Fracas 1, (the shooter-1of 2 paintings) oil on linen canvas 38"X48"  $18,000.00

 

Painting a picture about mankind's propensity for violence with an artist brush and oil pigment is truly worth a thousand words. This is a conversation between a soldier's conscience and the forces that put him in harm's way. In describing this painting I merely list the text as it appears in the various segments of this painting

The Soldier's words and thoughts:

...“Sorry brother…it was you or me. Leaders who make war & peace decisions should be forced to do their own killing & dying if they choose armed conflict. Let the front line soldiers make the war & peace decisions. It is easy to be brave & patriotic with someone else’s kid’s life. Besides all the stuff we kill for, they are eventually fleeting illusions.”

“We do not want to fight, we just want to play”

 

Body tattoos:

“People are like diesel fuel, you can only squeeze them to a certain point economically, spiritually, physically & emotionally before they explode.”

Legitimate self-defense, target practice [thumbs up]

“If cruelty & meanness give you a warm and tingly sensation in your genitals, why not simply masturbate instead of ruining someone’s day or life”

“Hierarchy without equilibrium is tyranny”

“We can celebrate our patriotism, heritage, values & spiritual beliefs without demonizing, bullying & killing our fellow space travelers. We are passengers on the Milky Way heading to (besides a collision with M31)

God knows where. So we need to chill and celebrate the gift of life first and foremost. If you absolutely have the need to kill human beings why not (shoot yourself) get help first? If that does not work then do it.”

LOVE

“Wars and their calamities are never the will of God; they are always the will of a few men”

“Hierarchy is vital to social order”

 

The voices that feed violence:

“That is unpatriotic! He has resources we need. He’s not worthy, we are exceptional “

“Maximum profit, minimum wage, we own the lawmakers, we write the rules

GREED

 

“Blasphemy! He interprets God differently than we do. We are God’s chosen people”

“Condemnation”

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

 

“Stick to your own kind, he’s of a different culture”

“They are sub-human mongrel”

“Teach children hate early”

BIGOTRY

 

“What global warming? What government abuse? What deficit? What voter suppression? What?

“Misinformation”

UNINVOLVED UNINFORMED CITIZENRY

 

Muzzle flash

“A bullet is a nasty killing tool. There are others:

Economically you deny folks opportunities to earn a living.

Emotionally use words that devastate one’s spirit.

Socially ostracize & mute

Enact laws that dehumanize & marginalize.

Means that can make a bullet look like mercy killing. Ask anyone who has contemplated suicide. Melt the bullets into coins & share the wealth with the world’s population so no one dies of hunger. Stop nurturing meanness through bullying in school, in politics & the world, because that is the genesis of evil