F.I.G.H.T.I.N.G. Changes Art?

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art, art maps, asia, canvas, china, countries, country, culture, fighting, geography, india, indian, indian conflict, indian culture, indian people, indian territories, kashmir, kashmir dispute, kashmir region, kashmir region of india, map, map of india, maps, paintings, pakistan, prints, sharon cummings, southeast asia, travel, travel maps, war, world map, world maps

 

As many of you know, I love to create maps using my original paintings.  My World maps are extremely popular with my country maps running behind in second.  Sometime last year, I got a special request to produce a map of India. I was delighted to work on this piece because India is a very uniquely shaped country which for an artist keeps it interesting.  I finished the work and listed it on Fine Art America.  It wasn’t long before another artist who was Indian pointed out that I had left off the upper most region.  This region is called Kashmir.

The region is divided among three countries in a territorial dispute: Pakistan controls the northwest portion (Northern Areas and ‘Azad’ Kashmir), India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir) and Ladakh, and the People’s Republic of China controls the northeastern portion (Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). India controls the majority of the Siachen Glacier area, including the Saltoro Ridge passes, whilst Pakistan controls the lower territory just southwest of the Saltoro Ridge. India controls 101,338 km² (39,127 sq mi) of the disputed territory, Pakistan controls 85,846 km²(33,145 sq mi), and the People’s Republic of China controls the remaining 37,555 km² (14,500 sq mi).

A lot of the maps I looked at before putting mine together left this area off or had it shaded out.  So I left it off too.  However, after consulting with a few Indian friends and my Southeast Asian studies professor husband, I decided to include it in my map.  As you can see, my map clearly shows this highly contentious region.

Two countries would like to see this map changed and it is possible with enough fighting that it will.  As an artist, it is not for me to take sides.  I am not making a statement here.  It is simply for me to create and if change is required in the future, I will do so.

Until then…..enjoy India!

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Define Beauty…Frida Fascination…

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art, Artist, arts, beautiful people, beauty, culture, faabest, famous artists, frida, frida kahlo, historical figures, history, kahlo, mexican, mexican culture, mexico, painting, sharon cummings, the arts, women

I’ve always had a fascination with Frida Kahlo. She was not a classic beauty by any means, but there is a depth and intensity to her portraits that draw me in and ask many questions. Is there beauty within or am I just seeing the pleasure side of pain. Frida suffered lifelong health problems. Many of her health problems were the result of a traffic accident she survived as a teenager. Recovering from her injuries isolated her from other people and this isolation influenced her art, many of which are self-portraits of one sort or another. Kahlo suggested, “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.” She also stated, “I was born a bitch. I was born a painter.” Maybe I am attracted to bitches or painters or painters who are bitches. 😉 Or maybe I see a bit of myself in her as I know great physical pain and the obsession to create constantly…enough to drown it out. Whatever the reason….I see immense beauty in her face and her work. I know I am not alone in my fascination as she is one of my BEST sellers.

Learn more about my tribute to Frida Kahlo here:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-frida-kahlo-art-define-beauty-sharon-cummings.html