House Rejects Orphan Works and Wall Street Saves the Artists

The only good thing about the bailing out of Wall Street is the Orphan Works Bill did not get a vote in the House. I don't care if it cost 700 billion dollars. At least the copyrights act of 1978 is still intact for the moment. The rights of creative individuals would be at risk if large internet and computer giants like Google, Microsoft, educational facilities, libraries or corporations wanted to use my work or any other artists' without permission could do so if the Orphan Works act was passed. Print first ask later only if you're found out by the artist by accident.

My art is my "Golden Paraschute". My paltry 401K will be useless if the economy doesn't turn around. Small business owners like "artists" don't have huge retirement funds, they spend most of their income just to survive and buy ink for their computer printers. Can you believe the price of ink! Forget gas or oil prices. A box of Epson black ink is $21.00. Talk about internet highway robbery. Let's not start a paper trail either.

How about a day without art. No images in the New York Times, just a voice on CNN, a blank Newsweek cover, Google without it's silly little logos, your bed sheet plain white, the shower curtain clear vinyl and when you turn on your computer you stare at a flat blue screen. You go to the museum and all of the paintings are gone. You walk down the street or drive in your car and all of the signs are gone. Who needs all the distraction anyway?

The world is filled with art in nature right? Look at the grass, trees, flowers, sunrise and sunset and God's perfect skylines. Who needs art, cartoons, illustrations, designs, photos, films, pretty patterns on your clothes or china anyway?

What the big guys are thinking about is the new bendable plastic fabric that has a special little chip in it. They own all of the images ever created and all you have to do is press a little spot and presto change your pattern and image at will. Add an itune to match. Imagine sheets that change color and pattern at whim, New blouse design and color poof just a touch away. Wear it as a bracelet and you can look at anything you want as long as you buy the image from a big internet like company who wants to own all of the images. Why pay the artists for this reusage. Make it availabe to everyone for a small price. You can't find the artists anyway because they all died from starvation, drugs, alcohol or some kind of self abuse.

I am not blind yet. I may have had laser eye surgery for glaucoma but even with 32 tiny holes blasted in each eye I don't have a blind spot for big business or congressmen looking to take copyrights aways from creators. Unless they were planning to send me a check for 700 million dollars Did I say I wanted it in euros? Want my whole art stock from forty years of creating. Give me a call I bet I could be the first one waiting to sell out while basking on my yacht off the Aegean sea.

Honey, could you please put the suntan lotion on a little to the right.

Fall Newsletter Blog October 2008

In response to the Senate having passed the Orphan Works Bill I have changed my current logo.

Squirrel Nest Studio inside of a copyright sign. All of my artworks will now include or be revised to include this copyright image. I will even make a trademark out of it. There should be no confusion over who owns the rights to my art, where to find me and that I do not create "Orphans". Anyone, corporate, institution, or private individuals downloading my art, reusing it without permission or not requesting reusage terms and fees for any usage either for print, electronic, internet, computer, tv, radio or any other usage now or in the future will be prosecuted according to the 1978 copyright act. All artworks that have been created by myself are covered under these terms with the exception of those works clients who have written contracts with other terms.