Scarytology

Noticed the new set of "inspirational" commercials lately on A&E and CNN? You might have missed them since they sound a lot like Nike, or Gatorade, or maybe some other company like Dow who is trying to appeal to human emotions.

"You are not your name. You are not your job. You are not your fears. You are hope. You are a spirit that will never die. Know yourself. Know life."

Alright, whatever. It's the same spiel we've been hearing for ages. Look inside yourself. You have the power to move mountains. You are your own strength.

Listen up, and listen closely.

THIS IS ALL CRAP. Wanna know how I know? Here's the #1 clue: the commercial above was written for Scientology.org.

SCIENTOLOGY IS NOT A RELIGION. IT IS A CULT. You should never, EVER, have to pay any money WHATSOEVER to belong to a religion. You should never, EVER, belong to a religion that is shrouded in secrecy, and you should never, EVER, feel threatened to ask questions or leave a religion. If you belong to a church or religion right now that is pressuring you in any of these ways, please hear me out. Listen to my commercial.

I am not my name. I am a child of God. I am not my job. I have been blessed with talents and abilities so that I may serve Christ. I am not my fears. I cast my anxieties on Jesus. God is my hope. I am a spirit that will never die because of God's grace. I know myself, and I am a sinner. Because of Jesus, I will know eternal life.

No marketing campaign will ever change that.

Week Two

This includes the completion of "Mom" and "Bruce." If you are only interested in new work, skip to the 1:00 mark.

Bruce

This is less expressive than the others, but I am glad I dipped my hand in photo-realism... if just a tiny bit. The rest of the week will be more painterly.

"Bruce." Oil on canvas. Approx 8 hours.

Mom

This week I am essentially working on a painting a day. I will go back on Friday to add some final touches, but this is day one.

On this day in 1969...

...my parents were married! Happy 40th, Mom and Dad!

Week One

This video shows the progression of my work in the first week of Painting Theory and Development. Five paintings total; approx. 25 hours of studio time.

Back to the Studio

I just finished my first week of graduate-level Painting Theory and Development.

I feel that title is a bit vague, so instead I am going to call it Stand in front of a canvas and paint for six hours a day, every day, until you feel like you need a hip replacement at the age of thirty. Also, check your ego at the door.

Yes, SIFOACAPFSHADEDUYFLYNAHRATAOT/ACYEATD is much more comprehensive.

Sure it's been ten years since I've taken a studio class, but I really forgot how exhausting it is. Yesterday (only day 4 of 15, mind you) I was already over it. Seriously. I had to call a friend and have him talk me out of quitting right there. I am doing self-portraits right now, and I am so sick of myself that at home I don't even want to look in a mirror.

You know you're back in art school when on the first day your professor says,

"This class is six hours a day, but don't worry - the building is open 24/7 so you will have plenty of time to get your work done."

Right. Because we couldn't possibly accomplish anything worthy of a passing grade in the NINETY HOURS of allotted class time.

I'm off to a brilliant start, too. Today I worked four hours on a piece for the professor to essentially tell me I ruined it. Then he adds this tidbit,

"I appreciate your candor, but you really need to take an 20th Century art history class. It's pointless for me to reference artists when you don't know who they are."

Awesome.