JFK to 911 Everything Is A Rich Man's Trick

This is an excellent video that clearly explains how the world is run by, essentially, ultra rich and powerful gangsters. If you were skeptical that Kennedy was not killed in a coup, this video will convince you. Kennedy was one of our last, 'real' presidents.

The Three Branches of Government

This is a cartoon I drew nearly six years ago, but what shows up on Google searches first is the defaced version--defaced by Internet trolls, that is. So here is the original again to help give it some traction.

Hillary Clinton said the CFR was her 'Mothership,' and she answers to them, not to the people. She's incompetent, a cynical liar and corrupt to the marrow...which means she'll probably stand a good chance of becoming president.

I do not draw anti-Semitic or racist cartoons. End of story. But if you want to know more about the story, please check out my new ebook.

--Ben Garrison

http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Cartoonist-Internet-Perils-Citizen-Muckraker-ebook/dp/B00XGFI0SK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431385164&sr=8-2&keywords=rogue+cartoonist

My ebook is on Amazon

Rogue Cartoonist, the ebook!

http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Cartoonist-Internet-Perils-Citizen-Muckraker-ebook/dp/B00XGFI0SK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1431308798&sr=1-1

No, I'm not just blowing smoke! My ebook is now available on Amazon. It's still pricer than I would have liked, but it's 1/3 the cost of my printed book. Since it has a great many images, the file size is on the large side, and so Amazon charged more than it would, say, for an unillustrated standard novel. 

I also added in more cartoons to the ebook version as well as a new epilogue!

Thanks to everyone who has given me and Tina their support--and for those of you who already bought my printed book, I arranged for the ebook version to be available to you for only a couple of bucks. The book is also in the Kindle Unlimited Library where it can be read for free if you are a subscriber.

It has been quite a learning journey for me. I learned that writing a book is much harder than I had imagined and my respect for real writers increased immensely. I'm also a horrible editor and I couldn't spot a typo if it hit me over the head with a 2x4, but I did fix them for the ebook. Those who have read my book have commented that they found it very interesting. 

By the way, I'm out of promotional copies of the printed book for now. I have a few in reserve that I’ll send out to publishers, but I realize attracting a big-name publisher is a long shot. Heck, they all want literary agents nowadays and only 3 percent of the submissions on average get accepted.

I did snail-mail out 70 free signed copies to anyone who wrote me a polite email. I sent free copies out to people all over the United States as well as copies to other countries such as Mexico, England and even a few were sent to Australia. Those books will be 'rare' since I don't plan on printing any more unless I can find a publisher. They were very expensive to print on my own.

Ben Garrison

NOW AVAILABLE--CEO of TROLL!

I received a lot of requests for an image I drew last year--the CEO of Troll, Inc. I cleaned it up in Adobe Illustrator and made it presentable for printing.

Thanks very much to everyone who bought the other stuff!

http://www.zazzle.com/grrrgraphics/products/cg-196300347936911613

Cuck a Duck

People have asked me if I've lost my mind. Perhaps, but it has been fun. This particular drawing helps make amends for years of 4chan's personal attacks on me--all allowed by Luggage Lad himself.

Someone on 8chan suggested the idea for this--and I thank the anon for his idea because it was fun to draw.

There will be more!

My ebook has been formatted into various formats and I will publish the ebook next week. I've added in more cartoons and an updated epilogue. I lost to the Internet Hate Machine, but as Rhett Butler said in 'Gone With the Wind,'...maybe it's because I've always had a weakness for lost causes...that's what keeps me going.

Unlike 4chan (Mr. "m00t" had me banned), the folks at 8chan have been encouraging and they've even suggested cartoon ideas. I'm all ears.

Don't ask me to explain this cartoon. The anons on 4chan will know what it means. BTFO! LOL

My ebook will be released soon

I've gone for months without any commercial art assignments, but lately I have been lucky enough to have several going on at once. So I've been busy and that's good. I need to make a living.

I've also received some very nice responses about my printed book and I greatly appreciate that, especially since I'm not a writer (and I'm a terrible editor). I have mailed out approximately 70 books for free to those who sent me a polite email asking about them. I've also sent out many to friends and family. I'm just about all out of my promotional copies. To all of you who have written me with encouragement, I appreciate your sentiments very much and I'd much rather pay postage on the books than give money to lawyers. That said, I'd like to bring some of the worst offenders to justice, but that may take a while still.

I will definitely get the book uploaded to Amazon sometime next week. It will be a lot cheaper than the printed book, and it will also contain updates and more cartoons. I'm sorry to say I won't be able to autograph any of those copies.

The book was cathartic and it marks a turning point in my attitude. I no longer worry about the attacks and I've become so calloused that sometimes I even find myself laughing. The entire 'Zyklon Ben' meme has officially jumped the shark and now the trolls are starting to realize I'm 'untouchable.' In fact, I got a chuckle out of seeing this peculiar painting--done by a young artist who is also using my name on Google:

He actually took the time and energy to paint my portrait. Sure, I don't like the swastika and it's silly, but I smiled regardless. This only illustrates just how far and ridiculous the entire meme has gotten and now that it's impossible for me to be angry about it...well, it surely signals an end point to the trolling.

I like how the artist captured my expression here. People have remarked that my expression is always the same. They may have a point!

It's been quite a journey and I've learned a lot about trolls, memes and even a little about anime. Someone sent me a very interesting explanation about Bitcoin and I confess I've never been able to figure out exactly how that works. He explained it clearly and succinctly. I now wish I had mentioned it in my book. Five years ago I was naive and ignorant about the chan boards and those who posted on them, but I've discovered that there are many good people there. (Of course, many are very obnoxious, too). My ebook alludes to this in the epilogue.

Writing is very difficult. Writers hone their craft by daily practice and through years of learning and dedication. To become a good writer, one most possess a complete and resolute devotion--similar to musicians who spend a lifetime improving their skill. I don't have that kind of time and I'd rather produce art with what time remains. My attempt at writing a book instilled within me renewed admiration for good writers. It's very hard work. It's more difficult than I had ever imagined, but at least I can say I did it and now I can move on.

Thanks to everyone who bought the funny coffee mugs recently, and when I get the time I plan on doing a few more. The operator of 8chan is a tough guy who can take the flak and if he can, then so can I. I especially want to thank Tina who has been helping me monitor things while I've been busy cranking out the commercial art. 

More soon! --Ben Garrison

Animé, Pepé, etc

Part of the experience of observing the 'chan' boards was seeing a lot of anime. I will readily admit I don't understand why there's so much of it about or even what a lot of it means, but I have seen many examples that were extremely elaborate and technically amazing. Some captured very subtle colors and ethereal effects that must have taken a lot of time, effort and planning. I had a few requests to draw some myself, but it's beyond my modest abilities. Oh sure, I could copy some of it fairly accurately, but it would only be just that--something copied and derivative.

I've also learned a great deal about memes and I have a chapter on memes in my book. One featured is the 'Sad Frog' which perhaps has the largest variety of variation. It remains very popular and it shows no sign of having run its course.

I received a few requests to draw the frog, so I drew him as a self portrait!

Seriously...I don't walk around with a loaded shotgun like many of the trolls would have people believe...even though I assure you I DO have a shotgun and it IS loaded...but I keep it in a safe place. --Ben Garrison

8chan

I engaged in a wee bit of fun conversation and banter with the folks on 8chan/pol/ tonight. It was actually fun. Some of the kids there were smart and had some kind things to say. I'm encouraged.

War Zone

You will see continued violence as the militarized police in this country continue to execute people. This is by design. The state (Big Government) likes to see us fighting each other. It's a great diversion and keeps us from seeing how we're slowly becoming serfs to the elite who run the show.

Here's a cartoon from my new book that illustrates how We the People are now 'enemy combatants.' Citizens have become the new 'terrorists.'

Still 'support the troops?' No? Well, then...you will be reeducated! Or killed.

See you later this summer at a nearby Walmart internment center. (Jade Helm).

--Ben Garrison

Jade Helm 15 Operation WARNING by theoldmarine1

Cartoon preview from 'Rogue Cartoonist'

Here is a preview from my book. It shows how Internet trolls delight in dominating online discourse with their hate. However, they do not own social media and they have no right to spread their filth if it violates community standards.

My printed book is not commercially viable--it's just too darned expensive. I may pitch it to a Libertarian publisher and see if I can generate any interest. Also, there were quite a few typos--mostly in my cutlines that I wrote at the last minute. It's not my editor's fault--they're my fault. I looked at the darn things at least a half dozen times but I'm just an abysmal editor--there's no way 'round it so I will admit it and take the blame. Heck, I'm an artist, not a writer and I'm definitely not left-brained enough to catch the typos...even though I love words.

That said, I did make the fixes for my ebook which I hope to release as soon as I can. It will be reasonably priced and also include a couple of new cartoons.

--Ben Garrison

"Rogue Cartoonist" is now for sale on Amazon.

My book is on Amazon. FINALLY. It has been quite an odyssey. Here are a few things I've learned:

1. I can spot good writing, but I'm not a good writer. My respect for 'real' writers has increased even more.

2. My book is self-published and I found out that printing a full color book (even one with a modest amount of pages) is fairly cheap to launch. There are now several 'print on demand' services out there. The problem is: Printing a COLOR book 'on demand' makes the book commercially unviable. It costs them a LOT to print color on demand. Standard paper back novels? No problem....and one can still make a decent royalty should it sell. Not mine...I will make only $2 per sale. I will give away more books than I'll sell. I've already accepted that fact.

3. A good editor is critical. Mine caught many errors and improved many things I would never have considered on my own. Don't try to publish your book without getting it edited.

4. Make sure you own your own ISBN number. At least I can still pitch the book to other publishers.

5. If you decide to self-publish, listen to the advice of others, but your own vision should be paramount. Don't write someone else's book.

6. I'm terrible with prepositions.

I'm the first one form my family to actually publish a book--even if some may say it's not 'really' published because it's a quasi-vanity press. I used 'Book Baby' and I was impressed by their quality. (or 'at' their quality?)

I may convert this to an ebook in few months. Thanks to Wally Rice for his advice on that!

Amazon does not have my book in stock. That's because they will be printed 'on demand.' That takes an extra few days...but again...the quality is every bit as good as a 'regular' book.

http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Cartoonist-Internet-Perils-Citizen-Muckraker/dp/1631928287/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1429479189&sr=8-4&keywords=rogue+cartoonist

OH--one good thing about my book being so expensive: Internet trolls will NOT be able to afford it! So in a way, I win a Pyrrhic Victory!

P.S. Some of the chuckleheads on /pol/ are already calling for libel suits--before they've read the book. Their libel against me, however, is 'free speech!'  Or so they claim. It just further illustrates the duplicity and hypocrisy of Internet trolls.

Pay Taxes: Government Has a Gun to Your Head

A friend of mine was trying to buy a house. He had the income. He had the down payment. He had good credit. The mortgage company turned him down flat. Why? Because he was smart and took a lot of deductions in order to avoid a complete fleecing by the IRS.

It seems that banks and mortgage companies have their marching orders from the global elite at the top who have stolen and then ruined our system of money: If you don't pay a lot in taxes, you're a bad boy! You MUST pay tribute to the people who own a printing press. You must pay to Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, the Rothschilds and their minions. Otherwise you're not being a good slave!

My friend also has some gold and silver. His banker flatly told him that gold is not money despite the fact that gold has long been the money of choice for humans throughout thousands of years of human history. Gold has always been money. Silver and gold are named as money in our Constitution. A private clique of people--a banker cabal--hijacked our money system and enslaved us with their debt money. That’s why ‘note’ appears on paper bills. Note always means debt in the financial world. They want to wean people away from real money and get us all on their grid of electronic money. It's easier to track our purchases and also easier for them to seize our accounts at the flip of a switch if we do something they don't like.

They want us to be compliant with our enslavement. They want us to endorse our own slavery. As Russell Means once put it, "We're all on the reservation now." They want us all to be good Indians. We've all been conquered and they did it by hijacking our system of money. Now we see paper money being vilified. Cops routinely seize large sums of cash from motorists on the mere suspicion of it being 'drug money' when in fact the CIA and government operatives run and control the drugs. The big banks launder that money. Then they throw into prison those who abuse their product. They make even more money with their private prisons. 

What’s going on now is almost comical. The Fed is engaging in endless QEs and that money is going directly into the stock market and into the pockets of the 1/10th of 1 percent who own most of the corporations and stocks. Once we allowed the bankers to bail themselves out, it only encouraged them to print more and put it directly into their pockets. Congress is bought out--there is no restraint. There is nothing blocking their implementation of a police state short of an outright revolt by the American people.

It's clear that none of this ‘easing’ benefits the vast majority of Americans. In fact, it’s hurting the economy even more….but CNBC and the mainstream media (propaganda arms of the gubmint) will tell us everything is fine because the markets are going up. They’ll tell us unemployment is low because some poor slob managed to get a part time job flipping burgers at minimum wage. They’ve already sent our industrial base overseas…there few good paying jobs available. College grads are saddled with a lifetime of debt and are forced to live with their parents. They can't find jobs.

Our economy is now built on an edifice of lies and deceit. They know We the People are waking up to their con game and that’s why they’ll start a war to distract us and that’s also why they’re militarizing our police. They'll also continue to keep us distracted by left vs. right, donkey vs. elephant bullshit when in actuality, both parties work together to enrich and empower themselves at the expense of the people. They consider themselves to be the new barons, lords, earls, princesses and princes…we have become their serfs. Many of us wouldn't pay income taxes at ALL if not for the fact that we have to do it to keep our credit intact and 'prove' that we deserve a mortgage to get a house. Yet many are discarding that dream as well. Home starts are in decline. There are a lot of homes for sale that nobody can afford to buy. Meanwhile, rents are skyrocketing. American Dream has become the Impossible Dream thanks to the Federal Reserve Cabal.

Ben

U.S. Is Now In The Final Stages Of Having Its Society Closed Down - Epis...

OK, it's back on: ROGUE CARTOONIST

My book will be published after all. Look for it on Amazon and elsewhere in a couple of weeks.

Bear in mind I have no publisher. I'm my own publisher. I had to fork over a small fortune to get a modest book filled with expensive color plates printed. I'd love to sell the book cheap, but it can't happen and I won't get much in the way of royalties, either. It's a money-losing venture. Then again, I never drew these cartoons to make money. I've lost a LOT of money doing them. I've lost a lot of time removing libel.

Thanks again to all of you who wrote me with your encouragement. If I can, I will send you a free signed copy after they're printed.

"Rogue Cartoonist"

I continue to receive email from young people who are encouraging me to publish my book. I am considering it. There are some very awake people of the younger generation out there who really do appreciate my cartoons. A few kind words from them makes it all worthwhile to me....and their encouragement cancels out all the discouragement and hate from the trolls.

I've already published my 'fine art' chapter on my blog. I was considering publishing other chapters...but now I will wait. I may release my book after all. To be sure, the trolls will deface whatever is published, but many people are now aware of their ruse, so their power to confuse people is waning.

Stay tuned....

Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra (w young Louis Armstrong) - Sugar Foo...

The great thing about jazz is there are so many great versions. I have heard two later versions of "Sugar Foot Stomp," made famous by Fletcher Henderson, but I've never heard this very old version until now. It's terrific! Listen for Louis Armstrong on his trumpet....

Ben Garrison, libertarian

I'm reposting this cartoon to help it gain some traction over the trolls' version. If you type in 'Ben Garrison cartoons,' the defaced version shows up and this authentic one does not. So--anyone typing my name + cartoons sees an ugly, anti-Semitic and disgustingly racist cartoon with my name affixed to it. It's libel and defamation, but hey--the trolls have the advantage. They are anonymous and can do whatever they want without any consequences whatsoever. They can destroy an honest man's reputation for shits and giggles. All I can do is counteract their attacks with the truth. Here's the truth right here: The original cartoon.

Another cartoon that the trolls love to destroy. THIS is the real one:

and this one

and this one too

another one

TCHAIKOVSKY - Symphony no6 (Pathetique) - Herbert von Karajan & Wiener Phil

Karajan is perfect for a symphony of this kind and this is a great performance. When I was a kid I used to skip over the 2nd movement. It sounded trite to me. Now it's my favorite part--I consider it the heart of the symphony. Mark Twain once said everyone is a moon, and we all have a dark side which we never to show to anyone. Tchaikovsky shows his dark side here.



The 2nd movement starts simply enough--it suggests a masked ball under full moonlight. Everyone is happy and enjoying the evening. Tchaikovsky pretends to be happy, too. He wears a mask of happiness as he dances and pretends to enjoy the frivolous conversations. He knows how to be the life of the party. But suddenly...at around the 22:00 mark, his mask is torn away. We see his dark side. We hear the unvarnished truth--his life is unbearably painful. Underneath the mask there is a tremendous and desperate despair. Life is futile and utterly hopeless. He is alone.



Then he puts his mask back on and resumes the marionette dance. Only a Russian can distill such pain into great beauty and Tchaikovsky does it here.

Fine Art

I've always considered myself primarily a fine artist. If I had enough money, that's what I'd be doing full time. It's difficult to make a living by selling paintings, so I've relied on a career in commercial art to pay the bills. Below is a chapter on fine art that was to appear in my book. Few will read this, but my fellow artists might find it of some interest, so here it is. --Ben Garrison

-----------------------

FINE ART

"Kitsch, using for raw material the debased and academicized simulacra of genuine culture, welcomes and cultivates this insensibility. It is the source of its profits. Kitsch is mechanical and operates by formulas. Kitsch is vicarious experience and faked sensations. Kitsch changes according to style, but remains always the same. Kitsch is the epitome of all that is spurious in the life of our times. Kitsch pretends to demand nothing of its customers except their money – not even their time."

—Clement Greenberg

 Greenberg, the art critic and promoter of Jackson Pollock, wrote this in his famous essay back in 1939. What he wrote was true then and it remains true now. Kitsch relies on falsity, sentiment and a phony nostalgia to lure in the average art buyer. Kitsch isn’t even memorable. The initial nostalgia wears off quickly and it becomes a forgettable and boring symbol of insincerity.

We’ve all seen kitsch. By its very nature it’s ubiquitous. It replicates endlessly. Ask yourself, how many times have you seen the same red barn in a field or the well-crafted western art showing sun-dappled cowboys or Indians crossing a creek on horseback? How many times have you seen a realistic painting of a wolf in the winter moonlight? These things have been daubed thousands, if not millions of times over and over and yet they still sell like hotcakes. Too many artists have figured out that nostalgia and sentimentality help open wallets.

People buy these things because they want to look at something familiar and comforting. They don’t want to think or be challenged. It’s the same way with music. Most people will not familiarize themselves with a great symphony by Shostakovich. No, that requires time and concentration. The payoff is great, but few are willing to invest the time to get that payoff. Kitsch is faster. Kitsch is easier. Kitsch makes no demands.

THOMAS KINKADE, “PAINTER OF LIGHT”

Kitsch is also cynical. Perhaps the biggest painter of kitsch was Thomas Kinkade, the “Painter of Light.” Kinkade was a talented California artist who ultimately cared more about financial success than his art. He decided to develop a formula that would help him sell paintings. He succeeded. It was estimated that 1 in 20 American homes have a copy of one of his paintings. Kinkade made millions selling prints via mail order and in malls. He controlled a company that traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Media Arts Group, Inc., which was in the business of selling Kinkade’s prints and collectibles, was for a while in the limelight. Plush galleries sprung up in malls and pushed his expensive prints on a gullible public. Some prints were given special added touches by Kinkade or his understudies, thus increasing the value of the products.

Kinkade’s formula for success consisted of a mixture of nostalgia, phony religiosity and greed. People bought his work not just because they were attracted to kitsch, but also because they were persuaded by Kinkade’s legion of mall salesmen that his prints would make a ‘good investment.’ As those prints saturated the market, buyers would find out otherwise.

A typical Kinkade painting features a lush landscape with a rustic path. There’s a crystalline brook with a small footbridge. There are verdant trees and bushes, mind-numbingly bright flowers, a gorgeous sunset and a welcoming home or cottage. These homes usually come with stone fireplaces producing wisps of smoke. The windows of his dwellings are glowing brightly. Every single room is alive with warmth, so much so that it starts to look like the homes might be on fire. One critic remarked that it appeared something hellish was going on inside of them.

Pleasant things are ridiculously enhanced in Kinkade’s work. Flowers are blindingly bright. Problem-causing things such as logic are left out. Never mind that a cabin is situated on top of a mountain peak, making it nearly impossible to get to. Don’t worry about the high electric bills from having dozens of 100-watt bulbs left on in the house. Don’t worry about the brook being too close to the house. There’s no chance of flooding. There’s no crime, racism or chance of sorrow in his work. Unpleasant things do not exist in Kinkaid’s world. It’s all harmony—no dissonance. If Kinkade had approached such saccharine subjects with a touch of satire, he might have been onto something, but no. He was adamantly sincere and considered his work to be a vanguard against the degeneracy of modern art.

Such paintings are designed to produce a sense of escapist nostalgia within the viewer. “Eternal Springtime” and “Away From It All” are typical titles. Most people have stress in their lives and Kinkade’s work, for a few moments at least, transports them to a comfortable world without worry, strife or conflict. The problem is, that world has never existed. Ever. His fraudulent beauty rests on a rotten foundation of lies. To infuse more profundity and ‘meaning’ into his work, Kinkade claimed he was a ‘Christian’ painter who was out to return morality and family values into art. He claimed he wanted to counter the corruption in modern art and replace it with a Norman Rockwell-like goodness. He wanted to paint works that people could easily ‘understand.’ He would often add patriotic themes to his paintings along with the initials of his wife and children to prove that he was a good citizen, husband and father.

Kinkade sacrificed artistic integrity to achieve fame and money. His campy art was a charade and he knew it. Everything about the man was imbued in falsity. Even his trademarked “Painter of Light” phrase was stolen from the English artist, Turner. A gaudy, over-large logo of an old fashioned streetlamp was stamped onto all of his prints. Kinkade’s fame and money did not bring him happiness. He violated contracts with the gallery franchises by undercutting them on the price of prints. In once instance he had to pay $860,000 for defrauding the former owners of two galleries in Virginia. He began drinking heavily to escape his self-made plight. He got into altercations at bars. He frequented strip clubs. He was slapped with a DUI. He even urinated on a statue of Winnie the Poo while staying at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, apparently as a drunken tribute to the great man of Kitsch himself, Walt Disney. As he was relieving himself he was heard to say, “This one is for you, Walt.”

Kinkade died at the age of 54 in 2012. He had been on a drinking binge while taking valium. He had left his wife and three daughters and was living in a multi-million dollar mansion with his large-breasted girlfriend. His wife and girlfriend eventually made a settlement and divided up the estate.

I feel sorry for Kinkade. His life was, in a way, Shakespearean in its tragedy. When it came to art, he did not adhere to the aphorism, ‘to thine own self be true.’ His art was a charade that epitomized falsity. He could not escape this truth. Artists need to pursue truth, otherwise they get lost. Kinkade was lost. Darkness caught up to the “Painter of Light.”

PABLO PICASSO, GENIUS

I first became interested in Picasso late in high school. My one and only high school attempt at sculpture was a bust of the Spanish artist. I was attracted to his use of color and composition. In his youth he painted in an academic style and quickly saw it as a dead end. That avenue had been too well explored by 19^th century academic painters.

When I attended college in the late 1970s, I was very fortunate to have had a terrific art professor: Dr. Otis Lumpkin. In one of his classes he encouraged his students to paint in various modern art styles including impressionism, pointillism, expressionism, abstract expressionism and cubism. Everyone loved his classes and his style of teaching. He was never pushy or overbearing. He had a deep knowledge of art and history. He had ready wit and inspired his students.

During WWII he was a navigator in a bombing group based in England. His plane had been shot down twice. The first time his damaged bomber went down in the English Channel. He was a proud member of the ‘Duck Club.’ Later in the war his plane was shot down over Germany. He was injured and German civilians gave him aid. His eyesight was also damaged and he was forced to wear thick glasses for the rest of his life. Dr. Lumpkin’s life was filled with fascinating stories. Like my father, he was born in 1924 and had five kids, but unlike my father, he took a positive attitude about his war experiences.

Otis was always smiling and full of witticisms. His laughter could often be heard echoing the hallways at Angelo State University. His students loved him. He appreciated all kinds of art, but he himself painted meticulous and realistic images combined in a manner that could be called surrealism. He employed an old masters’ style. Even with a large family and professorial duties, he somehow found the time to have a successful fine art career. He sold many paintings at a gallery in Houston. I met two of his kids who were also students about my age. They were smart, happy and well-adjusted people.

One assignment we had was to produce a cubist painting. It was one of my favorite assignments. I later sold the painting in a student art show. Dr. Lumpkin also helped his students understand each genre and the importance of combining emotions with intellect in artwork. He sparked within me a desire to improve and learn more about art. In college I took a lot of art history classes. I read a lot about art. One of my favorite books was a biography of Pablo Picasso.

I’ve never seen a Picasso painting that I didn’t like. He’s my favorite artist, along with DeKooning. I never stopped thinking about how fun it was to paint in the cubist style. I wanted to be painter even if it meant not having money. Instead, I got a job as a graphic artist at the local newspaper after graduating. Years later, in 1997, I became a self-employed commercial artist. I have Dr. Lumpkin to thank for my chance to become a commercial artist. He alerted me to the newspaper job and also gave me a recommendation.

Even though I wasn’t a fine artist, I never stopped thinking and reading about art. I would often see paintings online, in art museums or in art galleries and I would know quickly what was right or wrong with what I was seeing. In 2009, my wife Tina and I moved from Seattle to Montana. Our son Ian attended Rocky Mountain College.

We now live in a gorgeous area that’s close to Glacier National Park and Big Mountain, a world-class ski destination. Flathead Lake is popular in the summer. There are a lot of tourists—especially from Canada. Many of the art galleries seem to cater to those tourists. What I saw in those galleries were mostly clichés. There was the same wildlife and western art that has been painted over and over for decades. One gallery featured realistic sculpture of bounding deer, grizzly bears and cowboys roping calves. I’ve seen the same things hundreds of times and it had become downright painful for me to look at it. C. M. Russell was an authentic cowboy who painted original western art. The problem is, many artists living in the 21^st century are painting similar stuff over and over again and it’s no longer genuine. They’re painting what sells. They’re painting kitsch.

On a lark, I decided to paint a cubist version of what I was seeing in the western art genre. My first painting was titled “Cowboy Cubism.” The painting was seen online and it soon sold. It was the first cubist painting I sold since college. Some time later it was made into a book cover for a novel. This success inspired me to paint more and I have. I was accepted into a gallery in Bigfork, and although my work stood out and generated a lot of buzz, only a couple of paintings were sold. The tourists still wanted ‘official’ Montana souvenirs. They wanted lake trout, grizzly bears, huckleberries and mountain landscapes. They wanted Montana clichés. They wanted kitsch.

When my son was in college in Billings and although he was close to getting his geology degree, it was required that he take some liberal art classes. He took one that combined art history and painting. He had to choose one famous artist and style of art and try to replicate it. He chose Picasso. His professor was lecturing about the styles, including cubism. He was showing students work projected from his computer. He did a search for cubism and one of my paintings came up. It was my “Cowboy Cubism” painting. “My dad did that!” exclaimed Ian. His professor told him it was first-rate and that I should be able to get into a gallery in Billings.

Ian came home on a break and asked me to help him find a good cubist painting that he could copy. We chose Picasso’s painting of a bearded man licking an ice cream cone with a worm-like tongue. The intensely blue man was wearing a straw hat with rope-like swirls and textures. The ice cream was square at the top—not round. His ear looked like a tangled knot. His clump of bulging fingers had triangular nails and grasped the very bottom tip of the cone.

I explained to Ian how well the painting was designed. It was very well thought out, but it didn’t look planned. Everything in the painting had a purpose and it wouldn’t work well if certain things weren’t exactly the way they were. At the same time, there’s a lot more substance to the painting than just color and design. For example, Ian asked me why he painted the ear as a swirling knot-like shape. It almost looked like a musical cleft from an alien world. Why didn’t he paint the ear as it really appeared? I explained that this painting was not an example of realism. Although Picasso could easily draw the ear photographically, it would then contain very little ‘art.’ Art is not about drawing something photographically, even if it requires technical ability to do it. Drawing photographically becomes more about engineering than art. Instead, an artist shows his interpretation of reality or how he feels about it.

Picasso painted the ear the way he did because he wanted people to really SEE the ear and think about the ear as if they were little children again. Babies marvel at the newness of their experience and they observe things unfettered by past experience and ego. Picasso wanted us to see the ear as if it was being seen for the very first time again. We marvel at seeing such an ear. After people see that ear they may again see ears in reality as marvelous things. Every ear is different and new. Picasso’s art is about helping us become more alive. Those who may resent life are able to again see it as something wonderful. It’s about love. Similarly, the tongue darting on the square cone and the way the hand is holding the cone suggest a delicate delicacy. Picasso wanted us to ‘see’ tasting. The flowing tongue and fingers provide a nice contrast to the rigid triangular cone and square ice cream. It’s a intricate balance of form and contrast. If this painting had been done realistically, it would be forgettable. Picasso makes a common event unforgettable.

DeKOONING: “THE KING”

Humans are programmed to process information quickly and efficiently. Things we see every day are boiled down to equations and formulas and prioritized. They become symbols that are recognized on autopilot. For example, learning to type is a process requiring brain and finger coordination. This is learned by struggling and rote practice, but after a while it becomes effortless. The ‘robot’ inside takes over enabling us to think of the words, rather than getting bogged down in a hunt for individual letters. The same goes for many tasks in life including driving, brushing our teeth, playing a musical instrument and so on. The problem is, many of us learn to go through life on autopilot. Everything is done by rote and we end up sleepwalking through life. P.D. Ouspensky, a Russian journalist, traveler and philosopher once said, “When one realizes one is asleep, at that moment one is already half awake.”

Ouspensky realized that too many of us start living their lives mostly in robotic mode. We are put to sleep by day-to-day repetition. It’s easy to drift into a hypnotic state due to cell phones, the Internet, TV and the mundane routine of life. How many times have you automatically picked up your cell phone to check it for no reason without even being aware that you’re doing it?

We are often punished for taking risks so we choose the easiest course. People are more comfortable with playing it safe. This happens with art too, when the same predictable paintings are cranked out endlessly by rote.

Willem DeKooning was a Dutch artist who was able to draw photographically. After he graduated from art school he stowed away on a steamer headed for New York City. In the late 1920s, he got a much sought-after job as a commercial artist for a department store. His work stood out. Years later he was offered an even more prestigious position, but he turned it down. He wanted to be a fine artist and so he quit his job and started to paint. In the 1940s he struggled. He rented a run-down studio that was under-heated in the winter. His first one-man show consisted of black and white paintings because he could not afford color paints. His work didn’t sell. People thought DeKooning was a bum. He couldn’t afford new clothes. Sometimes he went hungry and ate ketchup soup, but he never gave up on his vision. Finally, in 1951, he was persuaded to enter a prestigious contest in Chicago and won. The painting was one of his masterpieces titled ‘Excavation,’ and it was purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago for $4,000. It was a lot of money in the early 1950s. DeKooning did not have a bank account and had to wait several days before the check cleared. His poverty was over. Eventually he became a multi-millionaire and was one of the most brilliant artists of the 20^th Century. With fame and success also came severe alcoholic binges. Apparently too much money and fame can sometimes have a deleterious effect on artists.

I first saw his “Excavation” in an art history textbook. I was mesmerized. I never got tired of looking at it. DeKooning spent weeks or even months building up the paint and scraping it down to achieve unique effects. The painting is complex and simple at the same time. The colors are brilliant. If anyone could surpass Picasso with color, it was DeKooning.

DeKooning could paint realistically and could have eked out a success early on as a fine artst. He could have made a nice living as a commercial artist. Instead, he stubbornly pursued a new path and at first it was definitely not a comfortable one. He experimented and took risks, and his great talent eventually brought him fame and money. His paintings are well thought out. His compositions are always sound and interesting. His colors are fabulous.

DeKooning was also the master of brushwork. He used a thinned down paint to achieve some of his effects, which can be seen applied on his landmark “Woman” series. These paintings redefine beauty and prompt the viewer to rethink the female form in the modern era. Each are a perfect combination of form, line and color. Like Picasso, his work doesn’t tire easily. This is key.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF ART

I have a desire to paint memorable images that do not tire easily. The problem with that is most people will not ‘get’ my work quickly, unlike kitsch. It takes time and effort. People who say they’ve looked at my work a long time really start to love them because they see something different each time. They are putting themselves into the work. It is an active, not passive engagement of the viewer. That is my intention. The human mind is wired to see patterns where none exist. People who look at my paintings long enough begin to see patterns that I have put down intentionally. They also may see things that I had not intended. That is good, too. It means they are putting themselves into the art and when that occurs, the viewer invests emotional energy into the painting. They are engaged in looking at art.

One of my main goals is to allow the viewer to provide their own meaning to what they’re seeing. The universe created us and if some find it completely meaningless, then perhaps it’s up to us to provide that meaning. Maybe that’s why we’re here—so the universe can know itself. Art and music provide a lot of meaning for me. When we can’t find meaning, we often turn to destructive things such as alcohol or other harmful activities that bring about pain to ourselves and to others. Those things may provide temporary escape, but they do no not bring about any lasting meaning.

When people tell me they had to look one of my paintings for 15 minutes before they ‘figured it out,’ it’s a high compliment. Kitsch is understood instantaneously. After that, boredom sets in quickly. My paintings may confuse and irritate some people, but at least in that state they’re not bored.

I want to walk down roads that are not well trodden. The realistic road is crowded and always has been. I sometimes admire the energy spent painting realistic things, but to me the more realistic something appears, the less art is in it. I feel sorry for artists who spent endless hours just to make things appear ‘real,’ without knowing that, in the end, they only produced something painful to look at. I can’t look at realistic animal sculpture, for example. I’ve seen the galloping horse and bounding deer too many times to admire the time spent on such things.

The impressionist road has also been well explored. Thousands if not millions of artists have painted in that style and while the original impressionists still inspire, there is nothing really new that can be produced in that genre. Too often, beginner impressionists mistake sloppiness for looseness. Monet had to develop a high sensibility to make his paintings look ‘loose.’ In reality, there was nothing about his work that was an accident. I know impressionism remains popular, but to me it is not satisfying to look at for very long.

I love abstract expressionism, but it can also be unsatisfying because it leaves out a certain amount of reason. It is strictly right-brained stuff. Cubism, on the other hand, appeals to logic and emotion and it has not been well explored. Many side paths remain. I’ve chosen to go down those paths.

Cubism shows many angles of the subject at the same time. It shows that reality isn’t just one perfunctory view laid down on a canvas. There are many angles and ways of viewing the subject. That appeals to me. I want to paint the different angles and motion. I want to paint the passage of time. Reality is never static. In one painting, “Sioux Chief,” I portrayed an Indian as a young man, middle aged and then in old age all at once. On another called “Gold Panner,” the pick ax and shovel can be seen woven into the background. A bearded man is looking down for color as he pans while he simultaneously looks over his shoulder for a claim jumper. He is at one with the gold-bearing creek. The smoke from his campfire is one with the forest.

These are the kinds of the paintings I enjoy doing the most even though they’re not exactly popular with the public. I realize general public has not looked at as many images as I have and they are not art experts. It is no surprise that the public prefers comfort and escape. Something difficult to do is seen as even more impressive. It's almost as if the art buyers want to buy detail and technical tricks by the pound. They want the familiar, but rendered in excruciating detail. The more detail the better. Detail in ultra high definition is best. That way they can be assured they’re ‘getting their money’s worth.’ Most people don’t want to have to think about what they’re seeing. They want to be told what they’re seeing, like watching TV.

In the Internet era, people want the reward with little effort. They want it now. Kitsch delivers that. I don’t.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ARTISTS

It’s my theory that kids aren’t drawing as much as they did when I was a youngster. My generation didn’t grow up with video games. We played sports outside in the summer. We went fishing. We entertained ourselves. If it was raining, we stayed inside and read books or played board games. Many of us played music or worked on art projects.

The ones who do want to become artists or musicians as a profession are going to encounter a lot of resistance in life. There is no shortage of artists or musicians.

My son grew up playing the violin and by the time he was a senior in high school he was concertmaster. He aced a lot of recitals and won many major music awards. He was an All-State violinist. He won a national music award. He was offered several music scholarships including one from Washington State University. I told him if it made him happy he should pursue a music career. He could not expect to make any money at it, though. He would also have to teach music to make a living. The odds of him becoming a violinist at a major orchestra were slim. There are thousands of violinists and music school graduates are endless. He decided to give up music as a profession. He majored in geology instead. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and he now has a well-paying job in North Dakota as a field geologist. He still plays the violin for fun.

Artists have a slight advantage over musicians when it comes to making money. Humans are visual creatures and there will always be a need for designers, illustrators, typographers, information graphic experts and animators. Nowadays it’s imperative to know programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign as well as web coding. There will always be a need for commercial artists.

Fine artists are more like musicians. It’s not easy to make a living in the fine arts. It can be done, but few can. I couldn’t. I chose commercial art so I could support my family. DeKooning chucked his career to become a fine artist. He lived in poverty and dressed in rags. He sometimes went hungry. He was devoted to his vision and so for him it was worth it. The fact that he later became a multi millionaire was a rare occurrence. The vast majority of fine artists aren’t going to get rich.

So if you want to become a fine artist, it’s best to have some kind of job that will put a roof over your head and keep you from getting hungry. Jobs that pay well are difficult to come by these days, but even a low-paying job will work if you can learn to cut costs and go without. Art supplies aren’t cheap, but you can look for good deals. Living simply will be worth it if you love art enough.

There are some notions that I recommend you discard. Forget about becoming rich and famous. You probably won’t become either as a fine artist. The quest for fame in particular is especially deceptive. If you insist on becoming famous, you’ll most likely lose your vision. Pursuing fame often requires becoming someone else. You’ll end up producing the art of others in order to gain notoriety. It’s a fool’s errand, so forget about it. Fame may either show up or it won’t. Don’t go on an ego trip to try to obtain it. Produce art that is meaningful for you and forget getting famous and worrying what others think. If you can’t sell anything, at least you’ll still have that job to support yourself. The desire for fame can extinguish your artistic spark. The desire for money can also kill art. Art is more about meaning than money. If you paint for money only, you will lose meaning. Kinkaide found this out and ended up hitting the booze to at least bring about an illusory meaning.

Stop worrying about ‘being the best.’ Most artists will find out that there will always be someone better. Don’t let that fact deter you from being an artist. Jealousy is another distraction that leads nowhere. Expect negative thoughts and inertia to try to talk you out of producing your art because it’s ‘a waste of time.’ Do it anyway. It’s not a waste of your time. You’re doing something positive in life. Expect harsh criticism to rain down upon you from all angles. If you love what you’re doing, don’t let it deter you. Be happy with your talent and what you can do. Respect yourself and your abilities and realize that you will improve if you put in the effort.

Don’t fret that ‘it has all been done before.’ There are plenty of relatively untraveled avenues in art. Even if it has been done before, you have yet to do it. Put your own stamp and your own original mark on it. Take the attitude that you’re an explorer and try painting in different styles to see what you prefer. See what country in which you’d like to live.

Study art history. Knowing where art has been could help point you in the right direction. Nearly all artists in the past have experienced struggle and conflict. Even Rembrandt was poor. His students liked to paint coins on the floor and laughed when he attempted to pick them up.

Do not give your art away. When someone buys your art it’s a huge compliment, especially if that someone is not well off. There are thousands of other things that people would consider more ‘useful.’ Art is not useful except for one thing: It brings meaning to life. A price tag can’t really be put on that, so if you are going to sell your art, do not give it away. Respect your art and yourself. Offer your work at a respectable price commensurate with your experience. If your works sells, do not shower the buyer with too many words of thanks and appreciation. Instead, 'congratulate' them for having the insight and good taste to buy one of your best pieces.

Your work should be uniformly excellent. Therefore, the prices are roughly commensurate with size. Small paintings will fetch less and large paintings more.

Often higher prices for your work will bring you more respect. Much of it is about perception. Consider this: A painting with a $50 price tag will be off-putting. People will think it must be bad somehow. Something is wrong. Now think about that exact same painting with a $5,000 price tag. Even if the painting is mediocre, most people will start thinking it must possess great quality somehow.

I once saw a very good artist put her work in a ‘bargain box’ at a gallery. I cringed. I could see her plein air paintings were superior. She was an excellent artist, but apparently she was desperate to sell her work. Nobody was buying it even at bargain basement fire sale prices. They probably thought something was wrong with it. There was nothing wrong except the artist’s erroneous thinking. If you can’t get an equitable price for your work, do not sell it. Remember, you have that job! If you don’t have the job, then that becomes the priority.

Develop a thick skin. You can’t please everyone. Don’t even try. Please yourself. Critics can be harsh and even cruel, but it’s worth listening to them at times. Take any advice you see as helpful and discard the rest. That goes for art instruction as well. Life can bring a lot of outrageous slings and arrows your way. If you can’t laugh such things off, then develop a healthy contempt for it. You will encounter a lot of resistance externally and internally. Doubt and despair are almost prerequisites for being an artist. Suffer if you must, but don’t let it stop you.

Be proud to be an artist. You are bringing creativity and meaning into a world that perpetuates conflict and ugliness.

ADVICE TO ART BUYERS

Think twice about buying art because it’s inexpensive. Do you really want that cheap motel painting for your living room? Be careful about buying nostalgic kitsch. You’ll be looking at it a long time. Nostalgia wears thin quickly. Pretty pictures can easily become cloying. Some artists consider themselves to be magicians. They know painterly magic tricks that will get you to buy their work. Once you figure out the tricks that are used over and over again, that ‘magic’ doesn’t work as well and the images become tiresome.

If you’re the kind who likes factory-produced Bob Ross spinoffs, it’s unlikely you’re even reading this. Ross stole his shtick from a German artist named William Alexander. ‘Bill’ Alexander painted without pretense, whereas Ross was in it for the money. Alexander’s work at least maintained a sincere, amateurish charm, while Bob Ross taught thousands to buy his custom paint and stab it onto canvasses to create landscapes in a short amount of time. People remember Ross because he was less threatening than Alexander, who had a thick German accent and talked about using ‘mighty’ brushes and ‘showing no mercy!’ Ross was soft spoken and sported an afro. He was better at marketing himself. Regardless, don’t buy this kind of art. Art is better than that. You’re better than that. This kind of trite mawkishness is now seen everywhere and it’s bad.

There are many people with excellent taste who would love to buy quality original art, but they can’t afford it. Don’t buy original works in that case. Making a living comes first. Buy a print instead. There are many places online where you can buy posters. I bought a nice print of a Winslow Homer watercolor and got an inexpensive frame and mat for it. If you buy expensive art that you know is good, you might become resentful over time if you can’t make ends meet. Don’t expect the artist to buy it back. Artists are trying to make ends meet themselves. Art should not cause resentment.

Forget about buying art as an ‘investment.’ It’s another illusion unless you’re a multi-millionaire who can afford to buy the art of famous dead artists. I once met millionaire who had many well-framed paintings on his walls. Although I didn’t care for much of what I saw, I knew they were works done by artists of some repute. He liked having expensive works by ‘famous’ artists in his home, but he knew very little about art. He saw framed dollar signs. Don’t be that guy. Buy the art because you love it and like having it around for its own sake. If you’re a dog lover, you keep your dog as part of the family. You don’t see your dog as an investment. Art is the same way. Enjoy art in the present moment, not because you think it might be worth millions of bucks sometime in the future. If it does happen a hundred years from now, who cares?

If you’re shocked at how much a painting at your local art gallery may cost, consider this: Most artists in that gallery have probably spent a lifetime honing their skill. They’ve spent a lot of money on art materials and frames. Do they deserve to make a pittance for their efforts? Remember also that the gallery makes a large chunk of any sale and deservedly so. Artists need galleries to help bring in a large volume of traffic. Nobody sees the paintings I have in my studio and seeing them on a website isn’t the same experience.

ART AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

Nearly everything penned by man whether it be religion or philosophy can be refuted in one manner or another. Not so with great art and music. The latter two convey the meaning of life in an intangible, irrefutable manner. Someone once commented that Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto conveyed the meaning of life. Others hear it in Chopin. We can see it in art. Artists should be truth tellers who convey meaning that helps us to persevere in an unfair, unjust world filled with war and suffering. Artists and musicians play a very valuable role for mankind. --Ben Garrison, 2015

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