An Artist -- and a Hermit!!

 I'm an artist...and a hermit!!

Most artists will say creating objects is a part of their nature. It's virtually a necessity, and I get that totally.

But a hermit? Well, some artists are outgoing and gregarious, and some are just the opposite.

I'd say I've withdrawn from the social life partly because I just never learned how to fit in that way. But much of it has to do with not wanted to get hurt by people anymore.

Granted -- no one likes to get hurt. But I'm a bipolar dinosaur -- not severely, praise God, but the depression that comes with it makes hurt a devastating event. And it doesn't always take much.

For example, I'm a Christian who has had friends of both sexes -- including females when they were single. But once they get married, they dropped me like a bag of dirt. And I never understood why -- they never even explained it to me! To "avoid all appearances of evil?" Isn't that a rather extreme interpretation of Scripture?

Well, anyway, it's been an ongoing source of hurt for me -- losing friends just because someone got married.

I actually looked up the topic, and this article seems to take a well-balanced take on the issue. Maybe all but the most conservative (or Pharisee-ish) Christians might see some value in it.

There are other, as I tend to say, "Pharisee-ish" positions I've seen that are incredibly irritating to me, including stands on scientific topics by people who admit they never did well in science classes. (Surprise, surprise!!) Some Christians get addicted to certain interpretations of the Bible that go well beyond any detail the Bible provides.

So I got into the habit of avoiding people and especially Christians. It wasn't a conscious decision when I thought: "I think starting today, I'm going to be a hermit." It just happened, although it does seem to raise the ire of Christians -- we're not supposed to be "loner Christians". I hear the excuses about how I should look past the misguided, sinful efforts of the sheep who come to church looking for...who knows what.

And I always say -- "If I don't have an excuse, neither does the church."

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Everybody knows Easter is all about a warm sunny day filled with flowers, bunnies, chocolate eggs and jelly beans. Maybe the kids will go searching in an Easter egg hunt or looking for an Easter basket hidden somewhere in the house. That's what Easter is all about, right?

Well, not exactly.

You see -- God loves us and wants to dwell with us, living the perfect life and attitudes He had in mind for us. But there's one big problem -- we don't do so good at living a perfect life according to His standards. In fact, we suck at it, and it ticks God off!

He loves us, but He can't put up with our disobedience -- another way of saying sin. We deserve to be thrown into hell because we make God miserable, as well as ourselves and everyone else. He's got a pretty high standard, and hey! God made us!! He makes the rules, and serving Him instead of ourselves is as good as it gets.

Thankfully, God gave us a way out. He used to require sacrifices as a way of making things right with Him, but then He had another idea: He sent His Son to be a sacrifice in place of the ones we came up with. His Son, of course, is Jesus Christ.

Jesus was crucified -- nailed to a cross as a blood sacrifice. He died, but He became alive again three days later. He took our sins/disobedient acts on Himself, thus cleaning up our acts once and for all, and by rising from the grave, He conquered the deaths that WE deserve.

Why did He do this? Because He loves us and didn't want any of us to languish forever in hell. All we have to do is: accept the notion that Jesus did this and that He is now our Lord as well as our Savior from hell. And follow Him. As imperfect as we are, God wants us to try, at least, to live a live of obedience to Him. In other words, this is NOT an anything goes kind of contract.

Is there a Plan B? What about those who live a good and moral life but who don't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

Well, the Bible isn't that hopeful for people in that position. I can hope that Christ's death and resurrection is one method for being saved (although Jesus Himself said He is the ONLY way, and it's hard to see a Plan B in that).

So I'M sticking with Plan A, and I pray that anyone reading this will do likewise. Eternity is a long, LONG time!!!

Ohh... In case you really need a bunny, here's a picture of ours! 😃

Ghosts

It's less than a week until Halloween, a day I enjoy even though Christians aren't supposed to. 😇

I do all kinds of things to "get me in the mood," so to speak, and I decided to watch some videos of movies that -- if not Halloween-themed -- at least touch on the supernatural and afterlife.

Today, I watched Ghost -- not exactly scary, but a very moving love story. Patrick Swayze, as Sam, spends most of his time as the deceased -- a ghost who continues to love Molly (Demi Moore). A beautiful story!

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze

Movies like this make me wonder what life after death is really like. The Bible and other religious references don't go into much detail, but Near Death Experiences and sightings / interactions with alleged "ghosts" imply there's more to being deceased than meets the eye.

The movie raises some questions that we science geeks tend to ask. Sam the ghost can pass through walls, doors, even people; yet, gravity apparently still affects him and the other ghosts in the movie. He doesn't float away, doesn't sink into the floor or street (even when he falls), and is able to run, walk and move along on subway cars, so friction must be a quality that affects ghosts, too.

Do ghosts exist among the living on the planet? I can't say -- there's no experimental evidence one way or the other to say they exist or they don't. But some people have had experiences with poltergeists, and at least one gal I know says she hears the voices of the departed -- and I have no reason at this time to think she's pulling my leg.

I do believe in a heaven and a hell, but maybe there's a "limbo" state where certain souls of the deceased wait until Judgement Day. Or maybe everyone who dies goes straight into the limbo state, awaiting the decision to allow them to enter heaven or be cast into hell.

There's only one way to find out, but I suspect I would be unable to blog about what's "on the other side," or behind the veil, or whatever, as Sam learned to do as a ghost. So I'll just keep wondering!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com
www.FineArtAmerica.com (prints)

 

The Arts and the Christian - Part I (Maybe!)

Today, The Wiffee and I finally got around to seeing the movie, I Can Only Imagine. It's a surprisingly well-made film that tells the story of Bart Millard, the fellow who wrote the title song after a childhood plagued by an abusive father.

The song touched many people who were in Bart's situation. As a Christian dinosaur, it was obvious God used Bart's experiences to create a healing song.

The movie started me thinking about my own "career" as a fine artist. I've tried for a long time to turn it into a full-time, bill-paying job -- without success. I kept asking myself if painting was something I was meant to do or not.

That's when I have to ask myself what God's purpose is when He gives artistic / creative people the gift of loving the visual arts, music, writing, whatever so much that the person feels a need to create art.

The Bible makes it pretty clear that artistic ability is granted by God (it's in Exodus -- more on that another time). Yet -- the Lord never promised that we as artists would be financially successful at it, or even artistically successful with it.

But I do believe we honor Him by using our creative gifts, whether it sells or not. This is a point I often forget when I'm feeling discouraged and want to quit the art thing entirely. I don't think God wants me to quit painting. Keep creating, even if He is the only One who ever sees it. If it sells someday, great. But for reasons known only to Him, some artists will profit from their skills, and many others won't.

So for now, the plan is keep painting for as long as I can, until I ran out of canvases and panels to paint on. I may retrieve some unsold paintings that I could white out and paint something different on them. When I'm TOTALLY out of paint and / or surfaces...well, I'll have to see what happens next.

The Bible verse for dinos like me to live by is from 1 Corinthians 10:31: "Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do*, do all to the glory of God."

*That includes painting!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com



 

Dedication

I first started doing "real" outdoor art shows in February, 1989. The first was in Palm Springs, CA followed by several others. The best part of those shows was getting to know some of the other artists who, like me, returned to do the shows as they came along.

One of the artists I met was a photographer who sold small framed prints of his pictures. I often wondered how well he did with his enterprise. He was a Seventh-Day Adventist, a Protestant Christian group that believes the traditional Sabbath day, Saturday, should continue to be the Sabbath and not Sunday as most other denominations believe.

The art shows were typically three-day shows...Friday - Sunday. Well, this fella was ready to sell on Fridays, closed up his booth on Saturdays, and returned on Sundays for more sales and to take it all down at the end.

I have to admire him for his dedication to his convictions, but I always wondered how well he could do by missing out on an important sales day -- Saturday.

Maybe he had retirement income going for him and selling photos was not his #1 source of revenue. Obviously, he felt it was more important to attend church than to be present at the art shows, in spite of possibly missing out on filling his wallet a bit more. Perhaps God would reward the guy in non-material ways than are much better than money.

I suspect the photographer is no longer of the earth -- he was already along in years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I'd guess he is in the Lord's presence now, reaping the eternal benefits of his commitment to God.



www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com

 

"All Is Vanity"

^"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?"

This comment appears in the Bible (King James Version in this case), Ecclesiastes 1. The writer spoke of the utter hopelessness of his life -- all based on things and actions of which God would not approve.

I don't think I have much of a problem in that area, but the verses (and the ones that follow -- look 'em up in your Bible if you're so inclined) seem to be ringing especially true for me lately.

I'm getting old...OK, I AM old, and have been for a while. When loved ones around you die and the things/careers/educational goals we work so hard at just don't do what they're supposed to do, then we look at what we've really accomplished, it's possible to get to a point where everything feels worthless. Like -- what's the point? We get old, do stuff in the meantime, then die, and the world goes on without us.

What's it all for? What's the point?

Some people want to leave a legacy behind to be remembered by -- the closest to immortality we'll ever achieve here in this lifetime. But maybe we're fooling ourselves. I've often thought if I were incredibly rich and I could fund a new addition to a hospital, I would resist calling it The Mark Junge Center for Really Important Medical Stuff. No one would know how to pronounce my last name, and anyway, who cares whose name appears on the building. The Really Important Medical Stuff is all people want and need

In my head, I know whats really important and what isn't. But there's something depressing about reaching a stage where "all is vanity" is what it was all about.

Supposedly, painting was going to be my legacy of sorts...or, at least, a way to earn a living. In fact, the gift of knowing how to make money by any method seems to be a skill I never picked up along the way. I certainly worked hard at a number of skills -- science and art were the two at the top.

But it never really worked out financially, and now I'm just tired. The motivation to work at something seems to be gone. I could have a number of reasons for feeling that way, but I can't discount the sheer frustration of working hard for a long LONG period of time and being no better off now than I was many years ago.

So, that's it. At least now that I've been collecting Social Security, I can paint what I want to paint without even wondering if it would sell or not.

At least THAT thought is freeing!  ☺


         *************************************

Oh, and don't forget -- you can still find me at:
    http://www.SouthwestSpaces.com
    http://www.MarkJunge.com

 

Finished a New BIG Painting...FINALLY!!

I FINALLY finished a painting that's been bogging me down for months! Not because it was all that complex, but because I just couldn't seem to force myself to work on it. I guess larger paintings intimidate me a bit...more than they used to. And I never really liked working on big stuff anyway.

 

Mt. San Jacinto from Morongo Valley      60" x 48"

The scene shows Mt. San Jacinto (west of Palm Springs, CA) as one sees it from the northern end of Morongo Valley. The piece features many of the plants and animals that live in this small rural community. (OK, you're not likely to see white doves there, but there's a reason why I included them).

Here are the animals that appear in the painting. Some are easy to find, others require more searching:

Animals of Morongo Valley

This is obviously not a complete pictorial of every critter that inhabits this area. But these are examples of animals that live there.

Now, the white doves... This painting is being donated to a church (Church of the Lighted Cross) in Morongo Valley. White doves often symbolize the Holy Spirit, so it seemed appropriate to include a small flock of them.

Also, I normally would have painted this artwork in a horizontal ("landscape") format rather than vertical ("portrait"), but it needed to fit in a particular space. So vertical it is!

I hope the painting will be a blessing to the people of the church, the population of Morongo Valley and -- perhaps -- to the entire world!

 

Things About April 6

It's April 6, 2016 -- a day noteworthy for several reasons...

It's my birthday. Let's just say I'm old, and we'll leave it at that.

On a sadder note, country music legend Merle Haggard died to day at age 79. I can't say I'm much of a C&W music fan, but it's still a little hard when the legends of the genre go.

Sadder yet -- the "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade died today in 2012 at 54 years of age. Cause of death was supposedly "acute intoxication" from alcohol and Valium.

I never met TK, but it sounded like he had some major struggles with his inner demons resulting from a bad home life as a child. It's unfortunate that people, including parents, don't realize how much emotional damage they can create in someone -- damage that, like scar tissue, impedes total recovery back to normal.

I always thought that TK's paintings of cozy English-style homes glowing with warm light and colorful flower gardens were his way of trying to capture a happy life he never knew. Obviously, his art struck a nerve with many buyers who loved his romanticized imagery.

Some people, including other artists, thought his work was "overly sentimental" -- I guess that means the artwork was pretty and not ugly...not suggesting the reality of the ugliness of life, including TK's own life, but focusing only on the beauty that can be found.

I never saw the problem with TK's work, although he did seem to work by formula, and in time I became a little bored by seeing essentially the same rehashed material over and over again.

But what he did, he did well. And those other artists don't -- and probably never will -- enjoy the popularity that Thomas Kinkade had, although it bothered him tremendously that he wasn't accepted by the art elitist types out there.

I wish he could have simply blown the elitists off, but TK still had those demons eating away at him.

Valley of Peace -- Thomas Kinkade

 So, Tom -- I hope you're with God right now, resting and free of life's slings and arrows. Maybe you have your own "valley of peace."



 

The Caretakers of Our Souls

The Caretakers of Our Souls      11" x 14"      acrylic on panel

I always like to think of churches as being the caretakers of our souls while we are here in this life. (I don't always agree with some of the other stuff that goes on, but in my ideal world, that's what churches do).

This is my latest classically-inspired painting. It's a scene of one of the old California missions: Mission San Antonio de Padua, north of Paso Robles in the little town/area of Jolon. Thankfully, it today sits in a rustic setting but is still an active parish. A man is strolling down the path, looking around, contemplating the world that is unseen and bigger than this one.

In my mind, this guy is me -- always looking for answers, lost in thought, trying to get past the clichés and simple-minded, feel-good platitudes that have overcome modern Christianity. He -- I -- are into the deeper things of existence, trying to reach into the infinite much as I did when I used to do transcendental mediation years ago. God is so, SO much more than the grandfatherly figure we laugh and talk with over coffee.

I made only a few changes to the actual scene -- the dirt footpath is really a paved road, covered in faded asphalt. I brought the trees on the right a bit forward from where they are in life.

The title came from an old Robert Stack movie, The Caretakers. He was the director of a mental hospital, and in talking with his staff, Robert described all of them as "the caretakers of their souls," the ones who were there for the patients, helping them as best they could to play the cards the patients have been dealt. That's an awesome role, all considered.

The churches, then, are/should be the caretakers of OUR souls. another awesome role to fill.


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Art is a Jealous Mistress

Art is a jealous mistress, and if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and an ill provider, and should be wise in season and not fetter himself with duties which will embitter his days and spoil him for his proper work.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson


OK -- I hope I'm not THAT bad. But the first five words of Emerson's brief observation certainly rings true with me.

If one is really serious about art and trying to make each work the best work one he/she ever done, it must be practiced a LOT. One must give up everything to be an artist -- or so I've heard. An artist can't become good in his/her craft by taking the casual approach.
 

But then there's this: Matthew 6:24 (KJV) -- No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (My emphasis).

Mammon, in this case, is a reference to money, but it can be anything that becomes #1 in our lives. I don't think art comes before God in my life, but it is pretty important, save for those times when I feel fed-up with art and the art world.

And then there's the issue of trying to sell art -- another entire source of stress and frustration. Whether paintings sell or not, I have to keep working -- either to replace the items that sold, or trying to find paintings that people are willing to buy.

I've also learned that selling art is not as simple as "paint what they like and they'll buy it." Having a "following" -- a certain amount of fame -- tends to be a major component of an artist's success. This has been a little out of my reach, unfortunately. And in some cases, painting in the current trend of decorator colors -- matching the sofa -- is important, too. When you paint in a classical way as I like to do, color matching has nothing to do with it. But try convincing decor-orientated buyers of that!

So in short -- art has taken over my life, but I almost can't afford to do it anymore. Art is a jealous mistress. One must give up everything to be an artist.

That includes any semblance of financial stability and, perhaps, sanity!

By the way -- these paintings are available for purchase at Crystal Fantasy in Palm Springs, CA. Stop by or contact them soon. Don't wait too long!

Good Friday

"The Crucifixion," Gustave Doré

Today is Good Friday. A dramatic piece showing a dramatic moment in history.

It's Been Strange

Still chuggin' along as I continue to heal from surgery and deal with the loss of Gracie the guinea piggy a week ago today.

It's been strange ever since I was in the hospital. While there, I had some very vivid, colorful dreams. My dreams never really make sense, and that was the case then, too. But for some reason, one of those dreams bothered me, although the dream itself didn't have any nightmarish imagery or anything I could define as bad. In the dream, I missed out on an opportunity. I've had dreams like that before, but this one...well, I don't know why it continues to haunt and bother me, but it does.

In addition, I've had operations before, but this is the first one where a piece of me -- not just a growth -- was removed. And it was a piece of me where a small part was cancer.

This last point is especially significant. It was the first time a part of me had turned into the bad guy, to the extent where if I hadn't caught it, it could have killed me. Maybe that's all part of the mental issues I've been having: the death of our pet plus the fact I narrowly skirted death myself are sobering thoughts. I know I'm not gonna live forever. Of course I know we're all going to die, but OMG! This time it isn't just an academic reflection of our futures. I'm really going to die some day!

My Christian faith is supposed to comfort me during times like this. But it doesn't. Something's changed in me, and I don't know if it'll go away in time or not. I still feel tired a lot, and I know major surgery does that to patients. Maybe when I'm up and around more and I can become involved with life again, I'll feel better about things. Or maybe not.

I guess you'd have to be a surgery patient yourself to appreciate this; otherwise, the previous paragraph could be explained away by the lingering effects of the morphine and, later, the Pergocet I was given for pain.

Think I'd buy that explanation? What do you think?

It's been strange ever since I've been in the hospital.

Church Art in the Greek Tradition

Yesterday The Wiffee and I attended a Greek Festival in Palm Desert, CA. Festivals like this are always fun, but for us, the crowning jewel was the interior of the church that sponsored the Festival.


The church is St. George Greek Orthodox Church of the Desert. Most of the artwork ("icons") were in the form of mosaic, with gold tiles filling in where goldleaf would go on paintings. While I normally am not a huge fan of Byzantine/medieval-styles of art, I'll have to admit the art of this church was beautiful without being garrish. The interior was colorful and warm, and even as visitors, it felt comfortable being inside the church. And we're not of Greek descent or even Orthodox!

I've read that God gave us the ability to appreciate beauty and, therefore, to appreciate His beauty. If there are any readers out there who design church interiors, or if you're a church board member looking for ways to honor God with some of the beauty He created -- take note!

Art and the Church Part III

Nudity in art -- talk about a hot-button topic! And it's a tough issue for the Christian who wants to master traditional art. After all, the Bible tells us to dress modestly, to avoid all appearances of evil and all that. And for some, nudity (in art) = pornography -- period.

But, as always, exceptions exist. Most obvious: sometimes it is necessary to disrobe -- partially or completely -- the body when undergoing a medical examination or procedure. What about artists? Do we also have an exception?

Well, the Bible doesn't really say one way or the other when it comes to artists. But this is a case where if one wants to become the best traditional artist one can be, it means we MUST draw and paint the nude. In fact, traditional studies in ateliers called for mastering the figure, still lifes and landscapes, then -- if the artist desired -- specialize in one of those areas.

Any artist who has mastered the figure will claim the human body (and face) are the most difficult subject to get right. So if you do well with nudes, you can do well with virtually anything.

So to the Christian artist who wants to work in traditional realism I would say: you MUST commit to doing what you have to do in order to become great in your craft. As with those in the medical community, dealing with the body and body parts goes with the territory. You may prefer to look at nudity as a necessary evil -- then so be it -- but it is a part of becoming a great artist worthy of the talent God has given you.

Here's a quote by Michelangelo: "To copy each one of those things after its kind seems to me to be indeed to imitate the work of God; but that work of painting will be most noble and excellent which copies the noblest object and does so with the most delicacy and skill. And who is so barbarous as to not understand that the foot of a man is nobler than his shoe, and his skin nobler than that of the sheep with which he is clothed, and not be able to estimate the worth and degree of each accordingly?"

Art and the Church Part II

I've dealt with Christians who believe if you're a Christian and you're involved in the arts in some way, the only subject you should be covering in your art is Christianity. This is especially true if you're a musician or singer, but I've heard it applied to the other arts as well. In fact, I know of one woman whose daughter was majoring in film production in college. The mom requested prayer for the daughter, that she would make only "Christian" films.

For some reason, this line of thinking doesn't apply to other occupations. Christian auto mechanics are not expected to engrave John 3:16 on the sides of engine blocks. Christian bakers don't apply the ichthus/fish design onto every muffin or loaf of bread they make. Double standard? Or do we have different standards for those who communicate via the arts and those who work in other fields, communication-driven or not? Are these standards biblical?

This entire notion is actually a relatively new idea in the Church. It used to be there was no distinction between Christian and secular creations. In essence, anything that fulfilled Philippians 4:8 was acceptable. Even today, one can hear organ preludes using works by J.S. Bach that are not overtly Christian or even "Christian" at all: "Sheep May Safely Graze" pays homage to the crown, not to God. Yet, because Bach is recognized as a composer who was Christian, anything he wrote is eligible for playing in a church service. Not the case with today's artists.

The sad part is: God has given creative skills and abilities to many who honor Him, and they have no opportunities to use those talents to God's glory.


"Art and Church Part III" will probably be my last post on this topic for awhile. It should appear tomorrow (Monday, 25 August 2008) or soon thereafter.

Art and the Church Part I

At one time, the Church was the artists' biggest patron. Today, for the most part, the Church (especially the Protestant Church) seems mostly uninterested in the arts, except for music. What happened?

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, church structures were, in a manner of speaking, "palaces for God." The elaborate architecture and decor, complete with paintings and sculpture, seemed to be a visual expression of the Glory and Majesty of God Almighty.

But after the Protestant Reformation, attitudes changed. Gradually, church leaders moved away from palaces for God, using the money instead to develop ministries to people in need. And today, since so many of us artzy types want to get rich instantly by doing what we love, even the Catholic Church doesn't pursue traditional art as much as in the past, 'tho' that may be more of an affordability issue than one of a desire to use art.

Many Protestants also see art as one of the worldly possessions Christians should renounce; after all, it's all going to burn someday anyway, and we can't take it with us, and it's "worshipping the creation instead of the Creator," and we're seeking the applause of men rather than the applause of God, and we can't serve two masters...on and on.

Thus, Christianity has left a huge vacuum in the field of art, and nature -- and artists -- abhor a vaccuum. Christian influence is now mostly limited to complaining and griping about the offensive art, movies and music that are out there today. Unfortunately, the Church doesn't seem to believe in taking a more positive approach -- encouraging its members to become active in the arts and making art for the sheer love of it, not simply generating proselytizing drivel that promotes the Gospel.

I tend to agree with a number of authors, including the late Christian philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer. Everything we do can be done to glorify God (1). God is beautiful, and so He created us with the ability to love beauty in all its forms. We're told to dwell on, among other things, truth and beauty (2); therefore, everything that IS true and beautiful falls within the realm of Christianity. In short, making art glorifies God; in fact, the creativity, desire to make things and the skills to do so come from God (3), and we'd be wasting His gifts by not using them.

Unfortunately, I and others like me are not in a position to take on the entire world of Christianity regarding this school of thought. But I have sold art to customers who identified themselves as Christians (often, Catholic), so: we're out there. We are among the Church's numbers. Maybe someday, we'll prevail!!

Footnotes:

(1) I Cor. 10:31

(2) Phil. 4:8

(3) Exodus 31:1-6

Artwork: Michaelangelo's Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel