Nigel Farage has been accused by multiple people he grew up with of extreme antisemitic comments and behaviour. Yet he's allowed to present himself as a champion of Jewish people. Meanwhile, our only Jewish leader, Zack Polanski, is smeared - because he opposes genocide.

Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich.

Such moral clarity …

My hot Chalamet take: just because someone’s famous and successful in one area of the arts, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll have anything sensible to say about other art forms - especially more niche ones like opera. It’s not terribly surprising!

This new graphic from @thenerve.news could be so much bigger but we wanted to show 3 essential nodes in Peter Thiel’s sphere of influence: Silicon Valley, Washington & the UK. In Britain, our govt is so naive about Thiel & what his company Palantir really is. 3/

20 anti #ICE activists have entered #Target in downtown #Seattle in protest of ICE and the occupation of US cities like #Minneapolis. Their demands are listed on the banners. "Target is Minnesota's largest corporate citizen, where Target goes, others follow.

Trump said this: "The 2020 U.S. presidential election [was] rigged. It was a rigged election. Everybody now knows that. They found out. People will soon be prosecuted for what they did. That’s probably breaking news." I explain why it was, in fact, breaking news.

Like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in its initial release, I am lowkey banned everywhere.! If you like this article, please share it. If you *really* like it and would also like my children to stay housed and fed, please subscribe! Thank you

New Commission

Janacek The Makropulos Affair - commission

Painting for sale!! ✨ … of Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 bagpipe tune Lochinside Message me if interested. 30x30cm acrylic on board.

Yes to this. Strong memories of regularly watching Newsnight Review with my dad circa 2000-2003. Quite a few books and films I can roughly date form memories of discussions of them

@sarahkendzior.bsky.social look what was just delivered to my door!! Your book has reached Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I’m planning an online studio sale with some prints & paintings at greatly reduced prices … only for my email subscribers. Sign up here: landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/lan...

Home to this collection I ordered. I’ve listened to two already & they are terrifyingly brilliant … now to be able to lend them to others. Everyone should read these! @sarahkendzior.bsky.social

Remembering #OnThisDay Seamus Heaney, born 13th April 1939.

For anyone who didn’t understand the why of it all

For people still bewildered by Trump’s destructive, ruinous policies and actions, I implore you to read either They Knew or Hiding In Plain Sight by @sarahkendzior.bsky.social (or preferably both).

11/ The tariffs aren’t economic policy. They are political weapons. But as long as we see this clearly, we can stop him. Public mobilization is working. Today, a few Republicans joined Democrats to vote against one set of tariffs. The people still have the power.

Proud to make the extended long list for Jackson’s art prize with my painting of Mahler’s 3rd movement of his 9th symphony

One of my next projects involves this guy! #musicasart #synesthesia #janacek

New commission of Ravel’s “Le Paon” from Histoires Naturelles … commissioned by accompanist for her husband’s birthday as they perform it together 🥰 I love creating commissions

New article! On depression and resilience in an autocratic America: sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/the-black-...

Guerrero Trahe me post te, virgo Maria This commission has all the “pull” of the vocal lines and how they interplay with each other. It has a sense of an imagined landscape because some music suggests the long look at a horizon.

Russia Ukraine: will Trump’s peace plan just lead to more war? | Timothy Snyder youtu.be/Vea2fTYYypM

A wee bit of a WIP

The Prime Minister should show British leadership on Ukraine by inviting President Zelenskyy to address Parliament on Monday. I'm proud that the UK has been Ukraine's staunchest ally from the start. We mustn't falter in the face of Trump's bullying now.

Tenement and Trees, Kersland Street, Glasgow- Pencil and Acrylic Paint on Paper - collhamilton.bigcartel.com/product/tene... #pencildrawing #art #glasgow

Art in all forms is essential right now. It fills our souls, makes us think, helps us escape our everyday and imagine possibilities. So if you’re in Edinburgh on Saturday I recommend you come to this. It’s brilliant. ❤️ Janacek www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/the-ma...

I’m in Munich and people keep asking me to decode Vance’s speech. OK: In Vance English “free speech” means “Let Musk run your elections” and “democracy” means “let Russia run your elections.” Now move on. 2025 is about what Europeans do, not what Americans say.

Quite right too operawire.com/following-tr...

Of course it’s a coup. Miss the obvious, lose your republic. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

This is what should be on every front page right now. What's happening in the US right now is an illegal power grab by a private citizen. IT'S A COUP. It's a digital coup. It's Musk who's leading it. The consequences are terrifying. And it's coming for us next. 1/ open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

Now he’s coming for the Arts. This is a modern day reenactment of the rise of the Nazis in 1930s.

The Trump approved, Musk executed take over of the non-military operations of the government is a 5-alarm fire, shout it from the rooftops moment. Here's my look at news outlets like @wired.com that get how big this story is & the ones that need to catch up. open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

Matilda Lloyd performed the piece last week at @elbphilharmonie.de with my paintings projected during the performance. 📷 by Sophie Wolter ©️

Triptych commission of Dani Howard’s piece “Continuum” for solo trumpet & piano written for Matilda Lloyd.

FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO TURN ANGER INTO ACTION Here’s advice from a high-level staffer for a Senator. I’m retyping from Allison McGuffie’s post, which she cut and pasted from a friend. There are two things that we should be doing all the time right now, and they’ve by far the most important things.

“People have a queer idea of the arts. They think you can be an artist in your spare time, though nobody expects you to be a spare-time dustman, engineer, lawyer or brain surgeon.” Alasdair Gray, Lanark, 1981

Watch this - everyone!! And get everyone else to watch it too!

In 2022 I painted each movement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. They all sold but are available as prints on my website (www.kirstymatheson.com/print-shop-1...)

The statistic that floored me (but is well-evidenced) is that US citizens pay more in *tax* (per head) towards their healthcare systems than in the UK for a (flawed but) universal offer.

Large oil painting commission of Ravel piano concerto in G 2nd mvt. Finally arrived home. Client said listening to it with the painting made both “come alive”!

PLEASE make a donation to @streetwiseopera.bsky.social and support this wonderful company as they head into a period of funding worry: www.justgiving.com/campaign/sta...

Laura Samuel. A beautiful musician & soul. Rest well my friend. You will be missed by so many. 🤍🕊️

It is freezing 🥶 in Glasgow minus the snow lots of other UK places have. So we all need a bit of warming up. This is Mendelssohn String Quartet no.2. It is so modern and full of life. I didn’t know it until this commission - I’m so glad I discovered it.

Delighted that my “Bach St Matthews Passion” has been selected for 126th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists. Sat 23 Nov- Wed 11 Dec , Open Monday - Sunday 10am - 5pm ° Upper Galleries, The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh Entry: £6 | £4 Concessions Free entry for all on Mondays.

Brahms Symphony no. 1 & no.2. Both are available as prints on my website. www.kirstymatheson.com/print-shop-1

“Rebel :Danses” 🔴 SOLD today to a lovely couple who came to see my studio. If you are in Glasgow & would like to see my big Beethoven series get in touch. ☺️