Lemon Head of Hate

Don't play it. 

Does the two party system work?

I often receive email with suggestions for cartoons. Many are good ideas that require a little development. Many go undrawn simply because I don't have the time. Lance sent me an an excellent idea that I quickly drew. It shows how voters habitually insist on validating the R. vs. D., left vs. right paradigm with their votes. They have allowed themselves to be imprisoned by the two parties.

The two corrupt parties will often use their power to exclude third party candidates. This has to stop. This country needs a viable third party. The Libertarian Party. --Ben Garrison

http://grrrgraphics.wordpress.com/

Zero Hedge

Thanks to zerohedge.com for republishing my cartoon.

I have not penned a lot of new cartoons this year, but I do have a lot of good ideas for more and will be drawing them soon. I also have an ebook in the works.

--Ben Garrison

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-13/picturing-march-tyranny

Cartoonist and muckraker--soon to return!

As many of my friends know, I've been the target of vicious attacks by trolls. It has been going on for nearly five years. Their goal is to ruin my online reputation and 'turn' me into a Nazi. The name 'Ben Garrison' the artist has been ruined. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous--and it is ridiculous. My father was a WWII vet who was part of a generation who fought against such fascism. My best friend's grandfather was in a Nazi prison camp. I detest Nazis. Hitler destroyed Germany. The good people in that country unfairly continue to endure the shame he caused. Hitler deserves perpetual condemnation--NOT praise. Yet the new Nazis attempt to influence young minds and draw them to their cause on places such as the 4chan 'pol' board. Let me clue you young people in: Hitler was NOT cool. He killed millions of innocent men, women and children.

I detest and condemn the neo-Nazi's attempts to rewrite history and claim the holocaust never happened. It did happened. It was documented by the US Army and many others. It's a fact of history. I've seen the Nazis make fun of it. They've made fun of Anne Frank. They are disgusting. They are the lowest of the low. Please young people--do not go down this path. It leads toward destruction. We human beings are all the same species. We all experience the same emotions. We are all capable of great things. Let's all advance in consciousness. Hate is not a high level of consciousness.

As an artist and cartoonist, I want to seek out truth. In my quest to do this, I've been smeared, defamed and libeled as an an anti-semitic racist by young chuckleheads who do it for the 'lulz.' This can happen to any citizen journalist. The haters detest those of us who attempt to ring alarm bells. Those of us who are presumptuous enough to think we can 'make a difference' are targeted most of all. We are not perfect and they look for weaknesses to exploit. "AHA!" He or she said or linked to this, that or the other...therefore they're worthy of our attack!"

Who are the trolls? Most likely they are frustrated young people leading empty, dead-end lives. They are extremely unhappy. They are pizza deliverers and burger flippers with no future. Those that try to help them are hated the most. Someone told me I should pity them. These young people think they can't make a difference and detest those who try.

The Nazis are a different story. They are few and most people ignore them. They are either laughed at and/or scorned. Rightfully so. Their ideology is empty. Their art is empty. There was a thread on one Nazi board where they talked about art. It was so crude and ignorant that my sides left the galaxy. The consciousness of these Nazis (if they have such a thing) is low. From them it's nothing but hate hate hate. BUT...they now have a loud voice on the internet due to the fact that they enjoy relative anonymity. 

I remain a libertarian cartoonist. I am for freedom. With freedom comes responsibility. Freedom of speech does not mean people are free to further their cause by destroying the reputations of others with lies. 

Ben Garrison

Here is a painting I did recently...now featured at ArtFusion, a gallery in Bigfork, Mt.

Happy New Year!

Here's a photo of me in my studio. I'm working on my latest painting. It's based on a watercolor by Charles M. Russell--a Sioux Indian war party. I'm liking it a lot, but that doesn't necessarily mean anyone else will. That's ok.

--Ben

Monday

It's Monday. I have a lot of work to do, but the skies are clear and the mountains are beckoning. It's time to go gold hunting! Or fishing or hiking or...instead I'll be drawing complex illustrations using Adobe Illustrator. I'd rather be painting at least!

Bigfork Art Walk

Here I am standing next to one of my paintings at the Art Fusion art gallery in Bigfork. There was an 'art walk' last Saturday and this one was featured on the outside. It looked good in the sunlight. I have a lot of ideas for new paintings and I hope to sell some this summer. I'm also working on a website for my fine art and I hope to have it launched soon! --Ben Garrison

Gunslinger

Here's my latest painting, "Gunslinger."

Of course, I do support the 2nd amendment!

Walt Garrison

When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys. My dad was born in Denton Texas and attended a game in the mid 60s shortly after the Cowboys were established. One of my best memories as a kid was when my dad took me and my little brother to Texas Stadium in 1973 to see the Cowboys beat the Rams in the playoffs. My dad could only afford Texas Stadium end zone seats, but they were great--especially since our team scored two TDs in front of us.

Walt Garrison was one of our favorite players and he's a distant relative. He had a mediocre game against the Rams, but that was OK. We got to see him in person...as well as Bob Lilly, Chuck Howley, Lee Roy Jordan....all of our favorite players. Walt was 29 when I saw him play. I was 16. Walt was 6'2" when he graduated from high school and weighed 165. I was 6' 3" and weighed 165 when I graduated from high school. Unfortunately, I had no athletic ability aside from being a fairly good shot at basketball. Walt grew up in Lewisville, about 40 miles south of Denton. Walt's dad was a sharecropper-turned mechanic. My dad grew up poor in a sharecropper family and he became a mechanic, too--after spending 20+ years in the Navy. Ironically, Walt named one of his boys 'Ben,' which is my name and also my dad's name.

My dad gave up cigarettes in the late 60s but then became addicted to Copenhagen, a product produced by the company the Walt Garrison endorsed. It was an awful habit that he could not kick. Right up until he died at the age of 79 he could not give it up. I don't blame Walt, of course. A lot of those Texas country boys grew up with such tobacco. It was a matter of course.

The point of this mini-essay? No point. I happened to come across Walt's autobiography and I just finished it. He was a talented athlete, but also had a lot of luck. Mostly, it underlined the fact that time is going by quickly. The bird of time has but a little way to fly and it is on the wing.

While I'm at it, I thought I'd publish my latest 'End the Fed' cartoon.

It has been a long time since I've posted. Fortunately I have had a LOT of work lately and little time to blog or draw cartoons or play my viola. I have also not had time to work on my paintings, but I have plenty of ideas, paint and canvas awaiting me.

More posts to come once I finish up some commercial art projects. Meanwhile, here is a famous ballad played by my favorite Chopin interpreter.

Chopin Ballad in G Minor

Ron Paul Quotes

PERSONAL & CIVIL LIBERTY

“I'm convinced that you never have to give up liberties to be safe. I think you're less safe when you give up your liberties.” “You wanna get rid of drug crime in this country? Fine, let's just get rid of all the drug laws.”"The federal government has no right to treat all Americans as criminals by spying on their relationship with their doctors, employers, or bankers." “Ideas are very important to the shaping of society. In fact, they are more powerful than bombings or armies or guns. And this is because ideas are capable of spreading without limit. They are behind all the choices we make. They can transform the world in a way that governments and armies cannot. Fighting for liberty with ideas makes more sense to me than fighting with guns or politics or political power. With ideas, we can make real change that lasts.”

TAX & ECONOMY

“One thing is clear: The Founding Fathers never intended a nation where citizens would pay nearly half of everything they earn to the government.”

THE WAR ON TERROR & THE PATRIOT ACT

“A citizen walking through the airport today is bombarded with 1984-style propaganda messages that are designed to make us fear some amorphous threat and also be suspicious of others. The government designs these messages to make us feel dependent and heavily lorded over in every aspect of our lives. These messages are becoming ever more pervasive, hitting us even in grocery stores when we are shopping.” 

PRINCIPLES & INTEGRITY

"Unlike my opponents, I'm not running from my voting record. I'm not running from my public statements. I'm not running from my predictions.I'm running on them."

NON-PREEMPTIVE WAR & MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

"When one person can initiate war, by its definition, a republic no longer exists. "“It is no coincidence that the century of total war coincided with the century of central banking.” “Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.” "Another term for preventive war is aggressive war - starting wars because someday somebody might do something to us. That is not part of the American tradition. ""Our foolish policy in Iraq invites terrorist attacks against U.S. territory and incites the Islamic fundamentalists against us." 

LIMITED, CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"In the free society envisioned by the founders, schools are held accountable to parents, not federal bureaucrats." "The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people."“When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.” "Every government, democratic or not, is capable of tyranny. We must understand this if we hope to remain a free people.""I will always vote what I have promised, and always vote the Constitution, as well as I will not vote for one single penny that isn't paid for, because debt is the monster, debt is what's going to eat us up and that is why our economy is on the brink.""I will continue in my uncompromising opposition to appropriations not authorized within the enumerated powers of the Constitution."

NON-PREEMPTIVE WAR & MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

"When one person can initiate war, by its definition, a republic no longer exists. "“It is no coincidence that the century of total war coincided with the century of central banking.” “Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.” "Another term for preventive war is aggressive war - starting wars because someday somebody might do something to us. That is not part of the American tradition. ""Our foolish policy in Iraq invites terrorist attacks against U.S. territory and incites the Islamic fundamentalists against us." 

Ron Paul is Doing Great!

Ron Paul is doing great. We can tell by hit pieces such as this:

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20111229/OPINION01/712299993

In it we hear pejorative and ad hominem attacks such as:

Ron Paul..."truly dangerous"

(Ron Paul's platform is) "nothing short of nuts"

"...Paul being the favored candidate of the lunatic fringe (see white supremacists, anti-Semites, truthers, etc.)."

"Paul has been consistently spouting this nonsense." 
In other words, we are called racists for supporting Paul and the Constitution. Oh gee...I'd better vote for one of the neo cons so we can continue to start wars we can't afford and blow up innocent people to get people such as Gaddafi. We will support muslim fundamentalists to do it! Why? So we can replace leaders we don't like with radical muslims so we can...defeat the muslim fundamentalists? Yeah, that makes sense. Oh--and let's make sure America is called a battlefield and everyone give up our rights so that 'terrorists' can be whisked away and tortured. FEAR FEAR FEAR! And our own government creates false flags to get us all scared so we can give up more money, lives, liberty AND DIGNITY (groping at airports) to those at the top--you know who I'm referring to--the ones you admire, Mr. McQuaid...the big banksters ripping us all off. The Federal Reserve who has destroyed our middle class and are propping up the corrupt banks. People such as Corzine who outright steal billions of dollars from private accounts.

YOU and your ilk are 'evil nuts,' not us. I have news for you, Mr. BIG SHOT PUBLISHER JOSEPH W. McQUAID, New Hampshire Union Leader, we 'lunatic fringe' care about the Constitution and ending your ridiculous wars including the war on drugs that sends plenty of minorities to prison just because they have the wrong vegetation in their pockets. We are going to vote for Paul and end the cycle of fear they are using to strip us of our rights, our dignity, our money and our jobs just so your banker buddies can make bigger bonuses. And the traitors who are trampling our rights in Congress? THEY are the enemy--not some turbaned-guy in a cave that was sent there by the evil CIA. And what can be more anti-Semite than dropping bombs on Arab children? (Yes, Arabs are Semites, too). Sorry, Mr. Big shot McQuaid, YOU are anti-American, anti-decency and anti-Constitution. YOUR opinions are warped and truly dangerous.

Ben Garrison, a Ron Paul supporter.

"In Memoriam"

The tempo is a little faster than I've heard on other performances, but just as beautiful. Shostakovich is one of my favorite composers because...well, I'll let the music explain it for me.



http://youtu.be/A2El2BPzZ0Y

The Bank of Dad is CLOSED

I drew this today for Father's Day. To all fathers everywhere, there comes a time when one must say NO to their kids when it comes to money. That way the kids come to appreciate the hard work that goes into earning money.

Ron Paul for President!

Ron Paul's fund raiser yesterday was a big success. He raised well over a million bucks in one day. I was a contributor. (A small amount to many perhaps...but I wanted to help regardless).

Why I support Ron Paul:

• He wants to end the Federal Reserve, which is neither federal nor a reserve. It is an institution owned by elite private banks. The same banks that were TBTF and got bailed out so execs involved could get giant bonuses. Debt money is printed and these crony private bankers receive interest via tax money. They use their money to buy out Congress and oppress the people.

• He wants to audit the Federal Reserve. Then we'll know how much money went to international banks.

• He wants to audit Fort Knox. Is there really any gold left there or has it been stolen by Fed cronies?

• He wants to end the wars that benefit money-mad, power-mad banks and select private corporations. He voted AGAINST the war in Iraq.

• He wants to end the ridiculous and expensive 'War on Drugs.'

• He never voted to raise taxes.

• He wants to end taxes on tips, thus helping hard working lower classes everywhere.

• He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.

• He has never voted for federal restrictions on gun ownership.

• He has never voted to raise congressional pay.

• He voted against the pernicious Patriot Act.

• He is against the TSA.

• He is for sound money based on gold and silver.

• He wants to cut way back on nanny-state government which has continued to bloat and take away our rights.

• He is pro-Consitution and for restoring the Republic.

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/

The Swan of Tuonela

Here's my latest painting. I took inspiration from the music of Sibelius. Namely, "The Swan of Tuonela." I had my son Ian pose as Lemminkainen. I used some reference for parts of the painting, but most of it was done directly from my imagination.

The painting (24' x 36') was done in oil using traditional methods. That is, a complete sketch transferred onto the canvas. Then a sepia wash. Then the underpainting in black and white to establish values. Then thin coats of color built up slowly until this end result.

The black swan on the Black River sings a sad song. Lemminkainen was sent to kill the swan, but the swan's song was so beautiful he was unable to do so. A Finnish god later punishes Lemminkainen for this transgression and his body was cut up and thrown into the river. His mother later rescues him and sews his body back together. Life is infused into Lemminkainen again with the help of another god and a magic drop of honey.

In Sibelius' music, the swan is represented by the English horn.

Click on image to see larger version.

GREAT SITE FOR ART VIEWING

I came across this yesterday and thought I'd post it on my blog. So I'm posting it on my blog! Get ready to lose a few hours gazing at these masterpieces from long ago...

http://www.wga.hu/index.html

The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism periods (1000-1850), currently containing over 26.000 reproductions. Picture commentaries, artist biographies are available. Guided tours, period music, catalogue, free postcard and other services are provided.