12th Annual International Portrait Competition

 

 Last week set me back, but that is Life.

  

 Tomorrow is the deadline for submissions for the 12th Annual International Portrait Competition. If the entry is postmarked later than March 1st it is not counted as an entry. I was up 'til 12 last night finishing up on my painting of Job.

 Getting an entry into the competition has forced me to get in the race and compete with other outstanding artists. The winners usually have a full figure so I have no illusions about winning. But for $40 dollars the entrant can submit 3 paintings.

 I'm thinking about entering "Jude" for my second choice but I am at a loss for the third. well... now that I read the instructions ( I always remember that ) if the painting is selected it must be available for purchase and be on view for the show. Well, that disqualifies this painting. Its already sold and hanging on someones wall....hmmmmm

 If it was'nt for deadlines I would probably procrastinate. A deadline forces me to make choices and to live with those choices.

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 This painting by Joseph Todorovitch won last years honors. Very Impressive.

On Being Self Centered

 

 I just wanted to post this thought for the day in hopes that a young reader may benefit from my past

self absorption. 

We in the arts are continually told to pull out that " thing " inside us and show it in our art. Let me tell you ,  continually thinking about ourselves and examining our every thought and choice and relationships can really take us down a dark path if we are not careful.

 There is a reason God did not want us to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Innocence , as I get older , can be very refreshing quality in an individual , let alone a child. With so much knowledge increased comes much sorrow. Learn to live joyfully and look outside yourself. You will always have yourself around ... why not go outside and smell the fresh air?

 Having something to say can take years of living and loving and losing. And finding your voice will eventually come. Its best we get out of our own way.

  I find that I can express thoughts and feelings in a cartoon that a perfectly painted picture cannot. Certain ideas lend themselves to certain media. Be they silly or allegorical  of some spiritual truth , its a way we humans communicate ... and sometimes their is no profit motive ... just the joy of leaving a mark to make someone giggle and look at lif from a different angle and perspective. Can that be enough?

 

 I realize that sometimes I can be like a bowling ball and just roll over people. Its not a good feeling conforming to the shape of someone's reality.

 Now a clip from the ultimate Narcissist...... Warning ... very creepy .... but honest 

Blood in his Eyes

 

rage dog

 Yesterday's jury experience was an interesting exercise  in civic justice. Here in Auburn, we have a striking courthouse in the middle of old town, which at one time was considered for the state capitol building of California. About sixty prospective jurors crowded into the courtroom to be selected for a trial in the Superior Court of Placer County. We were given a questionaire to fill out. It became not only obvious that this was going to be a criminal proceeding but that I would probably be disqualified. 

 

 I just happened to be sitting to the left of the defendant who looked like he could care less about what was going to happen to him. He was dressed in a black tee shirt with gang tattoos all over his neck and arms. He had a buzz cut and wore glistening diamond ear rings . He looked like he came right out of central casting for " Law and Order". He stared my way and our eyes met and I immediately did not like him. In my mind I heard the verdict " Guilty". He eyeballed me for a while. What was in his mind?

 I mean... I grew up in East L.A. I know the type and I am not intimidated by these punks.Yeah Yeah...I know that he is a child of God but I also can recognize  unrepentance when I see it.

 Anyway, I answered the questions as directly as I could. The prosecuting attorney would have loved me.

 Have you ever been the victim of any crime? YES

 Do you have any close family members or friends involved in law enforcement or a related occupation? YES

 Do you have close friends or family members who have been a victim of any crime? YES

 Is there any reason why you could not be a fair and impartial juror in this case? Maybe. I have a low tolerance for those who commit crimes and blame it on Society or excuse their behavior on  

" extenuating " circumstances.

 This was a Superior Court proceeding and the Honorable Judge said the trial would last at least a week. In my mind I went back and forth if I could be on this trial. I have a deadline for a project at the end of the month and I did not want to miss this deadline . I was impressed that only a small handful of fellow citizens raised their hands to be excused. The judge said that if you were the sole bread winner that he would possibly excuse me. As it turned out I was excused.

 I would love to be on a jury. Hopefully one day I will get my wish. 

 Now most of these gang bangers work in a posse. Here are some of Rage Dogs known flunkys.

  

  

 

 

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All drawings above were produced by my alter ego Or'Doodle.

Any semblance of sanity or things known to accur within reason

are purely unintentional and mainly the reaction to impulses and

 twitches forced by years of Cadmium and Lead inhalation .

In our hands ... Life or Death

 

 Thank You for leaving some heartfelt comments.

 I am off to Jury Duty today. The responsibilities given to The People to decide like Solomon on weighty issues, some even on Guilty or Not Guilty ,  Life or DEath ,is a civic responsibility.

 Although at the moment I feel like the chap on the lower right of this painting.

blessings

This World is not my Home

 

Emile Friant

  Last week I happened upon a post on Facebook by a friend of mine that his beautiful 20 year old daughter was tragically killed in an auto accident. This accident claimed the life of 3 souls and the driver is in a coma. I was completely devastated. I had known  his daughter Celeste since she was small and since I am a father of 2 boys the news of her untimely death hit me really hard. As a family, we had been praying for my friend Kirk and his wife Shari the whole week and although they live in Palm Springs, they still considered Santa Rosa their " home" and the Memorial Service for their daughter was held there. Many friends from distant regions arrived to give their respects to the family. We drove down to Santa Rosa over the weekend for the Memorial Service.

 It struck me that artists through the centuries have depicted the loss of a loved one. Some paintings are so overcome with mourning that the painter captures the feeling of hopelessness. Egon Scheile comes to mind.

  

 Other artists paint death as if it is a opera stage with noble pageantry and the mourners are actors repeating the lines over and over  again as if detached from reality. 

Some paintings are stoic affairs and show us an insight into the spiritual culture of those left behind. They are also reminders of how we look at death and the rituals set upon a society to cope with the loss of a loved one.

 There are paintings of Death where the artists tell us more about themselves and their preoccupation with sorrow. Edvard Munch comes to mind.

 Then again, we all deal with death in our own way. The funeral is definitely performed for the living. We want to have our friends and loved ones around to share in the grief and give support and comfort if it is only with our presence and  a hug. Words fall dismally short .

 My mentor Norma decided against a funeral. I somehow felt cheated out of paying my final respects and sharing my grief and praise of this great lady. But it was her desire not to have one and I respect her wish.

 Of course if you have been on this Blog awhile you know that I am a believer and that I believe That we will see our loved ones again in Christ. It is a small comfort at the present time for those dealing with death but the words of faith gently remind us that we live in a fallen world and tradgedy befalls us all. No one escapes. We have a blessed Hope. 

 I have always been struck by the account of Jesus and that he wept upon hearing the news that his friend Lazarus had died. The passage is the shortest in the Bible, It simply says " Jesus Wept" . I am moved more by that simple action and I feel even at a funeral when someone expresses his memory of the departed and displays visible emotion that it shows a submission to real empathy and loss. Death is cruel. I don't buy the stiff upper lip crap. Do you feel the same way?

On the Highway to He.....

...Heaven. I bet you thought I was going to say HELL.

 Can you See where your mind can be conditioned to give a certain response?

Maybe you heard that ACDC song in your head.

 Like I tell my wife ... make sure you hear the whole sentence and thought before you make an assumption and yell at me.

 Now off to talk to the students at William Jessup U.

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 I've uploaded some ol quirky stuff... only because Bob  challenged my manhood..... ;v)  and yes Bob I did these goofy cartoon sketches ... it keeps me sane in a insane world ... by the way I have 30 sketchbooks ....

 

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

  

  

  

  

 

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The Week.... Rolling like a River

 

 This week has really gotten away from me. So many things to do and so much to catch up to. I've wanted to post pics of Bodega Bay for those of you not familiar with our coastline and I still plan to but for now this lazy floating young girl on a bright pink inner tube will have to do. I don't know about you , but I am craving spring to come and kick out the grey winter sky.

 I painting this little small sketch for a possible larger painting. I like the whole iconic statement it says about life on the American River here in Auburn Ca.

 I will be speaking at William Jessup University tomorrow at 10:30. If you are local, drop me an email and you can attend and also watch me do a demo.

 

 So for now, I have to put together images of my range of work from my Star Wars days to my Auburn Genre paintings. It ALWAYS takes longer than I imagine. The images have to flow and there has to be some type of narrative for the aspiring students to connect with. Its great being an artist and I want to communicate how infectious it can be as well as fulfilling when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Only your inner spirit can tell you what that is . Nobody can force that or imply that t you. You will be miserable and make those around you miserable if you cannot fulfill your destiny in some way. However . I understand  the call of Duty , whatever that may be in your circumstances that has to come first because you are a person of honor and you must do what puts food on the table. Guilt is not a good thing. Anyway , my topic for the class will be Art in an Age of Unbelief. How can " Belief " affect you as an artists? Is it even relevant? Should it be? Or is Camille Paglia , an atheist writer , correct when she shockingly claims that it will be the religious minded artist , who sees man as noble and redeemable that will make a new and uplifting art for the next generation.

 Here is a snippet to wet your appetite... here is the link for the whole article

 

I would argue that the route to a renaissance of the American fine arts lies through religion. Let me make my premises clear: I am a professed atheist and a pro-choice libertarian Democrat. But based on my college experiences in the 1960s, when interest in Hinduism and Buddhism was intense, I have been calling for nearly two decades for massive educational reform that would put the study of comparative religion at the center of the university curriculum. Though I shared the exasperation of my generation with the moralism and prudery of organized religion, I view each world religion, including Judeo-Christianity and Islam, as a complex symbol system, a metaphysical lens through which we can see the vastness and sublimity of the universe. Knowledge of the Bible, one of the West's foundational texts, is dangerously waning among aspiring young artists and writers. When a society becomes all-consumed in the provincial minutiae of partisan politics (as has happened in the US over the past twenty years), all perspective is lost. Great art can be made out of love for religion as well as rebellion against it. But a totally secularized society with contempt for religion sinks into materialism and self-absorption and gradually goes slack, without leaving an artistic legacy.

 Amazing ..........