Painting VIPS (Very important Pets)

Several years ago my friend Chris asked me to paint three of his cats and his dog.  In fact, they were to be the first of my series of Pet Portraits. Although Chris and I lost track of one another I recently heard from him again. He has two new family members (a cat and a dog) and he asked me if I could continue the series.  The painting below of his cat ("GEORGE") may have been the very first pet portrait I ever did!



GEORGE

 Since then I've painted dozens of them and it's really an honor to commemorate these VIPs (very important pets).  It's also a bit anxiety provoking because each time I do it I strive to capture the spirit and personality of these special creatures.

When I was young we had a family dog (she was a little wiener dog - a Miniature Dachshund). We rescued her from at  a shelter back in Michigan. She soon became part of our family. It didn't matter that she looked a little different (and smelled a little different!).  She was one of us and when she passed away, it was one of the most difficult times of my life!  Can you believe, it still brings tears to my eyes to think back on her passing...

As sad as that time was I'm glad that I experienced it because it made me realize just how important pets are - all animals really - to those who love them.  I also realize that with each portrait I paint, there's a responsibility of trying to get it right. With that being said, I have to admit, I'm really not a great artist, so it's a real challenge, each and every time! 

One of the first portraits I painted was of "NOCHE". He  liked to be out at night prowling for mice and other critters. For this reason I decided to paint him in a night scene.  I call this painting NOCHE @ NOCHE.

NOCHE @ NOCHE

I've met some interesting people through the years who've collaborated with me in unique ways. I've been asked to paint clients' pets on different planets - or flying through the sky with wings.  A few years ago I was commissioned to paint a pet portrait as a wedding gift to a couple who lived on the East Coast.  I was asked to send it to them directly upon finishing it and I did, but the package got lost in the mail! Just as I was about to start all over it was found. Thank God for that because I think I got lucky and the painting came out well. The dog's name is "OTIS" - shown below.



OTIS



I'd like to thank all of those who have entrusted me with painting their VIP! It's something I'll probably continue to do for as long as I'm able to - and for as long as I'm asked.

If you would like to immortalize your pet, or know someone who might, please don't hesitate to contact me at:



j9art_music@yahoo.com



MARLEY



MADDIE



A new year - A new exhibit

As the new year begins I'm happy to announce that I've been invited to exhibit my art at the La Canada Flintridge Library once again. This will be my third year and I'm really happy to be back! The exhibit will be up for the entire month of February.

When I was young there was no place more exciting to go to than the library! This is where you could find exciting books and pictures that made your imagination grow leaps and bounds!  It's where you could discover stories and photos of wild animals, bugs, plants and exotic places! It's where I got hooked on the childhood classics and then books like the Nancy Drew series. (I've always loved a good mystery.)  

And, nowadays, you can check out DVDs, magazines and CDs for free, unless you're late returning them which I usually am. But that's okay. Whenever I pay my late fees I know the money is going to a great cause. 

There have been times that I've been unemployed (or underemployed) and the library made it easier for me to send out resumes, research prospective companies or to update my skills.

And, you're never alone in the library.  You can almost feel the buzz of concentration and inspiration that others are soaking up and tapping into. 

I think my paintings like to hang on the walls whenever I display at a library.  It's a most unpretentious atmosphere!  Some day I may graduate to a gallery in Beverly Hills or NYC, but for now I'm perfectly content exhibiting at libraries around town.

Below are a few paintings currently on display at the La Canada Flintridge Library.  And, if you'd like to see the whole bunch, please click on the link right here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuh2UfnIJNY

When I grow up...

When I grow up I want to be an artist like Syd Mead!


I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at his Artist's Reception in Glendale recently and was completely awed and inspired by his futuristic paintings!


First, a brief BIO -  Syd Mead graduated with distinction from the Art Center College of Design in 1959.  His specialty was in creating innovative and realistic looking transportation and architectural renderings and this kept him in constant demand by Intl. Hotels, architectural firms and the Auto Industry for over twenty years until he was discovered by the film industry in 1979. Since then he has worked on such motion pictures as Star Trek, Tron, Blade Runner, 2010, Aliens, John Mnemonic and MI-3.  Most recently Mr. Mead worked with director Neill Blomkampt on his latest Sci-Fi production due to be released some time this year (2012).


What struck me most when I looked at the collection of Syd Mead's paintings (currently on exhibit at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale) was the attention and respect to detail that he puts into every stroke. Mainly working in gouache, the medium of choice for most illustrators throughout recent years, his paintings reveal immediately that this artist does not rush or hurry through his work.  He doesn't have ADD!  He's not lazy. Doesn't become bored with what he's doing. Goes the extra mile, putting in interesting details far back into the distance of his scene, where most artists, including myself would choose to just let it go, due to general fatigue or lack of imagination.


Syd Mead reminds me through his art, to follow through.  Not to get restless. To be respectful of what it is I'm trying to convey and not to get sloppy or lazy. 


Geez, I'm truly humbled and a little bit embarrassed to call myself an artist next to this man.  So, I'll call myself a painter with a vision and a hope to be an artist like Syd Mead some day when I grow up.



   

Visit http://www.sydmead.com/  right now!

The Jesus Connection

I write this true story with a bit of trepidation because I'm not one to proselytize. In fact, it offends me when it’s done to me, so it’s the last thing I want to do to others. But, that being said, I feel the need to tell this story because it has changed the way I look at the world. It's also changed the way I treat people, including myself.  And, considering it's the holiday season, I feel that it's fitting to write about the dream I had one morning about 25 years ago while living in Santa Monica, California.

I was living alone in a guest house at the time - it was during the month of June.  My life was not the most virtuous in those days - playing in rock bands and partying and drinking more than I should. You could say I was a bit of a lost soul with not much of a spiritual compass. 

My studio guest house had a west facing wall comprised of a row of large windows.  Each was covered with a thin rice blind. In June the fog comes in thick and can be a daily phenomenon (known as June Gloom). So my morning ritual would be to sit up and look at the rice blinds from my bed to see if there was sun light streaming through the window. In my dream I sat up and as I looked at the rice blind I saw the shroud of Jesus, just his face about 4 feet in size. In my dream I said to myself, "Hey, that's Jesus!"  And, as I said it, his face came in clearly and a white beam of light shot out at me from his face!  It totally paralyzed me. I couldn't move. My fists clenched - my jaw locked and my tongue hit the roof of my mouth.  In this vulnerable position you might think I'd be terrified, but there was something about the white light that created a blissful state. I might even say that it felt as though I was being bathed in pure love.  And, in that instant I heard a voice in my ear. It said, "This is just a small sample of the power of God's love."  And, then the white light receded and the image of Jesus faded away. 

At that moment I awakened from my dream and sat up in bed for real.  To say the least, I was totally shocked and amazed at what had just happened!

I just sat there for about a half an hour, tears streaming down my face, going over the dream of Jesus again and again, trying to recapture the feeling, the emotion and the message that was given to me.  "Just a small sample of the power of God's love..."  Before that dream I had doubted that there even was a God.  I had also doubted that Jesus Christ was really a divine being.  But, in an instant my spiritual paradigm shifted and I was somehow transformed!

I didn't party much after that day. There was no drug that could match the bliss that I had felt during that dream and I really didn't feel the need to abuse my body or escape from any sort of reality. 

I'm not going to lie and say that I am totally at peace nowadays.  I have anxieties and stresses just like everyone else.  But now I have someone to go to with them.  It might sound hokey, but Jesus is my guy - he's my connection.   I go to him with my problems and I feel his presence when I am sad or hurting or need healing - or when somebody I love needs prayers.  Sometimes during a meditative state I ask him questions and sometimes I hear his wise voice answering me back. 

Before my dream when I saw 'Jesus' bumper stickers or people on street corners holding up 'Jesus saves' signs I thought they were quite nuts, but now I understand. They just have the 'Jesus Connection'.  It's not a private club.  Anyone can join and make the connection too if they so choose.

I painted this picture of J.C. soon after my dream

SPIRIT ORBS? ... or dust particles?

I've been taking photos with my Nikon CoolPix camera for a couple of years now.  I love it, but there's something that keeps happening and I'm really not sure how to explain it.  Every now and then I capture an orb in my photo.  Here's the first one I caught back in Michigan while visiting with relatives a few years ago.

The photo below captures two small orbs on the pants of my artist friend (Rick Moore) during the 2010 Art Classic in Santa Clarita. He won first prize for one of his paintings and I took a photo of him next to his painting in-doors 

And here is another photo of him (close up) outside an hour or so after I took the first photo. Two more orbs appear! - in two photos - in two different locations.  I might add here that I took about 150 photos that day and these orbs showed up only twice... on the pants of the same person!!

Recently, I went to see a band called "The Graves" perform at a club in the valley.  They were excellent - enjoyed the show very much and I took a few photos of them.  Once again, an orb appeared on the shirt of the keyboardist - right under his arm. This time, nearly opaque.

And, most recently I went to a memorial celebration for my good friend Tim Alexander - an AMAZING guitarist who will be greatly missed.  During a speech made by his best friend, Stove, I took a photo of the crowd (see photo below) and caught an orb hovering above.

And, during a musical performace a few hours later I captured a smaller orb over his friend and guitar student as he was performing.  Particles of dust? Or perhaps the spirit of my friend Tim - joining us on his special day of remembrance!

There are no answers or explanations offered in this blog, just some food for thought. There will be more photos and more orbs captured by my camera in the future, I am sure of that.  And, as I find them I'll continue to document them.

In the mean time if you'd like to learn more, just google 'spirit orbs' on-line. You'll find all kinds of photos and interesting content.  I even discovered a woman (Kathy) who's dedicated a whole website to it. To see her photos click on:  http://spiritorbs.home.mindspring.com/

Here's to Witches - and those who weren't -

It's that time of year again - my favorite holiday is approaching and in honor of the bewitching season I thought I'd share a bit of what I discovered recently regarding the history of witchcraft.

Overall the record of witchcraft is horrible and brutal! 

Back in the 1600s, Germany was the classic land of witchcraft.  At least 100,000 people were executed - and as you might well imagine these were just ordinary people who had the misfortune of having a mole, scar or bunyon in the wrong place at the wrong time!  The law orderd torture in Germany and burning was the prescribed method of death. In 1590 a chronicler wrote of Brunswick "A horrible specticle met our eyes. Outside of the walls of many towns and villages we saw numerous stakes to which poor, wretched women were bound and burned as witches."  Even young children fell victim to this horrific insanity! 

Nowadays, girls and women dress up like witches on Halloween without realizing how much pain and suffering went on just a few centuries ago.

Happening day after day for centuries, resulting in torture and horrible death for tens of thousands - of mainly women, the following examples of witchcraft in action are terrifying to ponder, just because they are so routine:

• A bishop in Germany burns a minimum of 900 men and women - many of which are respected wealthy citizens, as witches, and confiscates their estates and properties for his own enjoyment.

• A Protestant minister in Scotland refuses Christian burial to a  woman crushed to death by a mob because she was accused of being a witch by a 16 year old boy.

• A French Magistrate reveals that, instead of burning young children accused of witchcraft, he had merely sentenced them to be flogged while they watched their parents burn as witches.

• A woman in Scotland is burned as a witch for stroking a cat in the window at the same time the householder finds his brew of beer turned sour.

• A poor immigrant in Boston, speaking only Irish and saying her simple prayers in Latin, is hanged as a witch because she could not repeat the Lord's prayer in English.

Cats, mice and blackbirds, along with irregularities in the body were but the outward indications of the pact with the devil - the essense of witchcraft.

I can't help but wonder how long I would've lasted had I been born back in those times!  With my inclination to paint aliens, cats and devilish characters, I would've had to hide my paintings for no one to see, or more likely would be too afraid to express myself at all. 

And, so I'd like to take a moment to honor and remember those who died as witches, not only in Europe, but right here in the United States not more than a few centuries ago.  My heart goes out to these poor victims who lost their lives or were tortured for such insane and ridiculous reasons.

We've come a long way since then.  Nowadays the Wiccas can cast spells and hold events without fear and those with scars and bunyons and moles don't have to fear for their lives!

So, here's to the witches - and those who weren't.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(Information above compiled from the Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology)

In Remembrance of my Great Grandfather - Joseph Koprowski

A little over a month ago if you were to ask me what the day - October 13th meant to me, I'd probably respond, "Hmm, well, it's Chris Carter's birthday." (Creator of one of my favorite shows, The X-Files). But, now this date has a whole new meaning to me.  It will be FOREVER etched in my memory as the day to remember and honor my Great Grandfather.  And a little over a month ago if you were to ask me what my Great Grandfather's name was I would not have been able to tell you.  Furthermore, I wouldn't have cared much one way or the other.  After all, I'm super busy.  On the treadmill of life, just trying to survive and stay healthy and sane in this crazy world.

But, then after seeing several episodes of "Who do you Think you Are" on TV my curiosity got the best of me so I signed up with Ancestry.com.

My ancestral journey started off at a slow pace as I was learning how to use the Ancestry.com software and the plethora of data-bases there-within. And then 'it' happened.  Suddenly I became totally and completely obsessed and addicted to the process and to Ancestry.com too.  In fact, I'm thankful I didn't get fired from my day job. There were times when I could not tear myself away. It was like my ancestors were calling out to me from the beyond, saying, "Pick me. Remember me! Look for me next!"

I've always known that my roots were from Hungary and Poland, but was I surprised to discover that "Russia" was listed time and time again in the Census material on my father's side! As it turns out, the boundaries of Poland have grown and receded over the past centuries and during the time of my Great Grandfather's departure, Poland was part of Russia. 

Joseph Koprowski was born in 1869.  He immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1891. I can't even imagine what that long journey must've been like over the Atlantic Ocean from Europe!  But, there's no doubt in my mind that he was excited to be given a new start and new freedom and opportunity in America. He moved to Pennsylvania and soon found work in the coal mines.  By the year 1910 he lists 'mining' as his profession on the Census.  He married a woman named Mary - also from Russia - and one of their sons was my Grandfather.

From what I can gather he worked nearly THIRTY years in the coal mines - before the protection of Unions - before regulations and the sort of EPA changes that would come some time after his death.

When I looked for his death records in the archives of the local paper in Lucerne County, Pennsylvania, there was a disclaimer at the top of the page - "No mining deaths listed below". I'm not sure why but I think it may be because there were SO MANY - too many to list.  Finally, I found the information through a kind and generous stranger named Patty who is part of a genealogy club in Pennsylvania.  She sent me an e-mailed list of mining accident victims.  My great grandfather was among them!  And, someone else was listed along with him.  It was his 48 year old brother Walter, whom my Dad didn't even know existed!

And, so two of my distant relatives died a tragic death on October 13th, 1930.  There's an expression that comes to mind - "Standing on the shoulders of Giants".  Yes, I am standing on their shoulders. Their strength now gives me strength, and with it a feeling of responsibility to make something of this life - not to squander it or waste my time here.

If my Great Grandfather could endure thirty years of coal mining I can endure working in an office environment (which is not easy for an artist/musician!).  He sacrificed his life for his family and for me too.  And, to think that up until now I didn't even know his name!  But, I can tell you this - I'll never forget him from here on out. And, I can also tell you that I now have deep love and appreciation for him that's been lying dormant all these years, waiting patiently for me to take the time to discover what an incredible man he was.

I don't even know what he looks like.... Yet.  But, I'll find a photograph of him. Because you see, I'm determined!  And, that's what happens when you begin looking for your ancestors.  You dig in your heels. Your mind becomes obsessed and your ancestors will begin to haunt you. It's a total trip!

I hope you'll take the time to search for your roots too, and then you'll discover, if you haven't already,  that you too are standing on the Shoulders of Giants.