hiGhLiGhTs
The American Red Cross
In 2024 I was motivated to create a painting for The American Red Cross with the idea of motivating people to give blood.
With Wars in Ukraine and Gaza in full swing, the first thought that slapped me in the head was, Instead of Blood Spilling in Wars… Give. The visual that popped in my head goes along with the archaic action of going to War with your neighbor.
The American Red Cross is much more than just giving blood.
Wishing and Waiting: The Breakthrough 1-3
Wishing And Waiting: The Breakthrough. Wishing and Waiting is a problem I’ve struggled with my whole life, and seem to be unable to break it. The only thing that might break through this repeating cycle of Wishing And Waiting is time. But Time needs to be swung like a wrecking ball to break through this vicious cycle. This painting is so much a part of me, that I’ve painted it 3 times… so far.
Brainwashed 2020 & Why Did I Hate You?
Brainwashed 2020 & Why Did I Hate You? Were envisioned as a pair in response to Donald’s chaos from 2019 to 2020 to January 6th 2021. These paintings are the first time I painted in response to what was happening in the world around me, and helped create my new perspective as an artist. These 2 paintings also started a pattern of creating more than one version of an idea or painting.
Brainwashed 2020
The man in this painting is not thinking for himself. Influenced by others thoughts he is being moved around like a puppet without any good explanation for what he’s doing. His sign reads, “I need condescending hate speech in my veins”. Near the bottom portion of the painting is the word Yuge, the way Trump would say, “It’s gonna be Yuge (Huge)”.
Why Did I Hate You?
The idea behind this painting is thinking about irrational paranoid hate, and not thinking for yourself. I haven’t died and come back to life as far as I know, so this is just a guess… After you’re dead and gone, any brainwashed impressions on you are wiped away, and you are able to clearly perceive your life lived. Therefore, then wondering, Why did I hate you?
Take It!
Six of my paintings are in this 2008 short film by Max Weissberg. Deisetz T. Suzuki is the/my painting stolen from the museum in the beginning. DT Suzuki is author of Zen and Japanese Culture, written 1938/1958. When Seth is painting a replica at the easel, that is my copy of Picasso’s Blue Nude, painted for this film. Starring H.R. Britton, Rob Hollander, Lethia Nall.
A Conscience Will Kill You
Painted as a cover for a friends short film, A Conscience Will Kill You. Eggs and Sex don’t mix.
Film by Steve Groff and Salvatore Lumette. Starring Julia de Castro. Learn more on imdb.
Professor
Cliff Edwards in his office, March 2005. Cliff Edwards was a Religion/Philosophy professor at VCU and author of Van Gogh and God among other books. The Zen Buddhism classes with Cliff had a big impact on me and my vision of creating that will stay with me forever.
