Laura Christine Ó Donnell
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lcodonnell.bsky.social
Laura Christine Ó Donnell
@lcodonnell.bsky.social
4.4K followers 4.5K following 2K posts
Earth+Democracy defender, PhD psychology, physiotherapy. Healer, researcher, writer, poet, editor, educator. Truth, justice, compassion—not just for humans. Consciousness, integrative knowing. Huge fan of education, nature, sciences, arts. Global citizen.
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lcodonnell.bsky.social
Laura Christine Ó Donnell @lcodonnell.bsky.social · Jun 1
No to inhumanity, despots. 💙
lcodonnell.bsky.social
"'Afros and Banjos' pairs two resonant signifiers of Black cultural memory: the afro (as a visible claim to self-definition), and the banjo (an instrument with West African roots that became central to Black musical life in America, even as it was later distorted through minstrel stereotypes)."
mdstamper.bsky.social Michael @mdstamper.bsky.social · 3d
“Afros and Banjos” by Charles Eady (American) - Oil on canvas / 2021 - Appleton Museum of Art (Ocala, Florida) #WomenInArt #art #artText #arte #CharlesEady #Eady #AppletonMuseumofArt #BlackArt #AfricanAmericanArt #TheUnsceneSouth #AfricanAmericanArtist #PortraitofaWoman #AmericanArt #AmericanArtist
A stylized portrait centers on a Black woman seated against a flat, velvety crimson background. She is shown from the waist up, shoulders squared and posture upright, looking directly at us with a relaxed, yet unflinching gaze. Her features are modeled in warm amber and deep brown tones plus highlights along her nose and cheekbones as shadows collect under the eyes, cheek, and chin. Her eyebrows are strong and arched. Her lips are softly closed, neither smiling nor tense. Her natural black hair forms a rounded afro that fans outward on both sides, held back by a wide orange-red headband. She wears a dark, structured jacket with narrow collar, buttoned placket, pronounced shoulders, and thin lines that trace seams and edges like a drawn outline. Down the center of the composition rises the golden neck of a banjo, with small tuning pegs near the top. A hand wraps the instrument, suggesting control and readiness rather than performance for an audience. Simplified shapes, tight cropping, and high-contrast palette make her presence feel iconic and dignified. Made in 2021, “Afros and Banjos” pairs two resonant signifiers of Black cultural memory: the afro (as a visible claim to self-definition), and the banjo (an instrument with West African roots that became central to Black musical life in America, even as it was later distorted through minstrel stereotypes). American artist Charles Eady’s broader project draws on research about free Black communities in the pre–Civil War South, and his exhibition “The Unscene South: Charles Eady Revisits History” invited viewers to reimagine who belongs in history. Here, the unidentified woman’s direct gaze refuses spectacle while the red background feels urgent, and the instrument’s upright line reads like a banner depicting music as lineage carried forward.
January 30, 2026 at 7:59 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
🤍
January 30, 2026 at 7:54 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
❤️
davidc1935.bsky.social davidc1935.bsky.social @davidc1935.bsky.social · 2d
"So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desk of our public libraries."

Kurt Vonnegut, 2004.
A black & white photo of writer Kurt Vonnegut signing copies of one of his best known novels, "Slaughterhouse Five." He is seated, dressed in a jacket and tie and trench coat while people stand around waiting for their signed copy of his book.
January 30, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
bakerart.bsky.social
One of my larger flower watercolours, done without body colour and featuring my most painted green glass jug (which is very old and leaking slightly from the handle. I'll get it to make a guest appearance in a new painting this year.
#watercolour #flowers #botanical
Watercolour from a few decades ago, with a mixture of garden flowers plus some decorative gourds. I don't remember who bought this one but it was quite large, probably on an imperial sheet of watercolour paper.
January 29, 2026 at 3:20 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
"Mosul-born painter [Marwan Fathi] made this work after years of living through the city’s occupation and the devastating campaign that drove ISIS (Daesh) out. He has spoken about lasting trauma and still jolting awake at night expecting an airstrike, but his art insists on survival in full color."
mdstamper.bsky.social Michael @mdstamper.bsky.social · 7d
“Portrait of a Maslawi Woman” by مروان فتحي / Marwan Fathi (Iraqi) - Oil on canvas / 2019 - Al-Ghad Radio (Mosul, Iraq) #WomenInArt #MarwanFathi #مروان_فتحي #Fathi #AlGhadRadio #PortraitofaWoman #Maslawi #BlueskyArt #IraqiArt #art #arte #artText #artwork #IraqiArtist #Symbolism #ContemporaryPortrait
A luminous chest-up portrait centers an unidentified woman facing forward, her expression focused and unyielding. Her eyes meet ours directly beneath sharply arched brows and long lashes while warm reds and cool shadows model her light-to-medium skin. A black crow perches close on her left shoulder, looking to the side like a watchful companion. Above, her hair erupts into a dramatic crown of flame-orange and red with whorls, ribbons, and looping marks dotted with bright rings that hover like sparks. Her dress is painted as overlapping, scale-like strokes in greens, aquas, yellows, and coral, creating a shimmering surface that feels protective and celebratory at once. The background melts into soft gold, mauve, and pale green with floating shapes, giving the figure an icon-like stillness inside a dreamlike atmosphere. The title only identifies the woman as being Maslawi (Moslawi), which means “from Mosul” or a person who belongs to the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. Artist Marwan Fathi, a Mosul-born painter and professor of fine arts, made this work after years of living through the city’s occupation and the devastating campaign that drove ISIS (Daesh) out. He has spoken about lasting trauma and still jolting awake at night expecting an airstrike, but his art insists on survival in full color. The crow is a close witness to coercion and fear, perched at the body’s edge but unable to eclipse her presence. The scale-like garment evokes fish skin and the Jonah-and-the-whale story tied to Mosul’s cultural memory. This was especially resonant after the destruction of Jonah’s shrine and turns local history into a symbol of endurance and return. Presented through Al-Ghad Radio’s documentation of Mosul’s cultural revival, the portrait is both testimony and reclamation depicting a woman rendered not as erased, but as radiant, composed, and unquestionably seen.
January 30, 2026 at 10:25 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
✨Beautiful✨
January 30, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
leighw.photos
Good vibes! And more...
#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Monochrome #StreetPhotography #Yorkshire #Hull
January 30, 2026 at 6:29 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
mcoupephotography.bsky.social
Mother and baby great grey owl. I loved witnessing the amazingly loving relationship between mother and babies. I’d occasionally hear her softly cooing to her eggs before they hatched. #birds #wildlife #nature #photography
November 13, 2024 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
mcoupephotography.bsky.social
Nothing like the stare of a Northern Pygmy owl to reach deep into your soul.

#EyeContact #birds #canada #nature #wildlife #photography #birding #nikon #owl #mcoupephotography #pygmyowl #northernpygmyowl #birdoftheday
Northern pygmy owl staring at the camera
January 29, 2026 at 6:57 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
💕
January 30, 2026 at 8:58 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
"The sciences and deliberating about the natural world is a deeply creative and artistic activity."

"The more creative you are, the more you're able to see connections..."

"[True advancements] happen when someone has a creative solution to an old problem."
Art & Science: Creativity is at the Heart of Scientific Discovery
YouTube video by SciComm Excellence
youtu.be
January 30, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
nasonline.org
New exhibit from Cultural Programs at the NAS! Symmetries & Broken Symmetries brings together artist Shanthi Chandrasekar and physicist-writer Michael Albrow to explore order and chaos across art, science, and human understanding. Learn more & plan your guided tour: www.cpnas.org/event/symmet...
Symmetries & Broken Symmetries: Shanthi Chandrasekar and Michael Albrow – CPNAS
This exhibition brings together the work of artist Shanthi Chandrasekar and physicist-writer Michael Albrow in a shared exploration of how order and chaos in the universe are reflected across art, sci...
www.cpnas.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:07 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
Wow 🤍
January 30, 2026 at 7:59 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
✨🧡✨
ainekeenan.bsky.social Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 2d
I gotta feeling
That tonight's gonna
be a good night
That tonight's gonna
be a good, good night

Let's do it, let's do it,
let's do it and do it ...

Black Eyed Peas, 21st century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #SpéirGhorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Five super-friendly sari-clad sanitation workers, without adequate personal protective equipment other than scarves to protect their hair, on their way to start work sweeping streets (with long-handled brooms made of sticks tied to bamboo poles), clearing drains, collecting refuse and managing waste. Often from the Dalit community, they face occupational health risks, gender-based violence, and social marginalisation impacting their families and limiting access to education and opportunities. Physically demanding, involving constant exposure to dust and waste, many are employed by municipal corporations or private contractors, with some facing risks of losing their jobs as they get older. Ramana Nagar, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, South India.
January 30, 2026 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
bbulpett.bsky.social
New York photo of the day.
Manhattan.
21°F (-6° C), cloudy with snow.
#NYC #City #Snow #Snowstorm #DSNY #Plow #Park #Sledding #Fun #CentralPark #CastIron #Bridge24 #FoodVendors #Lunch #Museum #CuteSnowTown
Daytime scene at a famous city park during a snow storm in a large city; this section of the park has some nice little hills that are great for youngsters to ride their sleds down in the snow; kids are all over the park today, frolicking in the snow; beyond the sledding hill, and surrounding the whole scene, are various deciduous trees that are bare because it is winter; the distance is somewhat obscured by the snow still falling; this area ended up getting about ten inches of snow and ice is expected overnight - hug your babies tight. Daytime scene in a large city at one of its famous parks during a snow storm, facing an old, cast iron, pedestrian bridge; the bridge's ornate details make it look very elegant; a street lamp is glowing because, although it is the middle of the day, the sun has been nowhere to be seen; in the distance, visibility is limited because it is still snowing; bare winter trees surround the snow-covered scene; this area ended up getting about ten inches of snow and ice is expected overnight - hug your babies tight. Daytime scene on an avenue in a large city that was named after a candy bar, facing across the street at one of teh City's famous museums; a pole.banner in the foreground shows the museum's name, "The Met," and an image of a golden dragon thing (likely from one of their featured exhibits); in front of the museum, three cop cars are parked at the curb and the police are walking toward the Halal shawarma cart; it takes dedication to run the Halal cart in a snow storm and, while we disagree with the tactics and philosophies of the law enforcement complex, it is great that they are supporting this small business; the sky in the distance is just white, with the wind-driven snow still falling; this area ended up getting about ten inches of snow and ice is expected overnight - hug your babies tight. Daytime scene on a street in a large city during a snow storm facing an approaching orange plow truck run by the department of sanitation; they are trying hard to plow all the streets but the snow is still falling; nonetheless, these are the true heroes of the city; the plow was gathered quite the plow-full of snow, which it is basically pushing onto the sidewalk; there are tall buildings all around, but visibility is limited to about three street blocks and the sky is whited-out; there are several cold pedestrians walking though the snow on the sidewalk; this area ended up getting about ten inches of snow and ice is expected overnight - hug your babies tight.
January 26, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
bbulpett.bsky.social
New York photo of the day.
Manhattan.
27°F (3° C), cloudy.
#NYC #City #Red #Winter #Snow #Snowbank #IndianFood #DrunkenMunkey #Restaurant #SmallBusiness #OpenForBusiness #NoFilter #CuteSnowTown
Nighttime scene on a sidewalk in a large city, facing an Indian Restaurant with a cocktail lounge; the restaurant, "The Drunken Munkey," is known for its signature bright red outdoor lighting, which today casts a bright red glow on the piles of yesterday's snow; it is very pretty and makes the spot even brighter - to attract customers in need of a little spice on such a cold night; in the street, the parked cars look to have been cleaned a little, but there are many here and there which are still buried; walking around, one can see that the snowfall amounts with this storm varied from block to block, with one block having nine inches of snow and others greater than ten inches; down the street, the more than 100-year-old six-story apartment buildings are very charming in the winter; in the distance, the white spotlights of a residential tower's courtyard are quite bright; one of the tall residential buildings towers over the horizon with some of its lights on.
January 27, 2026 at 3:09 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
Rice students expose ICE raids with new interactive map
It's a nationwide digital spotlight on ICE arrests and detention centers.
www.chron.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:10 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
❤️
ridingwithcarl.bsky.social Riding with Carl @ridingwithcarl.bsky.social · Aug 7
I recently discovered this excellent piece of street art in my neighborhood.

#humanrights #immigrationrights #immigration #libertyandjusticeforall #streetart #streetphotography
January 30, 2026 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
butterflieskatz.bsky.social
A new mural has been unveiled in Wigston Town Centre, transforming a vandalized wall into a work of #art. Bell Street, U.K. #Artist: Graffwerk

#UrbanArt #StreetArt #murals
January 28, 2026 at 2:01 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
🤍
celticstoic.bsky.social CelticStoic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @celticstoic.bsky.social · 2d
Under a frosted canopy...gazing back in time

From my wife's walk:
January 30, 2026 at 4:00 AM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
❤️
davidc1935.bsky.social davidc1935.bsky.social @davidc1935.bsky.social · 4d
From 1940 by Jack Delano.
A sepia-toned black & white photo from 1940. An older Black man is sitting in a chair in what is presumably his room. He is dressed in a jacket and vest, white shirt and tie. His hands are together, his head is tilted and looking at the camera. His hair and his mustache is gray. Next to him sits a bureau and behind him on the wall are calendars. Notably a calendar for April 1940 with a photo of world championship boxer Joe Louis.
January 29, 2026 at 10:43 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
❤️
davidc1935.bsky.social davidc1935.bsky.social @davidc1935.bsky.social · 3d
"It is simply my life, music. I live it, breathe it, talk with it. I am almost unconscious of it..."

Pianist Artur Rubinstein, born 28 January 1887.
January 29, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
chrisoligh.bsky.social
Uniformed librarian making announcement at NYPL war library book drive. New York City book campaign / Abel & Company, Inc., commercial photographers, 903 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Abstract/medium: 1 photograph : gelatin silver print ; sheet 21 x 16 cm. 1919, Library of Congress
January 26, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Laura Christine Ó Donnell
tenoaks6.bsky.social
Malice thrives in chaos

It becomes difficult to remain hopeful

"We must do what they fear - tell the truth, spread the truth. This is the most powerful weapon against a regime of liars, thieves & hypocrites. Everyone has this weapon-so make use of it."
Alexei Navanly

#photography #image&verse
An ancient structure made of bricks. Hard to describe this one. There are little doorways & windows all over the place and they appear out of balance almost leaning. The roadway runs beneath many arches of aged & weathered brick. A stairway in the right of frame leads to an iron gate. sorry, this description sucks, I don't have the mental capacity today to do this description justice..I'll do better tomorrow.
January 25, 2026 at 3:46 PM
lcodonnell.bsky.social
"Households, cities, countries, and nations have enjoyed great happiness when a single individual has taken heed of the Good and Beautiful. […] Such people not only liberate themselves; they fill those they meet with a free mind."

~ Philo of Alexandria
Delicate pink and yellow wildflowers growing on the cliffs of the Pembrokeshire coast path near Whitesands Bay, St Davids. Image credit: Getty.
January 27, 2026 at 9:53 PM