Studio Notes: New Painting: Suppertime and the different shades of our experiences of racism. Music really is our silent voices

Suppertime: Acrylic, screen print on canvas and gold leaf. These are small, 6 x 3.5" square.

The title is from Ethel Waters' rendition of Suppertime from Irving Berlin's 1933 broadway revue - As Thousands Cheer. (play the song on You Tube below). People wouldn't know but this was an innovative revue based on a newspaper and the events of the day (remarkable, you'd never get that bravery today). I re-drew Obama's face with olive leaves, sort of a mask of Caesar.

With that demise of Obama's honeymoon, I thought it would be poetic to meditate on the significance of this song. I still think it's amazing that he ever got elected. Of course we care how much he stuffs up, but nobody's perfect. Both paintings draw on the mask which is used in prophecy. Perhaps appreciation of our roots is what this painting is about. Also, there is a line between healthy democratic critique and aggressive sabotage that is clearly being pushed right now in America. For this reason, 'Suppertime' seemed a timely song.

If you listen to 'Suppertime', there's a poignancy to it that makes one less (insufferably) critical of Obama, and more balanced in understanding what he is accomplishing just by being there. That doesn't mean we stop questioning. We can still reflect on the significance of our choices. Masks wear off fast when you test them against your own fears. Sometimes the problem with democracy can be pinned down to, well....democracy itself.

I listen to Ethel Waters' sing Suppertime, and I don't see failure:) I guess that's why I'm an artist and not a politician. History is alive and living within each of us. Please take the time to listen to this remarkable song and remarkable singer.

https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/ohamstruggles/page/ew2