So, I have a new website and I’m thinking that I should promote it. Facebook seems like a good place to start. There’s already a page for my novel, The Sketchbook: https://www.facebook.com/dcmorrister. Why not use it run an ad to get the word out about colinturnerswork.com? I post the link to the gallery and it generates an image. It’s the last painting that had I uploaded to the site. Entitled “Open Book”, it depicts a nude model in a recliner reading a book sitting just beyond the arm of her chair.
It’s hardly pornography. Still, Facebook rejects the ad. I request a review believing that somebody will realize and rectify the mistake. It’s denied again. After tinkering with the settings, I get the page to feature a different image in thumbnail previews and the ad is approved. It now includes a picture of a bridge across a river.
It’s not a bad piece and yet, for someone whose relationship with the figure has informed three novels, it doesn’t capture the essence of my work. Why not permit the original image? Frankly, I see far worse on Facebook every day. Vulgar statements, suggestive photos, hurtful rhetoric and disinformation abound. A painting of a woman happily reading wouldn’t be a problem, I suppose, if it weren’t for the sight of her nipples (even her lap is angled out of view). The implication is that a bare body is inherently harmful. I can’t blame Facebook for such a widely held belief.
Colin Turner's Work 