What is on the horizon is not pretty. The seemingly imminent financial crash will be dark and dreary.  What we are seeing now, is like a trailer for the movie of this madness. As an artist, I have an insight here. Like everyone else, I offer no good answer, only a parallel. Our brains think this way; needing an association in order to comprehend the unthinkable.

My last watercolor is a mess. That is, it looks terrible if you stand too close. All the colors conflict and the freckles look like leprosy. But when you stand back, you see the charm in the little girl holding her breath.

The world seen up close can be hideous too. The debate last night had that look. In rallies and photo ops, these candidates have an aura. Standing within a few feet of each other, the picture was hard on the eyes. The current that flowed between them was toxic. Sparks seemed to fly out of Sen. McCain’s eyes. It might have been easier if he had spontaneously combusted.

What a proud moment in time, for our nation to have an African-American citizen in a first presidential debate!  I am very proud of him, myself being a daughter of the South. The baggage a Dixie childhood brings with it includes some racial dirty laundry. What matters is that we saw that time pass and we can see the difference the Civil Rights Movement made in our lives.

Up close, the anger that disseminated between these two politicians was just plain ugly. To me, it was a thousand points of darkness. Sen. Obama held up well and smiled despite the poisonous arrows hurled his way. McCain grinned. There is something to be said about the way people smile.

Others can study the body language and the language of hope. It did not fall upon my ears last night. Sen. Obama was put on the offensive early on. I felt like I was watching a boa constrictor swallowing a baby chick. Believe me, I want to stand back so the picture looks better. From here it is as pretty as sludge.

History will paint these times in subtle hues or brassy shades. In the future, when we stand back from this moment hopefully we will see greatness and determination. Maybe we will see leadership. Posturing does not make a good portait alone. Sen. McCain may grab his favorite Sharpie and scribble out the mess in Washington, as he claims. All I can say, is thank God artists and writers can envison and invent things. Thank God I am one of them.