #skulls #black #bracelet #jewelry #dayofthedead #giftideas #instagram A photo posted by A Wicked Life (@awickedlife) on Oct 13, 2015 at 7:25pm PDT I am very excited to be going to this event with my sister and father. They are both very talented and it is wonderful to share the spotlight with both of them. Check out my sis' work here - Doll's Eye~ 12x16 oil on canvas. Posted by All Tomorrow's Paintings on  Saturday, October 10, 2015 Here are more items that will be available at the festival.  Pendulums #handmade #artist #instagram #pendulum #divination #blackcats #witchyways A photo posted by A Wicked Life (@awickedlife) on Oct 13, 2015 at 10:09pm PDT I love amethyst. If these are a hit, I'll make more. Have a stone you ...

My favorite time of the year. Yes, Christmas is great but there is nothing like Fall arriving - mystery in the air. I love this time of year for many reasons. The vibe, all things dark brought to life and the perfect beginning to November - Day of the Dead or as some call it (appropriately) Dia de Los Muertos. While this time of year makes some very uncomfortable, I adore it. Lately, I have taken up painting again. I have not painted in about two and a half years, for whatever reason. Call it lack of muse or listening to someone that says I write better than I paint. Well, you, my two followers, know that the latter is untrue. I think I paint better than I write. Or at least better than I edit! Ha ha! To get into the "spirit" of things, I started painting sugar skull style portraits. Not of anyone in particular, just random faces that needed some "color". I'm also excited that I will be involved in an art show the 17th of October in the Foothil...

Fat shaming... What is this all about anyway? I will tell you. Ever since "What is Your Excuse" mom came on the scene a couple of years ago, fat people everywhere have lost their minds.  Who monopolized on this "outrage"? Social Media. Yes, imagine that... Social Media blowing things out of proportion - this time, manipulating our view of health. With that came the "body positive" articles flooding everyone's news feed. Plus-sized models are baring it all in hopes of "awareness" and promoting sensitivity regarding the obese. But what they are really doing is a little irresponsible.  You can love yourself no matter how you look. You can ignore what others say. Speak up when people are truly being treated badly. All of this is positive. I fully agree. What isn't positive? Ignoring the health issues that come with obesity. Some say, "Well it isn't promoting obesity because now one looks at these models and says that they a...

Photo Source: winetrain.com As racial tension continues to escalate in our fine country, everything is now being scrutinized as racist. The newest target for racial discrimination allegations is The Napa Valley Wine Train.  Over the weekend, a book club made up of mostly black women, were escorted off The Napa Valley Wine Train. Staff claimed the group refused to comply with several requests that their group quiet down. These women are now claiming the actions of the staff were racially charged. These women even went as far as Tweeting the incident with the hashtag #laughingwhileblack to imply if they had been a group of white people, the staff would not have ejected them from the train. Now some Latinos are claiming similar treatment.  I read comments on post threads stating that wine tasting is a white person's hobby and that people of color can afford it and should be able to enjoy it  their  way. Really? What happened to comm...

I grew up watching the Flying Circus with my Dad. Some of my fondest memories.  If you are a big fan of anything involving John Cleese, read this book. He takes the reader from his early childhood and through school experiences and the career decisions that lead him to the entertainment industry. I found his writing to be very honest and, of course, hilarious.  His anecdotes about Graham Chapman, Peter Sellers, Marty Feldman, and others were entertaining to the point I literally laughed out loud.  "I donned the skis, sat down into them, grasped the ring by which I was to be towed, obeyed the instruction to sit up as the motorboat accelerated away, but then failed to lean back enough, with the result that I simply disappeared head first into the water in front of me, having gained about two feet. When I'd finished expelling the surprisingly large amount of seawater that my body had acquired during the first trip, I tried again, but because I was now cons...

It's summer!  Beaches, pools and river activities are not complete without a good book. Come on, you can't swim non-stop. Besides, what can be more relaxing than your toes in the sand, a drink at your side and the latest (insert your fave author here) novel in your hands?  Last year I was a little too ambitious with my summer reading goals. This year I'm going to be a little more realistic. I have already started John Cleese's "So, Anyway..." . So far it is as witty and entertaining as he is in movies and comedy skits.  Once I'm finished with this book I will be moving on to Sophia Loren's, "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow My Life" , sent to me from a dear friend across the Pond. I simply adore, Sophia Loren! Thank you, Ian!!! Muah! Time permitting, I will end my summer reading with Stephen King's "Mr. Mercedes" and "Finders Keepers".   I will do my best to follow up with a boo...

Photo Source: Huffington Post It is one thing to admire a culture. It is another thing to outright fabricate ethnicity and being a target of racism. Ms. Dolezal pushed the limits. She lied about who her father is and was brazen enough to post it on social media. Introduced her adopted brother as her son. Not only did she lie about her heritage, she falsified hate mail and police reports - playing the victim of racism.  What was her motive? Some say she did it because of her passion to eliminate the country's injustice towards the black community. Others say that she did it for scholarships and other benefits. Only Dolezal, herself, knows the true motive. What her actions have brought forward is more racial discussion. Her own resignation letter even tries to make the claim that society lashed back and only focused on race and its definition. "Many issues face us now that drive at the theme of urgency. Police brutality, biased curriculum in schools, economi...