I confess that I didn’t really want to write the Maiden Voyages this month.  In truth, I haven’t entirely gotten over last month’s mechanical mishap which cost me everything I’d accumulated on my hard drive to that point, which amounted to several month’s work in terms of both writing, research and saved graphics, not to mention the loss of tons of links in my favorites list, many of which I will probably never get back.  But the experience has humbled me and taught me a valuable lesson: never get too far ahead of yourself.  And so, with that in mind, I’m going to shift the focus of my Maiden Voyages feature, which was previously used to update readers on some of what they could expect in the upcoming month.  Instead, I’m going to use this feature as a forum to pontificate on whatever tidbits of news or what-have-you that are related to this blog in some way and which I feel needs to be said.

And so, first off, I would like to again remind readers of Ray Harris’s excellent website/blog Novel Activist, especially as several of his recent batch of articles relate to an older post of mine on the semiotics of lost virginity in art. As usual, his articles are thoughtful, observant and well-articulated.

Now, as for the essay I was planning to publish last month, I will write it again, but I don’t know when. To be sure, when my computer got zapped last month it was quite discouraging, and if you want to know the truth, I actually thought about giving up on this blog . . . more than once. But, as I said, we will soldier on. If anything, my resolve has now been hardened even more. There are far too many people out there who’d love to see my blog disappear, but I will not give them the satisfaction. This stuff is important, it’s honest and it is much needed in this day and age. The proponents of censorship and oppression are many, and those like me, willing to stand up for honesty and sanity about an issue of which the majority have lost their minds, are far too few.

But of course the setback also gave me a chance to reflect on what this blog means to me and what I’d like it to be for others, which brought me back to the original plans I had for Pigtails in Paint. In my recent zeal to war against ignorance in one particular area of art, I had forgotten what I originally set out to do, which is to examine the subject of girls from all angles and sides, so to speak. So I want to bring my blog back to its roots. This blog is, in part, a weapon against ignorance with regard to nude and/or erotic girl in art, that’s true, but I don’t want it to be just that. In fact, that’s really only a small part of what I want it to be.

In short, Icarus, in his hubris, has fallen and bruised his bum, but he will heal and be the better for it. He will rebuild his melted wings and fly again, but not so high next time.