POP Religion

"Everyone should believe in something, I believe I will go fishing." Mark Twain

 

"Everyone should believe in something, I believe I will have another drink", W.C.Fields

 



 



POP Religion is an artistic exploration of the need to believe in something, anything.  POP Religion believes in extraterrestrial aliens, reincarnation, pop art and surrealism.  It is often funny, because you have to laugh at the human condition.  We don't really know, to paraphrase Gauguin, "Where do we come from?  Where are we going? and What the blankety blank are we suppose to do while we are here?" POP Religion believes that is it better to laugh, than to cry.

VISION

digital print, 1/2022

close up

ANNA FLOWERS

digital, print, 1/2022

close up

 

LOOK UP

 LOOK UP, GOLD

acrylic on panel, 24"x16", about 2018

LOOK UP, SUNSET

acrylic on panel, 24"x16", about 2018

LOOK UP, FLUID ENDURANCE

acrylic on panel, 24"x16", about 2018

LOOKING UP is a triad of paintings, with women's heads that are partially transparent, merging with the deep landscape.  The women are clothed in flowers, some with jewel like centers.  They are looking up.  Reaching for spiritual transcendence.  Feeling merged with the universe.   

I Still have My Marbles

Digital painting, 6/12/21

Archival ink jet print

Well, most of them, anyway.  This is kind off like a selfie, haha.  I envisioned my skull as an ancient crystal skull filled with marbles, and made a picture of my imaginary self.

                            Marbles Tumble

           Archival inkjet print, digital painting

I had fun painting these tumbling marbles.  I hope that they make you smile.

Temporal Bone

acrylic skullpture, 8"x10"x11", 2021

                              


                              

    

      

The temporal bone is one of the bones that suture together to make the upside down bowl that contains our brains.   We are very proud of the, grey wrinkled jelly substance protected by the firm bowl.  We think that it makes us rational, smart.  The rational area of the brain is the frontal lobe, but it is greatly effected and affected by  the limbic system.  That primitive area is responsible for our emotions, emotions often overrule rationality.  The limbic system is in the center of the brain and is the center of our life.  Emotions veto rationality.  The limbic system is our built in trickster character.  The Cheshire Cat is curled up cozy in the middle of a muddle of miles of jelly wiring.  

Comment from KNOW BUDDY:  Janet, what the duck are you doing?  Making vast generalizations about neuropsychoanatomy. You have only rudimentary knowledge of these matters.  You are making it up as you go along.  Please, keep your ignorance to yourself.

This skullpture started as an anatomical model for anatomy study.  It was cast from an actual cadaver.  There are three areas of design, created with acrylic paint.  The face is black with interference colors and silver for highlights.  The right side of the head is thick translucent painted roses on a black ground.  Contrasting with the black ground, the left side of the head is patterned with metallic gold and a beigey  gold flat paint.  The base of the support is an antique rescued wood block.

Influences and inspiration are too numerous to list.  "Day of the Dead", sugar skulls and pOp art, are at the top of the list.

The name "Temporal Bone", references not only part of the skull, but also, makes a hint about time.  Skulls remind us that time is passing, make the most of every day, no matter what the Cheshire Cat throws at you.  

Dear KNOW BUDDY, Please keep your ignorance to yourself.

Aliens Among Us

Red Hot Real News

 

A recent series of three digital paintings

 

 Dali was an Alien

digital painting, 2/2019



 Andy Warhol was an Alien

digital painting, 3/2019

Elon Musk is an Alien

digital painting, 4/2019

 

 

Aliens Among Us.  Aliens R Us.  Red Hot Real News! 

This blog exhibits a series of three celebrity "people" who are actually aliens.  They came to this planet from the planet Bazzaro to assist us humans in our quest for knowledge.  They have super powers.  I have studied photos and films of these celebrities and discovered that, occasionally, in the flicker of a gagabyte, if you watch really close, you can see their guard down, when their real alien identity flashes, for just an instant on the screen.  I was able to memorize these flickering images and record them with photoshop. So that all the world can know this red hot real news.

 

This is an artist joke, hoax, folks. 

 

I have an interest in extraterrestrials because of an incident in my childhood.  When I was three years old, in 1947, my Air Force father and family was stationed at Roswell.  There was this big secret in my family.  Over the years I heard whispers, and eventually came to realize that the alien crash incident is probably true.  In the media, we can see many stories. Parsing out true from false, has become even more and more complicated. 

 

I had fun making these pictures, some times laughing out loud, surprised, as I created the pictures and saw humor forming. 

 

First I did Dali, so obviously, if not an alien, then he must be a rare mutant human.  Second I did Warhol.  OMG, have you watched films of him?  He is definitely not a normal human.

 

After I did the first two images, I became interested in Elon Musk.  He so obviously has super powers.  Coincidently, I watched Joe Rogan blog #1169, where Musk talks about being an alien.  This led to several entertaining days watching some of the many Musk films available on You Tube and other apps.  In one clip he states emphatically that he is an alien, in others he vacillates or denies his alien status. 

Yep, you just have to laugh.  We hate not knowing.  Just notice how infrequently we say, "I don't know."  We make up (!) our minds, we have a story and stick to it.  We cherry pick information to reinforce our cognitive bias.  But, there is a lot of mystery.  There is wonder.  Wonder is a wonderful well spring.  Wonder can be beautiful.  It can also be funny.  Yep, you just have to laugh.



 





Cardinal Woman

digital painting

 

I also did an acrylic painting of this image

 

Alter Altar in Amber

photoshop, 4.99M, 2013-2018

 

 

Alter Altar

photoshop, 4.99M, 2013-2018

POP Religion  is a suite of art, works on digital media, paper, and canvas that have a similar theme and style.  I have painted for many years.  I identified as an artist in the mid seventies.  I have seen the questioning of POP Religion themes resurfacing in my art since before that time. 

POP Religion is funny, because, you gotta laugh at the human condition.

 My mind keeps probing.  Why are we here?  Where did we come from?  Where are we going?  And, what the what are we suppose to be doing?  Paraphrased from Gauguin.

Some people do not make these questions?  My mind just wont give me a break, probing and pondering.  Sometimes, it seems like going around in circles, yes it goes in a spiral.

POP Religion is reverent/irreverent.  Reverent in that there are mysteries to explore, but not reverent to boxed and branded religion.  POP Religion is open to change, continues to evolve.  You wont find any answers here, just perhaps, some relevant hints.  Look as I may, I have not found any easy answers, no one size fits all philosophy. 

 

Andy Warhol, Alien

photoshop, 1/2019

 

 

HOT NEWS!!!  Smoking hot news.  Andy Warhol was an ALIEN.  It is true.  He came from the planet Bazzarro in order to mind fuck the art establishment.  He turned the art cart upside down.  If you are looking for proof of this pronouncement, then watch some You Tube videos of him.  If you watch closely, you will see that his skin is green!    Apple green, chartreuse green and moss green skin. 

 

By the way, this is my last image before photoshop crashed,  sending me into a swampy morass of withdrawal.  It was inconvenient to learn new tricks, for this old dog, but I was able to retrieve and publish this post.  And that is a good thing, because people need to know about this.  It is so important. 

 

As I was making the image, using a low def photo from Gargoyle images, I was surprised to see Andy looking rather paranoid.  At first I wanted to fix that, but then I came to see the paranoia as an attribute of his personality. 

 

Stay tuned here for HOT NEWS! concerning aliens on earth and reincarnations of ancient deities and other bull shit.

 Alien Dali

Digital picture, 1/2019

Alien Dali's Ocelot

close up

 



 Real Fake News!  Dali was an alien!  Proof positive, here is a genuine photoshop image of the artist caught in a moment when the master let down his guard and showed his true green colors. Descending to Earth, in 1904, from the planet Bazzarro, Dali came here to blow the minds of humans.  This surrealistic painter succeeded in his mission. 

 

 I had a book of his images way back in the day, when I was a confused teeny bopper.  I ate that book like it was a box of Godiva truffles.  My impressionable young mind exploded with 100 million new neurons.  His art was imprinted on my brain, and remains there many decades later.  ("That explains a lot", I over hear my family whispering and snickering.)

 

I had fun painting this picture.  I was surprised when the pet alien ocelot emerged on my screen into an orange thug with Michelin Man muscles and flesh shredding claws. 

 

 



 

BRANGELINA, MERE MORTALS

acrylic on canvas,  36"hx48"w, 2015

 

  POP Religion

 
The series "POP Religion" came about in a natural flowing process .  Artistic, intuitive "research" into myth and spirituality over a time period of several years (I may even say, several decades, or a lifetime), has inspired me to create this series.  Led by my Muse I witnessed the evolution of a cohesive/confused concept that has kept me painting, creating with enthusiasm.  It has been a revolution in my mind expressed and communicated with paintings. The images display a     sincere/ironic vibe.

 

POP Religion, the concept, in 25 words or less:

This series is "artistic research" into the human need to believe in something, anything. It is a quirky personal pantheon of reverent/irreverent images.  POP Religion believes in Gods, Goddesses, Celebrities,  Royalty, Aliens, Art, and QUESTioning.
 

These writers on myth theory have influenced my thought processes;  Joseph Campbell,  Sir James Frazier, and Carl Jung.  Artists who have influenced my work are too numerous to name.  There is a banquet of art out there, just waiting for the Cuisinart of Confusion to mash it all up. I am omnivorously surfing for new flavors.

 

 

Saint Louis Cathedral

acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", 2006

This painting, was created seven years ago.  It was made at a time when I was exploring the textures of acrylic impasto. I am using it now to introduce POP Religion

Holy Ghosts hover in the alcoves of a woozy church.  Maybe, it is better not to enter.  Are you brave? I don't know, it is all so confusing.  This is not a real church it is a painting.  POP Religion is not a real religion, or is it?   Is it a hoax, a joke or a concept? 

 

 

 

 

 

Baluchi Bacchus

oil and acrylic on canvas,  36"x48", 2012
 

 

Bacchus is the god of Mardi Gras.  He reigns over hedonistic abandon.  Woohoo, he is the party god.   His revelers act out impulses beyond the borders of  social constraint. 

Bacchus, (Dionysus to the Greeks), is the protector of those who do not fit into conventional society. He symbolizes chaos and danger, the escape from human reason. Bacchus worshipers seek  a place beyond the borders of the known and civilized. His is a freedom, mystery religion.

Bacchus had a very fun sojourn in his late John Baluchi incarnation.

 



Prometheus in his Sean Connery Incarnation

Acrylic on canvas,  48"x36", 2014

 



details

 

 

Prometheus brought fire to humans when they were shivering and ignorant cavemen. The big honcho of Elysian Fields, Zeus, CEO of the heavens, wanted to keep fire, (a metaphor for intelligence) for himself alone. Prometheus stole fire from Zeus, so he was punished with eternal suffering.  This Promethean savior of humankind was chained to a rock, an eagle attacked and ate his liver everyday.  Overnight his liver grew back, only to be eaten again.  Again and again.  Until rescued by Hercules.

Recently Prometheus has been reincarnated  as Sean Connery.  After enduring the sadistic punishments of Zeus, this is like a vacation incarnation for him.  He enjoys being 007 and a movie star. 



 

Marilyn Aphrodite

acrylic on canvas, 24"x24", 6/2013

 



Marilyn Monroe was the reincarnation of the Greco-Roman goddess Aphrodite/Venus. She celebrates the sensuous symphony of physicality.  Marilyn has captured popular imagination since 1952, in my opinion, that qualifies her for Goddess status.

Oprah Cleopatra

Epson digital print

detail

 

 

Breaking news!!! Hot flash!!!

It has been discovered that Oprah is the reincarnation of Cleopatra!

Cleo had grown bored of everlasting languid lounging on the loveseat in LalaLand.   So she reinvented, reimagined and reincarnated herself as the Queen of Television.

 

This important event has been verified by Archie Long, an archeologist in Egypt who is an old and dear paramour of Oprah's.  Upon close examination of the famous Cleopatra Odalisque Statue of Giza, he found a gluteal area tattoo with phallic symbolism.  He was surprised and excited to find the unusual ink that matches the exact tattoo and placement he fondly remembers stroking on Oprah's caramel skin.  The tattoos match perfectly, it can not be a coincidence.  They prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the TV Queen was previously the Egyptian Pharaoh Queen.  

Tune in to award winning program TELL IT LIKE IT IS, tonight on the Irreverent Channel.  Clark Kent presents an in depth interview with the renowned archeologist Archie Long.  This amazing, ground breaking discovery will change your life.  Don't miss it. Tonight, channel 6969. 

John Lennon Jesus

Digital painting and Epson print, 22M flat, 2013

Love one another.  All you need is love.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Give peace a chance.

Mary, Queen of All

  mixed media on canvas, 24"x18", 2010

 

 

 

details

 

 

 

Mary, Queen of All

  

This vibrant picture speaks of compassionate love.  A collage of  pictures of a variety of women form the familiar Mary image.  Janis Joplin appears in the heart center.  Compassionate goddesses are worshiped historically world wide.  These forgiving, supportive myths speak to a deep need that all humans experience, (consciously or unconsciously) for the enveloping arms of perfect motherly love. 

 

The artistic process for this picture started with my collection of original digital paintings, created over several years.  The layout was plotted digitally and  puzzle like sections were printed and cut out using archival Epson ink and paper. The cut out collage elements were then embedded into layers of acrylic paint.  Golden brand acrylics were used to create a pearly glowing halo.

This painting is in the collection of Donna Duffy, of Tripolo Gallery, Covington, LA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby God Crying

oil, acrylic on canvas, 36"x48', 2013

 

 

Artist have continually mined the rich vein of the artist giants that came before.  In this painting I "mash-up" a thirteenth century Mary picture with a realistic Jesus, throwing a tantrum.

  

 

 

 

Mary and Krishna

oil, acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", 2013

 

 

Yashoda and Jesus

digital painting

oil, acrylic on canvas, 36"x48", 2013*

 

 

 

"Mary and Krishna" and "Yashoda and Jesus", are companion paintings, titled together as "Switched at Birth".    These paintings illustrate the similarities in religions world wide. Birth of a savior stories contain universal elements.  They teach us that people everywhere have the same deep needs, everyone seeks the sweetness of protection and compassion.   

 

These two paintings were shown at the Press Street's Antenna Gallery, Mixed Messages exhibition.   June 7, 2015. Curated by Gerald White.
 

SWITCHED AT BIRTH is a pair of paintings,

MARY WITH KRISHNA and YASHODA WITH JESUS

 

In this pair of paintings the babies are switched between the two mothers.  The Caucasian mother holds the blue skinned baby, and the blue Indian mother holds the pink baby.  The Christian Mother Mary is holding the Hindu Baby God Krishna.  The Hindu nurture Mother Yashoda is holding the Christian Baby God Jesus.

 

The inspiration for these pictures is the similarities between the births, myths and teachings of Krishna and Jesus.  Similarities between Christianity and Hinduism. 

 

Both Krishna and Jesus were divinely conceived, brought to earth via miraculous insemination.  God planted holy sperm seeds in the human mothers' wombs. 

 

Krishna was born in a prison, Jesus was born in a barn (manger means a feeder for livestock).  So they were both born in lowly, unlikely places.

 

Both Krishna and Jesus were hybrid human and immortal Gods.

 

As Gods incarnate in human bodies, both were the chosen Saviors for flawed and suffering humans.  Both Gods were dedicated to saving humans from themselves.

 

Both Krishna and Jesus were humble and lead simple ascetic lives.  Both associated with downtrodden people.

 

Both healed the sick and raised the dead.

 

Both taught tolerance, mercy and kindness;  compassionate love.

 

There are many similarities in their lives, leading some scholars to theorize that the two myths stemmed from the one same story, and the differences in the myths are explained by their word of mouth retelling over time and traveling over a geographical area.

 

Other scholars, like Carl Jung postulate that the many similarities in not just these two myths but in many myths worldwide and over historical centuries is a result of an oversoul or spiritual connection between all humans everywhere and for all times.

 

Another factor in the similarities of world wide myths is the universality of the human dilemma.  In the words of artist Gauguin, "Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  Where are we going?"  We cant stand not knowing.

 

POP Religion is influenced by the writings of Joseph Campbell, Sir James Frazier, Carl Jung and by historical visual depictions of world wide myths.  The seriousness of these influences is balanced by humor.  Because if we cant laugh at ourselves, then we are really in trouble.

 

 

*Note:  the "Yashoda and Jesus" picture here is the digital image that I used as preliminary study for the canvas painting.  The painting is different, the figures are similar but the background of the canvas picture is of clouds.  I use Photo shopped digital images as preliminaries for paintings.
 



 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jagger Devil

acrylic on canvas, 24"x24", 7/2013

 

Everyone knows that Mick Jagger makes the music of the devil.  But is Mick actually the devil??  POP Religion asks many questions, but has no answers.

 

The devil is a convenient repository for all that is judged as negatives.  He is the basement closet where badness is locked up.  With a devil thought concept evil is nicely organized into one hated mind space. With a devil for scapegoat humans can imagine that negativity is isolated from their everyday existence. No pantheon is complete without a dumping spot for evil.

 

And, he is a convenient concept for what ever you do wrong.  "The Devil made me do it."

 



Cardinal Woman

Acrylic on canvas,  20"x16", 2014

 

Digital painting, 23M flat file, 2013 (shown here)

 

Hey yall, we are not going to live forever.  In the words of Gauguin, "Where did we come from.  Why are we here.  Where are we going?"  You wont find any answers here, just some confounded meandering. 



Bleeding Jesus

acrylic on board, 16"x20", 2011

 

The Christian myth of Jesus fulfills a chasm of human needs.  Here is a god that can save us from ourselves.  Humans are driven more by primitive emotions and subconscious motivations, than by reason.  Emotion trumps reason.  Human behavior is frequently self defeating and socially counterproductive.  Jesus suffered for our sins.  He offers redemption.  I don't know about you, but I need to be saved from a lot of my stupid mistakes, my past actions.  Redemption myths offer hope that we may be "more better" in the future. Hope that our regrets may be washed away with blood and we will be sin free, white as snow.  Well, it is nice to think so, except for all the blood, which is gory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Source of Water

Acrylic on canvas, 24"x18", 2008

 

 

 

 

The metaphor images of woman/water has historically reoccurred in art. Vermeer painted "Woman with a Water Jug, in 1660.  In 1856 Ingres painted woman as a spring, bringing forth water, he was inspired by an earlier painter.  Woman and water as the source and spark of life, weaves through art history as a iconic thread of human existence.

 

  Water is more necessary than food for life.  A person can live for weeks without food, without water he may survive at most a few days.  We are at least 80% water.  Before entering this earth through the woman birth canal we waft in a watery womb. 

 

Water reflects light.  It is also transparent, revealing another layer, a fluid realm beneath the surface.

 

The pairing of woman and water celebrates the amazing fertility of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Phoenix Flying

Digital painting and Epson print, 21M flat, 2013
 

 

The mythical Phoenix bird is the original come-back-kid.  She lives and soars for 1000 years.  At the end of the millennium she crashes and burns.  The Phoenix dies by fire every 1000 years, then she rises from the ashes, reborn, to live and soar another 1000 years.  Over and over again. This myth fulfills our need to be reassured that we can rise from the ashes of our stupidity (personal stupidity and racial stupidity) and finally get our shit together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 Gidget, Gadget and Gizmo

Digital painting, Epson print, 18M flat, 2013

 

This is a funny little picture at the end

 

 



 

 A few notes:

 

Several of these paintings were shown at Tripolo Gallery in Mandeville.  Curated by Donna Duffy.

 

Many visual and literary references have contributed to this series,  too many to name.

 

My posts are unedited, any misconduct is my error, mine alone. 

 

I rely on Wikipedia for some references.

POP Religion