I am the Audience

Sharing art in a world of AI

February 14, 2025

activism, art

Someone on BlueSky designed some mugs he was selling on his own website and he found copies for sale on Temu. No attribution. No commision. No acknowledgement.

So, now, I’m debating with myself about how to share pictures of art I have enjoyed. I love showing you things that have delighted my eyes. But, I don’t want to be a vehicle for AI theft. Or any other way that artists get ripped off.

When I go to a museum, I take pictures of the things that particularly move me. I try to take enough pictures that, if I share, you can tell the scale, see some detail and can read the lable, particulalry if it has context I think is worthwhile. (The Greenville, SC art museum in infamous at my house for the lack of that, despite their amazing collection of Andrew Wyeth’s work.)

So, I’m waffling. I really want to share art. I want you to see some of what I have seen. I think that, if you get a glimpse that intrigues you, you will do your own investigation of the artists that have touched my heart and delighted my eyes.

But, I don’t want to point the way for them to be robbed.

Thoughts? Input? Help?
Lookit!

February 14, 2025

plants

That abused amaryllis is making a new bud!!!
Plant a Day, Day 13 (‘Contorta’)

February 14, 2025

a day in this life

This is Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, AKA Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’. It is a kind of hazelnut that doesn’t appear to produce a lot of nuts but does produce very twisty branches.

The origin story is that a bush was found growing as a sport in a hedgerow. (“Sports” are random mutations that breed true.) At the time it was found, Harry Lauder was a vaudeville comedian who used a crooked walking stick as part of his schtick. Hence the name.

Branches are popular in floral arangements and home decor. (My dad and I saw a ikebana show at the Asheville arboretum that seemed to have one in every arrangement. We decided one of the members had a bush and was sharing.)

I told Chuck we should trim it to sell for big money. I saw a single branch for sale on Etsy for $20. I don’t really have any intention of doing that. I don’t want to mar the shape of my plant. I did find the thought entertaining though.
Apple is sticking it to Patreons

February 13, 2025

PSA
This is copied from the pinned post for Molly Southerden‘s Patreon. Molly is an especially good human in addition to being a glass artist.

Please please please read this before signing up for my Patreon channel!

The Apple monopoly has decided that they just aren’t showing enough profitability yet, (%?&!) and they’ve decided to wave their corporate overlord energy around by tussling with Patreon. What sucks is that if Patreon wants (or needs, let’s be real, because we all are capitalism’s pawns on some level) for their app to be in the App Store, they have to agree to Apple’s TOS.

Those TOS will take a 30% cut out of new patron signups somewhere if said new patron signs up using the iOS App Store to sign up with. (Luckily, there’s a toggle I can utilize to ensure that fee is only tacked on within the iOS app, and believe me, I’ve turned that sucker on ‘cause I make way less than Apple does, so if you’ve got big feels about it, aim them Apple’s way. Not mine. Not Patreon’s.

Please note:
- This should affect ONLY new signups using the iOS store.
- You can avoid those fees by utilizing a browser window (yes, even one on an iPhone) to sign up for Patreon and my channel (or anyone else’s channel here cause there’s a fair amount of awesome folks to give your coin to, let’s be real) and then migrate the app onto your phone after you’ve concluded your signup elsewhere.
- Android users should be unaffected, obviously .
I have adjusted the language within my tiers to reflect what amount you should be seeing as my charge, if it differs dramatically, like, oh, by THIRTY PERCENT, then you are somehow signing up through the iOS store, which hey, if you choose to sign over that extra money to Apple, that’s your call.

But I wanted to be transparent about what’s happening behind the scenes here, and make sure any new signups going forward make the best financial decisions for themselves that they can with full knowledge and consent about how the metaphorical sausage is made.

(And hey, if you aren’t a paid subscriber yet and are reading this? The posts behind the paywall are way more interesting, and I hope you’ll come join the tribe! There are cute dogs and epic fails with glass and lots of entertaining art stuff… But maybe sign up somewhere other than the iOS store, eh?)
Plant a Day, Day 12 (Caladiums)

February 13, 2025

plants

Last year, I decided I wanted some caladiums. I’d been seeing pictures of some particularly showy leaves and thought I’d see how I like them for myself. None were out yet at the garden centers. So, I got online and found a site that had some attractive bulbs for reasonable prices. And they came 2 to a package. I picked out 3. Since I’m not sure how they’ll overwinter in our climate, I put one of each in a pot and one of each in the ground.

(As much as I take pictures of my plants, I have practically none of these.)

They are actually in 2 pots because one started crowding out the other two. And that has been my experience with anything I’ve tried to grow together. One always shoves the rest out of the way.

If all of them come back, I’ll put the potted bulbs in the ground, this Spring. If the outside plants don’t make it, they will continue to be in-and-out plants.