OUR KIND

Rex Burress

An article appeared in the M-R newspaper on 6-20-16, entitled “Thousands turn out for weekend gay pride events.”

It went on to quote retired gay Vietnam veteran Roy Freeny as saying,”The country has made a lot of strides for gay acceptance, but there are still some people in the military that have a distaste for OUR KIND.”

That statement rather made me feel that there is indeed a barrier between the bulk of society and those advertising their gender by marching in parades and 'coming out'. Our kind are on one side of the wall and our kind are on the other side of the wall, all thinking they are right for whatever they stand for. What they stand for can be a multitude of things, not only gender issues, but on down the line to practically every club group and hobbyist organization, not to mention people's preference for political parties and issues--sometimes to heated extremes.

There are 'our kind' of artists, and when they congeal into clubs like the Chico Art Association or The Artists of River Town in Oroville with activities, meetings, shows, field trips, they become a formidable unit. Getting together stimulates making art and being inspired to develop new ideas. Cooperation can urge one forth to greater achievements, just as friendly competition can be productive.

I once became a member of Robert Rishell's art 'club/class' in Oakland, where our kind gathered for an evening of painting together and learning from the master artist. Everyone would lug in their easels and art boxes to paint in the presence of a pro who would also demonstrate his technique. That was the serious launching point in oil painting for me. I was so inspired by Rishell and the comparative work of the class that it led me to complete a painting a week. Constructive criticism can be helpful, and when Rishell said that my saguaro cactus looked like a telephone pole, I righted that wrong, and looked more intently into nature and composition!

There is a certain 'lingo language' with subtleties that only members of 'our kind' can understand. Naturalists and their kin talk of butterfly-and-wild things in their own way, not only in universal scientific language, but speaking with terms quite understandable to fellow nature followers.

If you've been working on the railroad, especially in the telegraph times, you will know that it's an explicit language the trainmen use, and the string of old telegraphers up and down the line could 'shorthand' a jargon known exclusively to them. It takes awhile to get used to 'our kind of talk.'

'Our Kind' can be found in camera clubs, too, such as the Chico Camera Club. A certain slant on photography is practiced by club members who scour the land for photogenic subjects rendered according to the accepted criteria of picture composition. Judged competitions are intensely pursued as to the 'best' picture and to learn more. Non artists might look askance on 'those inclined toward excellence in photography' as frenzied freaks spending exorbitant amounts of money and time 'to get it right' when the digital age has produced good pictures by mere point-and-shoot methods. A dedicated photographer can find pictures in odd places, and the norm is to crawl around thickets or climb a rock if that is required. But there is a certain joy in pursuing perfection and extending the art of seeing no matter what the hardship, and that equates to sharing beauty. Sharing equates to an audience and joyful understanding of beautiful art.

It takes observant, respecting, and appreciative individuals to be 'Our Kind' of enthused nature lovers inclined to be supportive of wildlife preservation and sympathetic toward all forms of life. Those kind will be protective of natural habitat, and find joy in visiting wildlife refuges, parks, or walking and watching along the river. “Our kind” is also a local doctor who walks his dog along the river and picks up litter. You find these types, both as individuals and those who join environmental clubs, such as Audubon Society, Sierra Club, California Native Plant Society, National Association of Interpreters, and hundreds more that hold together in a mutual commonality of “those who in the love of nature hold communion with her visible forms.”

There is a vast amount of space available for “our kind” to get to know “other kinds” and share understanding of ideas about the world we all live in.

“Life is all about finding people who are your kind of crazy.”

“Life is like a camera...focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negative, and if things don't work out, take another shot.”

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” --Nathaniel Branden