Senior Thesis

HALLELUJAH!

Up now until April 30th (the show actually opened March 26th) is my Senior Thesis Exhibition! Its a really great show. all of my art amigos (classmates) really did their thing! It been a hard faught battle and i have learned more about art and myself as an artist than i would have hoped for, which is awesome. They say you learn more from losing than winning- sadly this is extremely true. I have two paintings in the show. One is a huge painting that took me since October to finish (its almost finished, i still need about 4-10 hours of work- don't tell anybody). The second is a smaller painting only about 33 inches in diameter and it took me a little over a week to make- and undoubtedly i like it better than the one that took 6 months. That's the way it goes sometimes. In all I count this semester/and year as a major success! 

Intruder Alert

Peace to All My Homies Still Stuck in the Cave

Go See Watchmen!!!

(This post was originally written for a blog I am keeping for a class that I am in called Styles of Atheism)

While at first glance you might not think it’s your type of movie, it being a superhero movie. Side note on superhero movies; I believe that people unfairly prejudge superhero movies. While some are mindless action movies, some use the guise of superheroes or fantasy as an allegory to engage with complex philosophical issues (ie. Camus using the mythological story of Sisyphus to examine the absurdity of human life). Watchmen is one of these latter superhero/fantasy films. Aside from being an extremely well made movie (I did have qualms with some of the artistic decisions of the movie, namely the superfluous and long sex scene, but as an artist I cannot fault an artist on the choices they make, only how well they carry out their choices), the movie uses each of its main characters as representatives of different philosophical outlooks on life and human existence.

The story chronicles a murder mystery in which a past member of a now disbanded team of superheroes has been murdered and one of his old teammates who refuses to give up the vigilante lifestyle takes up the case (the movie takes place in an alternate version of 1985 in which Richard Nixon has just been reelected for his third term, America won the Vietnam War, and is now on the brink of nuclear war with Russia, and costumed heroes, who were once the pride of the nation have been outlawed.) From this point the movie becomes tapestry of flashbacks that less helps the viewer to piece together the mystery as it does to show the psychology of each of the Watchmen’s old members. Most intriguing are The Comedian (the one murdered), Dr. Manhattan, and Rorschach.

The Comedian is a nihilistic sociopath who is a hero in name only. He has no faith in mankind and no hope for any sort of future. In one flashback the Comedian begins using brute force to break up a protest and when ask by fellow Watchman Night Owl who he was protecting them from and he replies "From themselves". It is clear that the Comedian thinks human life to be brutish and short and that people should be contained until they die, while he himself with his elitism and atheism has no qualms engaging in rape and murder.

Dr. Manhattan is an extremely interesting character in that he is the only Watchman who actual is superhuman. Once a normal physicist with a beautiful life, a freak accident (as it always is) leaves him omnipotent and omniscient. Along with his ability to perceive existence down to the smallest particles of matter or teleport himself instantly to the outer most parts of the galaxy his powers make him increasingly apathetic to life. He once says that a dead human body and living one have the exact same amount of particles, and in a flashback in which the Comedian is confronted by and brutally murders a woman that he impregnated in Vietnam, Dr. Manhattan, despite his omnipotence and omniscience, just watches. One of the most heartbreaking parts of the movie is when Dr. Manhattan recounts his life before the accident. In monotone detachment he recounts how he met his then girlfriend, how she introduced herself by buying him a beer, the first time they had sex, and how generally blissful their lives were. After the accident despite her continued love for him, his detachment and his distaste for her in light of the fact that she was growing older and he wasn’t, leads to their demise. The indifference with which he recounts this loss is the truly sad part. At the same time Dr. Manhattan is heralded as a god and even as god. One quote from the movie, "God is real and he is American". In many ways Dr. Manhattan is representative of the modern scientist or epicurean who sees existence as merely a collection of atoms and earth as insignificant in view of the vastness of the universe. He is also representative of Neitchzes superman around which the world gathers to worship.

The character of Rorschach was probably my favorite. Rorschach is extremely disturbed by the moral depravity of the world and embarks on a mission to rid the world, by any means necessary, of all wickedness. He is uncompromising in his integrity and unlike a figure like Batman who meets evil with clemency, Rorschach has absolutely no mercy in the face of the child killers and sociopaths that meets on a nightly basis. While I do not agree with his no mercy dogma, his integrity and unwavering fundamentalism is admirable to all. He is the religious fundamentalist that a Steven Weinberg would respect more than the religious liberal.

The movie is extremely thought provoking. There is even a character who, like the Grand inquisitor in Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, believes that the truth must be suppressed and a vicious lie promulgated in order to create peace. Even if you think you are too good to see a superhero movie you should lower yourself for a few hours one evening to watch it.

Move over Disney

This semester I have been taking an animation class. I am loving animation because it combines my new love of video and my true love of drawing. The class is a mixed media class so we've been doing flip books, under the camera charcoal drawing and painting, sand animation, and stop motion animation. Below are some of the first flipbooks we made!

ACTION

If for some strange reason you have been following this blog, I hope you were not disappointed in the dearth of posts through out the fall semester. This past semester was extremely trying, but I learned a lot. I am now stronger, faster, smarter, and taller (all but the last one are true). A few gems did emerge art wise. Mainly because I took Film and Video 1. I have always loved movies but never thought I would try my hand at using this medium.

In many ways I naiively saw video media as divorced from fine art. Also I have seen few fine art videos that I find inspiring in any way. Many seem purposefully esoteric, as if that is their means to salvation and relevance. In many ways I feel that a lot of video art is overly reactionary to the video of the entertainment industry, and seem bent on extracting all things entertaining from the medium. But lately I have had a change of heart. I took a video seminar this summer with the artist Traci Tullius which was AMAZING, and this past semester I gained a true appreciation for the artistic rigor and potential of video. Video is hard. Because of its mass appeal, ignorantly, I assumed it was easier than most art forms. In fact it might be on the harder end. The necessary attention to detail that must go into every single facet, from lighting, to shot selection, to editing, to sound, to acting and so forth, is exhausting. But I think video with out a doubt is the media of our time and I would love to be apart of it!

For my final project I wanted to make a teaser trailer to go along with the painting I did of me and Barack Obama in space. I was taking my inspiration from the Missy Elliot video "sock it to me" and the Bruce lee film Game of Death which was made after his death. The filmakers used cut out footage of Lee's face and put it on the body of another martial artist. The seams in this solution are beautifully visible. Keep in mind this is one of my first cracks at video. Please do not compare me to Matthew Barney or Colin Levy (yet!!!). Compare it to when you used to let your younger siblings or your kids use the the camcorder.

I N S P I R A T I O N

With the dawn of a beautiful new year I thought it would be edifying to share a compilation of my favorite artists. As I begin a 2009 brimming with potential these creators' accomplishments will serve as much needed inspiration as I get back in the ring.


George Washington Carver


Tchaikovsky


Robert Crumb


Pollock


Nike


Ingres


Sandy Cameron


(Who ever made this Movie!)


Thomas Demand


Goya

Hieronymus Bosch


Andy Warhol


Basquiat


The Excelano Project


Cindy Sherman

Gene Kelly


Stan Lee


The Coen Brothers


Frank Lloyd Wright


Rodin


Alex Ross


Travis Charest


Pixar


Chris Van Allsburg


Jim Henson


Jimmy Stewart


Baryshnikov


Fred Astaire


Colonel Sanders


Ron Mueck


Ridley Scott


Pat Conroy


Kandinsky


Allen Iverson


Gary Winogrand


Michelangelo


Caravaggio

Annie Leibovitz


Stevie Wonder


John Williams


Bruce Lee


Jim Lee


Chuck Close


Michael Jackson


Dr. Seuss



John Singer Sargent





Norman Rockwell


Van Gogh


Jenny Saville


Tiepolo

What Would Jesus Do?

As you well know (even if you have been living under a rock) today is election day. For the days and weeks leading up to the election I have had some serious issues to ponder and wrestle with; not that I have done much wrestling or pondering- I've done more ignoring and procrastinating.
If you have glanced at my blog or recent work you know full well that I am a big fan of Barack Obama. By no means do I think he's the savior of the world but I truly look up to him as one who has fully stepped into his destiny and has made every sacrifice necessary to be the best that he can possibly be, not just for his own ambition, but for the good of all humanity. This is something I feel all people, big or small, have the potential to do everyday they have breath in their lungs. And, Republican or Democrat, one has to admire the sheer perfection and tenacity with which Mr. Obama has completed this epic journey.

I am a Christian and my relationship with God is the most important thing to me. I have found that many Christians and religious leaders, some of which I have the utmost respect for, are not voting for Barack Obama because of his stance on abortion and, and to some extent, gay marriage. Instead they are opting to vote for John McCain's (and Sarah Palin's) seemingly more Biblical platform. Recently a pastor who I respect and admire as much as anyone, save Jesus Himself or my Mom, addressed his congregation, saying that everyone will have to give an account to God for who they vote for (which is true), and not to vote for who you neighbor or block is voting for (which is true), and that while issues like taxes are not addressed in the Bible- except that it says to pay them- issues like abortion and the sanctity of marriage are (which is true). He concluded by asking his congregation to "Vote Biblically". To me (and I could be wrong-as I am from time to time) this seemed like a denouncement of Barack Obama and a proclamation of John McCain as the only Biblical/Christian choice for President. In my estimation It seems that many Christians across the nation feel the same.

To "Vote Biblically" is undeniably, what I believe is the truest way to vote.
Honestly, and no offense to any of my brothers and sisters around the country, but it is naive and short sighted to believe that the only issue pertinent to the Bible and the election are abortion and marriage. It is also naive to think that each candidates' stance on these issues fit in a convenient box, or that the issues themselves are not more nuanced than a singe name or phrase can categorize. I am sure both candidates, as well as the majority of the country, would agree that abortion is bad. The Bible says in Psalm 139 starting in verse 13:

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

This passage speaks to the fact that God knew us before we were born and had all the days of our lives beautifully penned out before we were even conceived. Their is no doubt that abortion is an egregious aspect of our society and is microcosmic of the ubiquitous Social Darwinistic and hedonistic paradigms that control our world. Over 1 million legal abortions are undergone in America every year and over 42 million since 1973. 42 million aborted babies- that's is scary large number. That is more than the number of Black people in America.

Diatribe hat off.

How does this relate today (literally). As I said early both candidates are against abortion (just like both, of course, are against terrorism). In response to his stance on abortion, I was extremely impressed with Barack Obama thoughtful answer in the last Presidential debate. He contended, "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and they should not be engaged in cavalier activity". The knowledge of the root of the abortion crisis within this country (and world) and the acknowledgment of the nuance and complexity of this issue is admirable within Mr. Obama and at the same disturbingly absent within the rhetoric of John McCain and historically within the Republican Party. The phrase "sexuality is sacred" is an ironic indictment from the mouth of the Democrat towards the plethora of vocal conservative leaders who have been discovered to be living within hypocritical sexually illicit lifestyles.

What is more important; to ardently say you are against certain actions, or to live a life of integrity of word and deed? In Matthew Chapter 21 Jesus asks his disciples;

28"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'

29" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30"Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.

31"Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.

In my opinion all to often the Republican Party is the son who says "I will, sir" but does not. Instead I feel that they have used the issues like abortion deceitfully as bate to hook well to do yet naive Christians into voting for them. This has been the case for the Religious Right and the Republican Party for the past almost 30 years and reached its climax in the treasonous Presidency of George W. Bush. I do not dislike George W. Bush or any of the candidates in this years election for that matter but the use of deception, fear mongering, division and hatred and the usury of Christianity as a means of political aggrandizement are nouns that Jesus is expressly against. Instead of making advances in morality under the Presidency of Mr. Bush, His administration has been marked by fear mongering and violence. Scarily I have heard less Biblical Jargon from John McCain than George W. Bush and remarkable less than Barack Obama. The speaking of Bible verses is not the litmus test of ones spirituallity. In fact the Bible says:

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)

But there is something to be said for the regurgitation of scripture in and of itself. It means that there has been some sort of meditation on the Bible regardless of the purity of ones motives. In almost every address of Barack Obama's that I have witnessed he has seamlessly and naturally spoken scripture which would cause one to believe that this a important part of who his is as a person. In his speech at the DNC he said one of my favorite verses, 2 Corinthians 2:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." While, granted, I have watched far less footage of John McCain I have been shocked by the dearth of religious rhetoric for a post-Reagan Republican candidate and even more shocked by his largely Christian support base! I am confused. Luke chapter 6 verse 45 states, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." There is, without a doubt a clear opposition in the tone of rhetoric "overflow" from the mouths of both candidates. From day oneBarack Obama has presented a message of progress, of hope, of love, of peace (some of Jesus' favorite things!). And, no disrespect to John McCain and Governor Palin, but I could not in good conscience use these words to describe their candidacy. Instead if I were to be completely honest I would say that their has been a traceable concentration of negativity, fear mongering, and even hate within their message. Also while Obama's message is one that has appealed to those across every line of race, creed, cash flow, the Republican strategy, as usual, has been one of division, ostracization, and disenfranchisement in which they have chosen to pander to a few groups of quote "real" Americans while ignoring all other constituencies. This plan has proven to work in the past, as it does not matter how badly you disenfranchise certain parts of the country as long as you can gain the support of almost 50% of the country.


In returning to my initial point, almost every aspect of this election is spoken to in the Bible and I think that it is unfair to limit it to two or three that will make deciding who to vote for easy. In Matthew chapter 25 verse 40 Jesus says,"'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." and in verse 45, "'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." This phrase, "least of these", can undoubtedly signify the millions of babies that have been aborted through the years which should be convicting for all of us. Additionally, however, it could also signify all of the poor, marginalized, and disenfranchised souls that wake up everyday, yet live stillborn within a country who's government aborted them along time ago. The almost 800,000 black men that are in prison, the 47 million American's without health insurance, the over 4000 soldiers who have died and, estimated, 100,000 soldiers wounded in Iraq, and the over 37 million Americans who live in poverty.


I am in no way trying to put abortion on the opposite side of the scale to these atrocities, and I do not want to say that voting for John McCain is anti-Christian. But I am unconvinced, as of yet, that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote against God. I still contend that God does not have a favorite candidate, just as he does not have a favorite country (God Bless the world, not just America), but rather he love everyones; Barack Obama , John McCain, Sarah Palin, Joe Biden, Joe the plumber, you, and me with an unfathomable love.



http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/15/presidential.debate/
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881455.html
http://www.forbes.com/health/feeds/hscout/2007/08/28/hscout607734.html
http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/26/national/main4384762.shtml

Boldly Go

Here is the painting I did while in Connecticut that I the pilot for the work I want to do this semester. Right now I am in the process of re-doing this painting about 7'x9' feet (this one is 4'x5'). I want to have several paintings by the end of this year with me and Barack Obama in Space in different scenarios through which I can explore various issues of morality, race, heroism, consumer culture, Christianity, you name it.

As I am writing this my great friend Joshua Bennett is down a Mississippi St. University. He is a phenomenal spoken word poet and he is performing before the first Presidential debate!!!!!!!!!!!
CRAZY. I'm really excited for him. God is doing amazing things in his (and my) life!!!