Thom Roslan 31 Mar 2016

Hi M.M. ! Really there is nothing to write about......Just working on different pieces I've been working on for years and just going to the range to let out some of my anger and practice a little with some of my newer guns..........that's about it.

Saying "HI" to all the board members that are still around ......lurking in the shadows like me.....LOL !

RQ Trietsch 31 Mar 2016

Hi Martha. I'm in here everyday. Need to have my fix of the Galleries. Like Thom, I'm still working on an old project. Wish I had the money and guns to relieve my angst...just can't afford it, so I holler at the TV or radio, etc. Waiting for our summer or spring weather to stay instead of jumping from summer to winter every other week

RQ Trietsch 31 Mar 2016

There's a lot more going around, and a lot more to finish up. Been working on this for a year or two

RQ Trietsch 31 Mar 2016

One more shot. This piece is far from being done

Yury Yanin 31 Mar 2016

Ladies and gentlmen, my greetings from Russia!

I doubt that we have no topics to discuss. On the contrary - I am sure that in our complicated, turbulent world we could find a lot of topics interesting for the majority of us, important for everyone and for the whole world. May be we do not discuss them because we are just lazy, may be we do not want to turn this artistic site into a political discussion board, may be we neglect them to some other reqason... May be thus we disply a prudent approach, may be not...

And still there is one thing, which always surprises and bothers me in USA. American people usually talk too much about democracy and freedom, while actually having too little of both. Luck of freedom of speech including... Here at AW too - neglected as it is, this site still has some rules for discussions, which prescribe what you can write and what is forbidden, it still has owners and manages, who can delete your post and close your account. Is it a freedom of speech or what? As far as I know, among normal people it is called censorship, not any kind of freedom.

I live long and can compare something... American censorship, based on ownership and money, is much more total, strict and effective, then, for instance, childish political communist party censorship, which we used to laugh at in the Soviet times. As a result Soviets and even modern Russians are much more free minded, then Americans. The vast majority of Americans keep their unfreedom deep inside their minds just because they are cowards, they are afraid to think out of usual safe lines. They just do not feel themselvves the level of their own unfreedom. implemented into their mi9nds from heir earlu childhood, and in the same time Americans always try to convince themselves that they are free minded people... That's why we try to keep far from doubtful topics, when we can not find any surely safe topics, we prudently prefer not to participate in any discussions at all, or in the best cases lazily exchange some jokes instead of actual discussions....

Hi Thom... in my time I was rather good in shooting... among my many proffessions, I was a gun designer, manager of firearm plants... I also lectured about the historic developments of fiream constructions and industry, wrote some articles about that ... I know something about developments of American firearm industry... there is an interesting aspect - the influence of Russia on those developments... So, discussion or no discussion here at AW, you are wellcome to ask questions and discuss anything of that with me if you need.

RQ Trietsch 31 Mar 2016

Yury, I understand what you are saying. But when it comes to a Private site such as AW...they dictate the rules. The was a lot of fighting amongst the owners of AW and the artists wanting "artistic freedom". But AW decided it wanted to cater to "childeren/schools, they banned anything slightly related with "offensive and nudity". The almighty dollar wins again. In today's society, the miliniums have instilled their PC (political correct) attitude so you can not offend anyone unless your are an "oppressed" race because that would be racism. It has also become a society of dependency on the government to fend for the lazy, un-educated and totally changing the American way. And I, being about the same age as you, do not see it getting any better in my life time.

Yury Yanin 31 Mar 2016

RQ, I am glad that you undersdtand me, and also I am sorry that you have never experienced anything better or different, from what you have described. You understand all that, and still I want to underline once more that my thought was more general then the situation on AW or on other private sites with all their rules, allowing or prohibiting nudity or porography, etc.. What distresses me the most of all is the bitter feeling of our voluntary unfreedom inside our souls and minds, which is also caused by the general situation around us.

Farron Watson 24 Apr 2016

I'm probably going to get slaughtered for this one, but... I think a lot of people (myself included) have gravitated towards Deviantart.com, due to the 'anything goes' freedom of it. Granted that opens the doors to blatant pornography, but... who's to say that's not 'art'? I'm not here to debate that. For the most part I've been updating my DA page and neglecting this one, though I don't see why it needs to be a 'one or the other' situation. Artwanted just hit the back burner and I pretty much forgot about it. I hope to participate more often however. Though I tend to avoid posting in forums as it can get... hostile.

Yury Yanin 25 Apr 2016

Hi Farron,

May be you'll be slaughtered, but I am not your assasin, I am really rather tolerant about porno...However, freedom to create or use pornography is not the only freedom I ever dreamed of. Most often I do not think about porno, when speaking about freedom, I mean more important aspects - freedom of speech, for instance. That's why I never avoid forums even if it can get... hostile. Freedom attracts envy and hostility sometimes, but it is not a reason to sacrifice my freedom...

As for the Deviantart.com... A couple of years ago I didn't know that Deviantart is partly a porno site and started a gallery at that site (not porno, digital art). To say the truth, even in that time I already noticed a low quality of art, shown at home page there, but I didn't pay attention at first. Soon after that I caught a powerful virus from that site and had to repair all software on my PC. Only after that I found that Deviant is also a hard porno site. I suppose you can still find some of my artwork on Deviantart.com, but I do not want to go to that site any more even for removing my art only. Deviant admins also never bothered me about my art, I never sold anything there, never had any feedback or statistics. Thus I suppose that Deviantart is not the best porno site, is one of the worst art sites, it can be also a rather dangerous source of viruses. Now I show my art on many other art sites and I am also sure that I can always find much better porno site if I need one.

May be I am wrong... you know better... however, be careful, please! Freedom is often loaded with danger and calls for prudence and responsibility... So, it is a hard job to be free... or at least to feel free...

Farron Watson 25 Apr 2016

I think what I find most useful about DeviantArt is the resources available, such as stock photography for references (an astounding supply of that) as well as various custom brushes and such things. There are pros and cons to both sites of course. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just pointing out what I find particularly useful about DA.

I must say it's refreshing to have a discussion on a forum that isn't a hostile attack but is in fact intelligent discourse.

:)

Yury Yanin 26 Apr 2016

Yep... Thanks for the discussion, which is exactly refreshing, for some more info about DA, and (the most important) for the description of your interests and approach...

I use many sites, and I try not to think which one of them is better or worse. Each one has its own advantages (which I try to use) and disadvantages (which I have to endure)...

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