Rich’s portfolio showcases various works in his genre of Socio-Political Abstractionism. If your organization has any interest in exhibiting any of his works free of charge, please contact Rich using the form on his Contact page. If you wish to purchase any of Rich’s works, that’s more complicated, so please see the For Sale page.
Hopefully you have already seen Rich’s Home page, About Me page and About SPA page to see a brief description of Rich’s work in the genre of Socio-Political Abstractionism (SPA) that he continues to develop. Rich makes no claims of being qualified as an artist other than maintaining a “just do it” philosophy and a driving vision. What Rich does as a common man is to abstractually portray his dreams and his concerns for humanity. That is what you see here. If you appreciate Rich’s work, please spread the word. Finally, please appreciate that everything you say and do in life has an impact to others. Please choose thoughtfully and wisely.
Tears for The Divided States of America
2022
Acrylic on 24″ x 36″ Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Our country has become so fragmented, with state-against-state, neighbor-against-neighbor, and the current Supreme Court against the prior Supreme Courts. So many people take their firm political stance with an “I’m right and you’re wrong” attitude without an appreciation for the points-of-view of others. What was once the United States has become the Divided States, represented by the red-and-black dotted grid separating the 50 teardrops. Has the blue color in our flag (representing vigilance, perseverance and justice) faded as judicial decisions vary from time-to-time depending on the political mood of the court in overturning legal precedents? Do we cry for our country? Do we do anything else to be more kind, respectful and compassionate of one another?
Artist’s Note: Although ultramarine blue is more traditional as the blue in the flag, cobalt blue was used is this work to represent a slight symbolic fading.
Uvalde, Texas: Are We Surprised?
Acrylic on 22″ Baltic Birch Plywood Heart, 1″ Thick
2022
The tragedy in Uvalde, Texas is only the latest in school shootings and other tragedies that break our nation into two sharply-divided factions on the issue of gun violence. One side says do something, and the other side says blame someone. Will we ever change? Will we ever agree on what the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights was meant to ensure?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The artist struggles to present important issues in his works without presenting (or at least minimizing) his own personal viewpoint, opinion or bias. In this case, however, the artist at least poses a question: Are troubled teenagers running around alone with assault rifles really part of the well-regulated militia that the writers of the Second Amendment had in mind in the 18th Century, when “Arms” meant single-shot weapons?
This work is a variation of Version 1 the recently-completed work “The Heart of the Nation aka The Great Divide”. As one variation from that previous work, in which the “divide” was a muddy black, in this work the “divide” is shown in maroon, the town’s school color.
Nightingales Don’t Eat Bears
2022
Acrylic on 20″ x 30″ Baltic Birch Painting Panel with Wooden Forms
Russia portrays its invasion and attack on Ukraine as a defense against neo-Nazis. Seriously? Are bears really threatened by nightingales, or is it the other way around? Everything in this work is symbolic; please provide your own interpretation.
The Heart of the Nation aka The Great Divide
2022
Version 1: Acrylic on 22″ Baltic Birch Plywood Heart, 1″ Thick
Version 2: Acrylic on two superimposed Baltic Birch Hearts
(one 22″ solid and one 20″ cut in half), each ½” Thick
Version 3: Acrylic on two superimposed 22″ Baltic Birch Hearts
(one cut in half), each ½” Thick
It used to be that politicians were respectful of one another, working together with their own perspectives and preferences to debate and serve the public by reaching compromise and consensus. Now, they create “alternative facts”, criticize, blame, act spitefully, belligerently, hatefully and divisively along party lines. Are we well-served by being divided into two hostile camps? What do you think?
Kenosha: A Moment of Silence, Please. And Now ???
2022
Acrylic on 20″ x 24″ Baltic Birch Painting Panel with Wooden Forms
Almost everyone has heard of the shooting incident that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. Is our thinking about guns and violence right on target, or is it lopsided and out-of-date? Our country seems to be sharply divided in two on that subject. And now … where do we go from here? Is there a call for action, or should we simply do nothing?
Artist’s Note: The bullet hole in the heart is geographically over Kenosha, Wisconsin. For the purpose of this work, that represents the heart of our country. A wooden representation of the USA was literally cut in two to create the structure of this work. Two versions of this work exist.
The Empty Circus Arena of Political Theatrics Has Gone Dark. What Remains, and What Is Next?
*** Preliminary Image Being Held in Secrecy Until Work Is Released ***
2021 – 2022
Soft-Body Acrylic Interlaced with Rubber Particles to Create a Texture That Is Heavy and Thick, Simultaneously Rough While Being Slightly Soft and Flexible, on Reversed 20″ Cradled Painting Panel (so that the cradle forms the arena)
We had January 6, 2021, countless harmful theatrical events before that, and some after that. Then we had [date to be determined].
This work foresees an event to happen in the future and awaits that occurrence before this work is released for exhibition. That event will occur, but when, and what will be the outcome?
Artist’s Note: The texture was created by using dozens of coats of acrylic paint, interlaced with fine-grade rubber particles, applied daily by hand over the course of many weeks (so many coats that the artist lost count). In this case, “by hand” means literally that the artist’s hand was used to create swirling motions, double-gloved to avoid any potential toxicity of daily paint exposure, rather than applying by brush.
Khaos in Kabul
2021
Multi-Media, Acrylic on 20″ x 24″ x 1″ Baltic Birch Painting Panel with Crumpled Miniature Afghan Flag
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
It’s February 29, 2020, and the prior U.S. administration has reached a written agreement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan (https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf). Noteworthy is that the agreement left out the government of Afghanistan, which may have been a regrettable decision from the standpoints of strategy and logistics.
Now it’s August 30, 2021, just minutes before the August 31 deadline that was the result of the 2020 agreement that would prove to be disastrous. A new administration is in the White House. The inevitable chaos that ensued was, of course, blamed upon the current administration that had been given a date by which to evacuate, but no comprehensive plan to do so.
As we have seen since the beginning of recorded history, pointing the finger of blame is very easy. Finding constructive solutions to complex problems is very difficult. So, as people relax in their easy chairs with the luxury of pointing the finger of blame without the responsibility of carrying out the mission, will anyone remember who was responsible for the decision and commitment to withdraw and abandon the government of Afghanistan to the Taliban?
Artist’s Note: The last U.S. plane (purposefully in a neutral grey) leaves Afghanistan behind in its fumes, with the black, red and green Afghan flag crumpled and lying in the desert sand, to be forgotten. Chaos abounds not only in Afghanistan, shown geographically, but all around. A prior word for chaos is Khaos, from the ancient Greek for the chasm between heaven and earth, a formless void, an orderless state. What we saw may have been all of those.
Note on Perspective: The airplane, being shown in vague, dream-like form, might be seen as from above, with the lower wing being the left wing. Or, if you look at it again, perhaps you might be looking at it from below, with the lower wing being the right wing. How does your mind interpret what your eyes see? Does it make a difference how you see something compared to how someone else may see it? Can you both be correct at the same time?
If I Can’t Have It, Nobody Can
2021
All Versions: Heavy Application of Paint on Wooden Representation of the Continental USA, Burned to a Crisp by Blowtorch (with paint burnt, bubbled and blistered)
- Acrylic Paint Versions
- Experimental Version 24″ x 14″ on 1/4″ Baltic Birch Plywood (Version #1)
- Final Version 36″ x 21″ on 1/2″ Baltic Birch Plywood (Version #3)
- Oil Paint Versions
- Experimental Version 24″ x 14″ on 1/4″ Baltic Birch Plywood (Version #2)
- Final Version 36″ x 21″ on 3/4″ Medium-Density Overlay (MDO) Plywood (Version #4)
- For the Artist’s Private Collection
- Oil Paint on 38″ x 22″ on 1/2″ Baltic Birch Plywood (Version #5)
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS); however, please contact the artist if you would like a work custom-produced, up to approximately 36 inches (longest dimension)
Following the persistent “alternative facts”, “Pizzagate”, “Q” and other conspiracy theories, the incendiary rhetoric, the incitement to anarchy, rioting and violence, the U.S. Capitol was attacked on January 6 to disrupt the democratic process as Congress met to affirm the winner of the 2020 election.
This work was conceived in a dream that night and conceptually developed on January 7, with less than two weeks to go before the inauguration of the next President. In that time, and even after the inauguration, would “Scorched Earth” ideas be strategized, and or would it stop with the attack on the Capitol? Alternative interpretations are encouraged.
“A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.” (regarding cheating to win, from the movie “Cool Runnings”). In that light, the artist questions if a candidate feels that he is not enough without winning yet another election, then how many followers would support a rebellion and what fate ultimately awaits the country? What happens the next time a candidate loses an election and claims it is “the crime of the century”?
Technical Note: Multiple versions are being created, with the artist experimenting with the effect of a blowtorch on acrylic and oil paint types, the latter being flammable. Each version is a signed and numbered one-of-a-kind.
The artist finds that the conventional propane torches being used experience “flame-out” when used on paint of either type, whether fresh or partially-dried. The internet offers little advice, since few people seem to be blasting heavy applications of fresh paint with a blowtorch. The artist finally found success in using a 3-foot extension to create a mega-blowtorch (or is it a mini-flamethrower?).
The artist has found that the fragile paint residue after torching is so great that even a substantial application of a fixative, as opposed to the UV archival spray that is customarily used, was not adequate. A product called “Mod Podge Ultra Matte”, a non-tacky glue & sealer spray, was finally found to be adequate in holding the charred paint in place.
Here is a one-and-a-half minute video to show the artist at work and the country in flames (the 36″ version with oil paint).
What a Difference a State Makes (in 24 Little Hours)
2021
Acrylics on 20″ x 30″ Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Inspired by the Georgia runoff election on January 5, 2021, “What a Difference a State Makes” reflects many in the nation anxiously watching the election results trickle in, until the results became clear a day later. Like many of the artist’s works, the work is intended to be as simplistic as possible while abstractly conveying an important message. So it is … the U.S. Senate, and the course of history, has been changed, merely by flipping one state from red (Republican) to blue (Democratic) by a razor-thin majority. Once again we see that every vote counts, and every vote can make a difference. So as the viewer, do you see the sun and the flowers when the state flips from red to blue, or from blue to red? Whichever way you see things, and whichever way you decide to vote in the future, please vote! It’s our democracy.
Artist’s Note: The title “What a Difference a State Makes” was inspired by the hit song “What a Difference a Day Makes”. What a coincidence that the title of this work, reflecting the profound changes to occur in Washington, was inspired by a lady named Washington who popularized the song. For those who may be a little too young to remember Dinah Washington singing the song around 1959, it begins thusly:
What a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers, where there used to be rain.
This work is the resultant mash-up of the song and the Georgia election results.
Technical Note: For the first version of this work, a color-changing acrylic paint was used for the State of Georgia, so that the state “flips” from a rusty red to a vivid blue, depending on the point of view of the viewer, or it could flip back to red again. As you see, the artist loves symbolism.
Here is the work as seen from another viewpoint. As viewed from the far right, the state still looks red. Some will always see it this way, and will never accept the election result that flipped the state to blue.
Rage vs. The Blue Wall (Version 1)
2020
Mixed Media Format, Acrylics on 24” x 36” Basswood Painting Panel with Wood Forms and Letters, and a 6″ x 36″ Basswood “Wall”
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Rage vs. The Blue Wall (Version 2)
2021
Mixed Media Format, Acrylics on 24” x 36” Basswood Painting Panel with Wood Forms and Letters, and a 6″ x 36″ Basswood “Wall”
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
On August 20, 2020, it was said that character, compassion, decency, science and democracy would all be on the ballot for the November 3, 2020 election. Though results trickled in slowly the night of November 3, by November 4 it appeared that the incumbent President may have been stopped by “The Blue Wall”, referring to a majority of people voting Democratic in the states in the northern Midwest of the United States. As ballot-counting results continued to come in, it appeared that Nevada and Arizona were also leaning Democratic. By November 6, Georgia and Pennsylvania were added to the list as well. Since the President of the U.S. is not elected by the majority of voters in the country (known as the “popular vote”), but rather by a state-based Electoral College system, the results of these “Battleground States” adding support to the Blue Wall seen on November 3 would determine who the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect would be. Though the incumbent President raged on in the usual manner, attacking the democratic process that had brought him to power four years previously, his rage and legal attempts to stop the counting of ballots, challenge the vote and undermine the results of the election would prove to be futile. So, the “character, decency, compassion, science and democracy” articulated so eloquently would ultimately prove to be convincing to voters.
Interpretation Question: Are the Blue Wall and the supporting states really solid blue? Is there a multi-partisan lesson to be learned from the election results, and how will that play out based on ensuing strategies … two years from now, and four years from now?
Artist’s Note: Think of this work as “Desperately Seeking Mister Rogers: The Sequel”. A side-by-side comparison of these two companion works will show many similarities, and yet very important and profound distinctions that have occurred over the past year. Rageosaurus Rex is now flat on his back, defeated and stunned, mired in the muck instead of being supported by it, slowly sinking, but still able shout out to anyone who would listen … I WON! BY A LOT! (all caps, of course).
Artist’s Note Regarding only Version 2: Although Version 1 was completed in late 2020, Version 2 was completed in early 2021 after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the re-impeachment on January 13. As final finishing touches to acknowledge those events, Rageosaurus Rex now has blood dripping from his mouth and on his little hands, as well as some droplets on the bottom of his feet from trampling those who got in his way.
Science … Bah! Humbug!
1st Original (Smaller, Experimental Version), titled: Science … Bah! Humbug! (Then and Now): Acrylic and Glitter on 20″ x 24″ Linen Canvas
2nd Original (Larger, Final Version), titled: Science … Bah! Humbug! (1970 to 2020): Acrylic and Glitter on 20″ x 30″ Linen Canvas
2020
Currently Priced at: To Be Determined
Prior to the 2020 election, government scientists have been accused of “sedition” (inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch) if they espouse science based on researched facts instead of changing the facts to suit the party line of the administration. In an era when denial and deception have become an accepted norm, how far are people willing to go in ignoring what is clearly seen, such as the receding polar ice cap, to support the party in power? How far and how long will people fall down the rabbit hole in the quest of Self-Serving Science Scroogery?
Interpretation Question: How do you see the darkness surrounding Earth? Can one become so mesmerized by staring into the emptiness and glitter of the darkness, or the soul of a cult leader, that one can become transfixed and not see the obvious?
Technical Note: The polar ice cap is shrinking not only in the visible manner geographically, but is shrinking in depth as well. So it is that the paint is much thicker “then” than it is “now”.
Artist’s Note: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” – Sherlock Holmes. In politics today, some will demand that facts be altered to suit the agenda of the party in power, as opposed to altering the agenda to suit the facts. So, “alternative facts” are created to suit the goals and objectives of those in power, relying on supporters to be transfixed by the charisma, simplistic slogans, and self-serving beliefs of their leader, instead of acknowledging what is researched, widely understood and in plain sight. Although the “sedition” accusation was aimed at scientists at the CDC in regard to the ongoing COVID pandemic, much of science has been under attack by the current administration, including the science of climate change.
In support of scientists in the U.S. government as well as scientists worldwide, this work illustrates the reduction in the ice sheets (the northern polar ice cap) over the past 50 years, based on satellite imagery. Is a comparison like this to be considered science or sedition?
Season of Darkness
2020
Acrylic on 40″ x 28″ x 36″ x 24″ Hand-Crafted Irregular Quadrilateral Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: NFS
What could be scarier than being alone in the dark at midnight on Halloween? The 2020 U.S. national election a few days later. On August 20, 2020, it was said that we are in a “Season of Darkness”, and that character, compassion, decency, science and democracy would all be on the ballot for the November 3, 2020 election. Is it so, have we gone off-kilter and lost our sense of balance? If we are in a Season of Darkness, does hope remain on the periphery? What will we choose going forward?
Artist’s Note: Desiring to experiment with construction of a stretched canvas in a non-conventional shape, this irregular quadrilateral was hand-crafted by the artist months ago, without a specific purpose in mind. It was assumed that if it were built, the inspiration would eventually come to express something off-balance and out-of-whack, something that was not working as originally intended. So it has, election results that are under attack by the current administration even before they occur and are known.
Full Circle: An Identity Crisis
2020
Acrylics on 29″ Diameter Round Cradled Birch Painting Panel, Mounted on Turntable
Currently Priced at: NFS
In the early 20th Century, many were concerned about the rise of nationalistic fascism, while many others supported it. Sinclair Lewis in his novel “It Can’t Happen Here”, warned about the prospects of rising fascism in a fictitious story of the future set rather close to home, and he did so in 1935 as fascism was on the rise in Europe before World War 2. Subsequently, the USA fought against fascism, and many sacrificed their lives in the cause. Now, in the 21st Century as we enter the frightening darkness of the 2020 election, do we even know what fascism is, what its defining characteristics are, who its greatest supporters tend to be, and what it is against which we fought? Would we recognize it if we stood face-to-face with it? So now, many here and throughout the world are questioning who are we, what are we, in what do we believe and for what do we stand? Are we heading halfway around a circle? What then?
Artist’s Note: This work is mounted on a 24-inch diameter turntable, so that when hanging on a wall, the work can be rotated 180 degrees, or at any desired angle. What is seen if the work is rotated or fully inverted?
This work was selected for the October 1 – November 3, 2020 Political Discord online exhibition sponsored by Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California.
Desperately Seeking Mister Rogers
2020
Mixed Media Format, Acrylics on 24” x 36” Basswood Painting Panel with Wood Forms and Letters, and a 6″ x 36″ Purpleheart Wood “Wall”
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
We have had important issues facing us, including deficit spending like nothing in the past with crushing and rapidly-accelerating national debt to pass on to our children courtesy of the self-proclaimed “King of Debt”. That was before the COVID-19 “coronavirus” impact, and is becoming worse as the country and its states are led toward bankruptcy. In light of those issues and other important issues facing us, do we really want to focus our limited resources on cruel anti-immigration practices, including family separations and locking up children in cages? Even if so, is building a physical wall part of the answer?
Instead, the artist questions whether we shouldn’t be bonding together with kindness and compassion as a bi-partisan effort to block the current rampage of anger, blame, resentment, hate and fear, embodied by Rage. Instead of a “Keep Out” attitude that has raged on since 2016, perhaps we would well keep in mind the loving “Be My Neighbor” attitude that Mister Rogers had shared with us. Did we ever have such an altruistic attitude, and if so, can we ever bring it back? And if we never really had it, can we or should we seek it now?
Artist’s Note: How can a raging, unleashed and unbounded Rageosaurus Rex be stopped? To use the now-infamous words, “Build the Wall”!
There is much symbolism in this work that may go unnoticed unless the artist points it out. As one example, the core of the wall is a wood known as purpleheart. The artist is also aware that the current president had expressed a desire for a Purple Heart award, even though he had never served in the armed forces and certainly was never wounded in that capacity. Nevertheless, he was given a Purple Heart award by an admirer who had earned it. So here in this work, the face of the wall against Rage is unfinished, suggesting perhaps that in spite of rhetoric and chanting of slogans, along with the desire for acceptance and high ratings, Rage is really facing his own unfinished issues of questionable courage.
On a different subject, similar to the reversal of the political parties around 1896 at the time of William Jennings Bryan, the parties have experienced another reversal since 2016, in which many so-called “conservatives” have favored extreme, radical, polarizing changes which have led to the current presidency, while many so-called “liberal progressives” now wish to return to things as they were before, perhaps with some enhancements, and that has been the subject of recent debate.
While each of us is unique and needs to express ourself individually, perhaps what we need now is for people to unite in at least one sense, and that is to strive to return to a state-of-mind of kindness, respect, empathy and basic human decency in spite of our differing preferences and opinions. That is the kind of wall we need to build to stop the current escalation of anger, resentment, hate and fear. The artist suggests that such a wall against Rage needs bipartisan support (the Red and the Blue) to support and sustain it.
Many of us desire to return to “A Beautiful Day in the Country”, and let me add that we should strive for “A Beautiful Day in the World” as well. I would like to express my belated thanks and appreciation for the sayings and inspiration that Mister Rogers once gifted to us while his show “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” ran. These are things that we should not merely strive to remember, but that we can and should practice in our daily lives. Here are just a few. Please think about your own favorites.
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”
“Real strength has to do with helping others.”
“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like ‘struggle’.”
“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”
As the artist, I can offer no better advice.
The Circular Firing Squad
2020
Acrylics on 20″ Diameter Round Cradled Hardwood Painting Panel
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
As an alternative to “cannibalizing”, another way to express political allies criticizing and attacking one another instead of focusing on how to best defeat their opponent is to refer to a “circular firing squad”. A different work by the artist, “The Blue Wave of 2020”, has many different variations of blue within the wave as an expression of the many diverse people and interests that will need to coalesce and work together cooperatively if they wish to form such a wave. “The Circular Firing Squad”, in contrast, expresses an approach that has been used, that may inhibit or prevent “The Blue Wave of 2020” from forming. Which approach will prevail in 2020? Will any candidate have had sufficient emotional fortitude to consistently refuse to participate in “The Circular Firing Squad”?
Artist’s Note: This work shows the various candidates, with one exception, firing upon one another in a counter-clockwise (and counter-productive) manner. Not content to use dueling pistols or any conventional firearms, they seem to have been savagely attacking one another using flamethrowers of various types and sizes, such that whomever the “winner” may be might be so damaged as to be easy prey for their real opponent. The arrangement is that of a standard 12-hour clock face, suggesting that time is of the essence in taking any corrective action. Coincidentally (or not), news headlines have included “… Debate Will Have 12 Candidates …”.
Much like the “Hurricane Generator” used in producing the artist’s work Maria, a device now known as the “Swirly-Thingy” was developed to produce the circular firing effect of this work. However, not having worked as intended after two attempts, the “firing” has been manually touched-up. The “Swirly-Thingy” will be modified in some way, then will live on to hopefully be used in any subsequent versions of this work … or some other work.
The End of Democracy in the National Interest?
2020
Acrylic on 20″ x 24″ Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
This work is primarily four quadrants of different blacks, and is inspired by the impeachment events in the U.S. Senate in the period January 29-31, 2020. What can the four quadrants signify? Is this work looking backward in terms of how we arrived here, or looking forward to what is to come (as of 2020)? Does any small glimmer of hope remain? What can it all mean?
Artist’s Note: Many events led up to the impeachment process, and on January 29 it was argued on behalf of the president “’I think I’m the greatest president that ever was, and if I’m not elected, the national interest will suffer greatly.’ That cannot be an impeachable offense.” This was in the context of pressuring for foreign interference in U.S. elections. Once one believes in the acceptability of a “Quid Pro Quo” and foreign interference in U.S. elections, and even believes in the acceptability of lying and hiding evidence about it, then it is not a far reach to then believe that any form of election rigging or influencing by the government is alright so long as the president believes it is in the national interest. Then on January 31 it was decided by the U.S. Senate in a 51 to 49 vote to block witnesses and documents, so that a final impeachment vote would be based primarily on party lines and not on any newly-revealed facts and evidence. Interestingly enough, on the same day right after the vote to block witnesses and documents, the Department of Justice revealed that they were in fact withholding significant evidence in the form of relevant e-mails … and what else was being withheld so that the Senate could purposefully not make an informed decision and so that voters could not make informed voting decisions going forward?
Also, this work ties into the work “No Chaos”, and further reflects the campaign strategy and expectation that “we’ll govern for 50 years”. How can such a thing be accomplished? By the government’s control of information, of course, and by convincing enough voters to only believe the “truth” or “alternative facts” issued by the government administration, while scorning the free press and labeling them as “the enemy”. While those in power can blithely say “Let the voters decide” as if they are all in favor of democracy while they block witnesses and documents from disclosure, the fact is that those who control the truth then control the voters and control the results of the elections. That is how one party can strategize to remain in power for 50 years. Welcome to 1984, although a bit belatedly. It’s dark. Very dark.
The artist also notes that this work was foretelling of the continuing attacks agianst democracy, most specifically the attack against the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
When Wisdom Fades as Knowledge Grows
2019
Acrylic on 20″ x 24″ Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Artist’s Note: The artist believes that this work is self-explanatory and does not provide a further description, other than to offer that the alternative titles (for possible future, similar works) are “50 Miles of Hate and Fear” or “Sorry, Accidents Happen”.
Subsequent Artist’s Note: The artist points out that the work was finished before the events of January 2, 2020 (the airstrike assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani), and reminds the audience of the tweet “Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He’s weak and he’s ineffective. So the only way he figures that he’s going to get reelected — and as sure as you’re sitting there — is to start a war with Iran.” That was not true when tweeted back in 2011, but how about in anticipation of the 2020 U.S. national election? The author of that tweet clearly had this particular re-election strategy in his thinking for many years.
The Blue Wave of 2020
2019
Acrylic on 20” x 24” Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
This work does not advocate for any political party, but offered a prediction of how the voters may be expected to express their preferences in 2020, based on trends at the time the work was created. The many different variations of blue within the wave is an expression of the many diverse people and interests that will need to coalesce, and work together cooperatively as opposed to criticizing and even attacking one another, to form such a wave. What could the white possibly represent within the blue wave?
Artist’s Note as of the time that this work was created: If “The Blue Wave of 2020” does not actually occur in 2020, its supporters will need to carefully consider what needs to change in its approach for 2022 and 2024.
A variation of this work was selected for the September 4 – 26, 2020 Regional Invitational at The Studio Door gallery in Hillcrest (San Diego, California).
Out With the Old, In With the New
2020
Acrylic on 24” x 36” Painting Panel and Wooden Forms
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Most or all of us in the USA are descended from ancestors who were immigrants, or are immigrants themselves. That statement allows for the debate of whether Native Americans weren’t in fact immigrants, but immigrants from a far earlier period.
The Statue of Liberty, more formally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World”, was a gift of friendship from France, and has traditionally been seen as a welcoming symbol of liberty and freedom. France also shares our colors of red, white and blue, and has shared the concepts of “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”. In the past few years, though, it seems that Liberty has been less enlightening and less welcoming to those entering the USA as her flame seems to be flickering out and up in smoke. At the same time, the country itself has become ripped apart and splintered, and is now itself in flames. The concept of fraternity now only applies to some, and as for equality, in Orwell’s terms let’s just say that some have become more equal than others. We have a choice as we proceed into the future. Will we maintain the course set in the past few years, reverse our course, or choose some other direction?
Artist’s Note: The artist took a 1/4-inch-thick wooden representation of the continental USA out to his backyard with a sledge hammer, worked himself up into a angry fervor of rage for no real reason at all (sound like anybody you know?), and … voilà, the country ended up smashed, ripped apart and splintered, much as what has happened to our actual country over the past few years. Those pieces were then blackened and muddied (think allegorically here), affixed to a primed basswood painting panel, and the rest of the work was completed. One might observe that the country … smashed, ripped apart, splintered and inflamed as it is … is hardly recognizable as it once was. This work is extremely fragile and must be handled with great care, like the principles upon which the country was founded.
Don’t Think of It as Air Pollution and Global Warming … Think of It as New Real Estate Opportunities!
2019
Acrylic on 24” x 36” Painting Panel and Wooden Forms
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Today we find many who deny climate change, in spite of scientific evidence including time-lapse satellite imaging. Some even promote greater pollution for the sake of … what? Attempting to maybe push the economy momentarily higher even a miniscule amount for political gain in spite of the costs to ourselves and even higher costs to future generations? Making even more money for the already-wealthy? Wouldn’t it be great to buy Greenland and then watch its ice sheet continue to melt as money is made off its newly-expanded real estate market? What an idea! Next, Antarctica will be the next money-making opportunity! Too bad about the health effects of the air and other aspects of the environment, and about the existing coastal areas that will flood more-and-more, but think of the new money-making opportunities that will arise for those who have the money to profit further!
Artists Note: The remaining, disappearing ice in Greenland and Antarctica at some point in the future is represented in part by how the artist sees the color “glacier blue” in his imagination. An image of this work was used by the artist as one of seven “Get Out and Vote” poster ideas that he submitted for the “Good Trouble / U Decide” competition prior to the November 2020 election, with the following explanation. “”This work was inspired by a real estate investor who happens to also be a President who denies climate change. He previously expressed the desire to buy Greenland, while new unfrozen real estate becomes available as the ice melts, until being told the country was not for sale. How ironic it is that the greatest denier of climate change expressed interest in taking financial advantage of it. Antarctica is right there beside Greenland, as perhaps the next great real estate opportunity. When we vote, each of us must decide whether we believe climate change is occurring, and if so, how will it affect our vote?”
All Together Now …
Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, Into the Swamp We Go
2019
3-D Mixed Media, Including Acrylic on 24” x 36” Painting Panel … and more
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
The characteristics of the new swamp are very dark, easily seen by some, but not by others, and have not historically been associated with any political party. The sing-songiness of the title, adapted from the “Heigh-Ho” work song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, might reflect a childish naiveté of certain voters in thinking that the behavior of a president would be different than his behavior as a candidate, or that such behavior is fine, appropriate and not of adverse consequence. These characteristics, some of which used to be seen as immoral and unacceptable behavior, and all of which can lead to our decline, have gained some acceptance as a new vote-getting norm by many, and have recently been spreading among our politicians. As a result, insulting, belittling and accusing those who have different opinions, different beliefs or different preferences from ourselves have become more commonplace in politics, drifting over to society in general. Do we really want to travel along this path of angry disrespect for one another? The Electoral College members (as opposed to the voting majority) decided the fate of all of us together in 2016, and those in all political parties who oppose that particular fate will need to work smarter in 2020. So now, we find that the country is in flames, the blue states and red states alike. All together now in 2020, we can rise from the swamp or grind further into the swamp. Which course will we choose to take?
Artists Note: Although the original intent was to keep this as a surprise for demonstration purpose if-and-when this piece is ever selected for exhibition, the artist has arranged for the country to actually grind further into the swamp before it rises again … or it can only rise from the swamp upon specific request … let’s just say this piece was designed, engineered and constructed over an extended period of time, and the painting of it was purely secondary.
An image of “All Together Now … Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, Into the Swamp We Go” is included in Murze Magazine, Issue Ten, page 31 of “Double Vision” section, issued February 5, 2020. With Murze being a British publication based in London, and distributed internationally, this represents the first international recognition of the artist and his art genre of Socio-Political Abstractionism.
… and by popular demand, a video is included here to show the country sinking into the swamp under the current administration. You may even see a little shuddering as it does. Please be patient, as the country sinks slowly and tilts a little further to the right toward the end of the descent.
… and for those of you who just can’t get enough of this, you can watch the country rising back up out of the swamp (how will we as voters accomplish this?). The artist points out that he is not advocating for any political party through this work, but does advocate that voters should keep in mind casting their votes as they see fit to raise the country back into a state of human decency, regardless of political preference.
The Heart of the Presidency
2019
Mixed Media, Acrylic on 24” x 36” Basswood Painting Panel with Hollow Wooden Heart
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
This heart is black, wooden, hollow, and ensnared in barbed wire. The black and red around the heart, almost obliterating the light blue background, suggest … what? Like all of the artist’s work in Socio-Political Abstractionism, it is hoped that this work will inspire debate by the sharing of feelings, opinions and interpretations.
Artist’s Note: This work reflects the artist’s concerns regarding children held in cages for indefinite periods, family separations to the point of even losing track of family members, and so on. More importantly … what does it mean to you?
This work was selected for the October 1 – November 3, 2020 Political Discord online exhibition sponsored by Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California.
Swamp Monsters
2018
Mixed Media Format, Acrylic on 30” x 40” Basswood Painting Panel with Wood Letters and Rectangles, with Dynamite Fuses of Red, White and Blue Twine
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Far from the swamp being drained, the new swamp contains monsters more hideous and more dark than ever seen before in any previous presidential administration’s swamp. Some people may have difficulty in seeing the monsters lurking in the swamp, while others may see them very clearly and distinctly. The swamp gases being produced are highly explosive, and we wait to see which person or event will set off a disaster.
Artist’s Note: Extra credit to anyone who remembers the “Melanie” tweet. The artist still wonders how well Melania responded. Also, the artist notes that he avoids using actual names in his works or descriptions. Of necessity, and since the names are publicly known and in the news, this work is an exception to the rule.
Image of “Swamp Monsters” is included in Salann Magazine, Volume 1; please see page 228.
The Top Topples
2018
Mixed Media Format, Acrylic on 30” x 40” Linen Canvas with Iconic Souvenirs
(Including Fake Nobel Peace Prize Commemorative Coin and Gag Coins)
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
One of the roles of an artist, if so inclined, is to see forward and paint visions of the future before they occur. The Top Topples is such a work, created in 2018 as a vision of a future event. The proud colors of the USA, once solid as granite, are now muddled together as a distasteful grey by diversion and division. When an explosive eruption occurs, the date to be determined in the future, icons of the current presidency will tumble to the right.
This work was previously selected for the TAG Gallery 2019 LA Open exhibition.
Maria
2017
Acrylic on 30” x 40” Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
This work expresses the bloodshed, losses and sorrows … and perhaps more than that … of the people of Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Maria, and mourns for the slowness and politicization of the relief efforts. As people were dying, a presidential cabinet member referred to the meager relief efforts as “a good news story” for the administration at the time, inspiring a backlash. The artist poses the question of whether the administration’s efforts (at the time in 2017) weren’t too little, too late, and to what extent the President and his cabinet felt connected to the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as Americans, specifically U.S. citizens. Maria has previously been selected for the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild “Connections” exhibition at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.
Artist’s Note: To achieve the swirling hurricane effect over the islands, the artist created a device he calls a “hurricane generator”. He then needed to experiment with it to create the hurricane effect that he desired for this work.
“Maria” has previously been selected by Ariel Plotek, Ph.D., who at the time was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The San Diego Museum of Art, for the Connections exhibition at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.
Image of “Maria” is included in Salann Magazine, Volume 1; please see pages 52-53 and 228.
Smear Campaign
2018
Acrylic on 30” x 40” Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
The artist recalls when he was a child that politicians would respectfully debate issues (think of Kennedy and Nixon). Now, victory seems to go to the candidate who smears the opposition most convincingly (and most falsely), so that the real issues are not what swing the election, or in some cases are not discussed at all in campaign ads. Is this the doing of the politicians, or the voters? What have we done to our country and ourselves by rewarding those who sink the lowest?
Artist’s Note: This work was inspired not only by the 2016 presidential campaigns but more specifically by certain campaigning in the San Diego region. However, the issue is universal.
Image of “Smear Campaign” is included in Salann Magazine, Volume 1; please see page 228.
Blue Period – III
2019
Acrylic on 24 x 36 Linen Canvas with Wooden Form
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
The country has endured much through the 2016 presidential campaign, the loss of the candidate with the majority vote and the success of the candidate who won through the process of the Electoral College. And so it goes, that the People of the United States as a whole do not elect the President and Vice President, but the members of the Electoral College do. In the past, we have seen that while many people are disappointed when their candidate of choice is not elected, that is where it stops … disappointment, yet we pull together as a nation. It is different this time.
Most of us have experienced heartbreak during our lives and gone through “blue periods”. Usually, we are able to heal and carry on. But as a nation, our heart is ripped apart so badly that we must question, will the heart of the nation be able to heal from all of the events of the past few years as an individual’s heart might?
Image of “Blue Period” is planned to be included in Salann Magazine, Volume 2.
What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?
2017
Acrylic on 40” x 40” Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media Format with 3½-Inch Wooden Ball
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
“What the Hell do you have to lose?” was asked to a group of voters by one of the presidential candidates during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in regard to casting their votes for him. Although the implication was “Nothing” and that people should be ungrateful for what they have and how little they have, this work portrays the Earth being swallowed into the depths of Hell and answers the question: “Everything”.
Image of “What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?” is included in Salann Magazine, Volume 1; please see page 228.
What Do You Have to Lose?
2017
Acrylic on 40” x 40” Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media Format with 3½-Inch Wooden Ball
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
Developed before the similar work “What the Hell do you have to lose?”, the question “What do you have to lose?” was also asked to a group of voters by one of the presidential candidates during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in regard to casting their votes for him. Although the implication was “Nothing” and that people should be ungrateful for what they have and how little they have, this work portrays a poor use of decision-making by those with their hands on the buttons of nuclear weaponry. Accordingly, the Earth is seen being swallowed into the depths of Infinity (or the Hands of God, if one prefers), lost forever, and answers the question: “Everything”.
Dare to Say ‘Diversity’
2017
Acrylic on 40” x 40” Cotton Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
According to news reports, at a meeting held on December 14, 2017 in Atlanta, the administration’s list of seven terms that were not to be used or at least to be avoided in the upcoming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget were conveyed; the seven terms included “vulnerable”, “entitlement”, “diversity”, “transgender”, “fetus”, “evidence-based” and “science-based.” Imagine a branch of government under the current administration (at the time in 2017) that operated based on science or evidence. This work, “Dare to Say ‘Diversity’”, encourages that we all (even government employees) speak freely about diversity and against hate, value one another as each being unique, stand up against authoritarianism, and dance together as if we were colors on a canvas.
Image of “Dare To Say ‘Diversity'” is included in Salann Magazine, Volume 1; please see page 228.
No Chaos
2018
Acrylic on 30” x 40” Linen Canvas
Currently Priced at: Not for Sale (NFS)
There is no chaos at the White House. Right. We heard it directly from the President, so it must at least be an “alternative fact”. This work offers the artist’s impression of how that might look.
The artist agrees with those that suggest that chaos and crisis … invented or otherwise … helps authoritarian strongmen rise to power, and they in turn will perpetuate chaos and crisis to their own ends. Haven’t we learned from history that this does not end well? Does anyone recall the comment in 2016 that “darkness is good” and if coming to power, “we’ll govern for 50 years”? Why aren’t we all terrified?
Artist’s Note: Contrary to what we have heard often, big rallies with their showmanship and fan adoration, ratings, crowd size and winning are not everything; there is also truthfulness, human decency and caring about others (and please, continue this list with your thoughts). Amazingly foretelling shortly before the 2016 presidential campaign was the film “Our Brand is Crisis”, which the artist recommends viewing at least once. Do you see any similarities to the branding of the prior administration (January 2017 – January 2021)?
Image of “No Chaos” is planned to be included in Salann Magazine, Volume 2.