Originally Published February 18, 2017
Yesterday’s “A Day Without Immigrants” was a boycott/strike meant to highlight the contribution of immigrants to the U.S. It almost seems silly that we needed a day for this. But we live in weird times. And it seems there are people who need a reminder of our history and where we all came from. Not that our history on immigration is all great. A few weeks ago I ran across an article that contained a roundup of old anti-immigration cartoons. It’s really pretty amazing actually and I suggest looking through them if you have the time. We learn from our history, right? We hope.
This week I tried something new and worked with watercolors. I’ve had Lady Liberty’s torch sketched out for a few weeks now. I’ve been playing around with colored pencils lately but it didn’t seemed like they would do Lady Liberty justice. I considered my usual oil paint but kept thinking how watercolor might add a nice effect. So my sketch sat until I was able to make a quick trip to the store to buy watercolors. It’s been years since I’ve used them and what I had on hand was sparse. But I’m thrilled with how this turned out! (Ignore the uneven background- bad photo!)
This one is for immigrants, who help make our country great <3
Give me your tired, your poor;
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore;
Send these, the homeless, tempest-toss’d, to me;
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
—Emma Lazarus, 1883