Support the Troops Art

I am in the process of trying to find a charity or organization that their main mission or reason for being is to support the troops that can use these images for fund raising, prints, website graphics, printed material, etc. If you know anyone or company I'd could talk to about this let me know. Click the images to see them larger or see the images in static mode here and here.

Cool Slideshows

Illustration Friday - Thanksgiving

Yum!
The idea behind this Illustration was to show an abundant amount of food for just two people. It was originally painted for On Mission Magazine Summer 2005 article spread titled "Same Cry Different Hungers". Feeding believers and non-believers at the same table. I thought it was really appropriate for the Thanksgiving word for Illustration Friday.

I wanted to give it a slight fish-eye effect and the room needed to be dark and simple to emphasize the food in a spotlight of sorts.

Updated Secondary Portfolios

I have updated my secondary portfolios that I created for 5 different styles and markets that go beyond the realistic work that I mainly do. Right now it's only there for when a client needs to see more of a certain style that I do. I just send to a link at their request. It works quite well and was created in iWeb. I have an Info Graphics Portfolio, Whimsical Vector Portfolio, Technical Portfolio, Comps Portfolio, and a new engravings portfolio.

Technorati Tags: Illustration Portfolio, website, illustration

What Would Jesus Do?

With the recent majority win for Democrat's in the House and Senate it got me thinking once again about the opposing views of the religious right and the liberal left. As most people I know they believe in moderation and being somewhere in the middle of things and not one extreme or another. That's the way it should be, but it's seems that we are forced to make extreme decisions when it comes to voting for a politician by giving up on some issues to be in favor of others. You can't keep it simple by being a one issue voter, but here are several issues that influenced my vote in the Bible Belt Red State of Georgia.

This was taken from the Sunshine for Women website and I just had to post it because this is what I believe. Sorry if you feel differently, you are entitled to your own opinion. I'm expressing mine here.

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One of the more frequently asked questions these days is "What Would Jesus Do?" Teens sport bracelets with the initials WWJD to remind them to ask themselves "What Would Jesus Do?" in difficult situtations. I thought I might take a few minutes to discuss "What Would Jesus Do?" in the light of current events. As part of my response, I will also address the issue of what Jesus would not do.

• Jesus Would NOT be on the Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 corporation (or of a Fortune 5000 corporation, for that matter, either).
  
• Jesus Would NOT head a large multinational corporation (or a large national corporation for that matter, either. Indeed, he probably wouldn't even head a small corporation, although he might be involved in a small, family-owned business.)
  
• Jesus Would NOT go into business (including oil, gas, gold, and diamond extraction industries) with some of the most ruthless dictators in the world.
  
• Jesus Would NOT lobby politicians on behalf of wealthy corporations.
  
• Jesus Would NOT be a Wall Street trader, a banker for a large national or international banking conglomerate, or participate in the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
  Jesus would remind rich men to sell all of their worldly goods and to follow him if they wanted to enter the kingdom of God, for it is "easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

• Jesus Would NOT wear Gucci's and schlep for corporate executives.
  
• Jesus Would NOT demand tax cuts for the wealthy and benefit cuts for everyone else.
  Jesus would do everything in his power to care for the "least of these, my brethren."

• Jesus Would NOT use the name of the Lord to advocate war, death, destructions, and spending unlimited amounts of money for those purposes.
  Jesus would drive the money changers from the temple.

• Jesus Would NOT own his own religious television network, host a religious radio show, or sell time shares in his religious theme park.
  Jesus would cry, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!"

• Jesus Would NOT support Star Wars missile defense systems, another military build-up, or expanding our "war on terrorism" to 60 nations around the world, including our own.
  
• Jesus Would NOT participate in the production of any weapons of war in any capacity, even as a factory laborer.
  
• Jesus Would NOT participate in the development of new weapons systems, including advanced military aircraft, chemical or biological weapons, or nuclear weapons (especially nuclear weapons, like the neutron bomb that are designed to kill people while sparing property.)
  Jesus would turn swords into plowshares -- convert existing military equipment into tools for improving the quality of life of existing people -- such as turning armored troop carriers into vehicles for transporting produce to market and converting military field hospitals into medical centers for people in the remotest and most inaccessible parts of the world.

• Jesus Would NOT blur the line of separation of church and state.
  Jesus would work to keep church and state separate: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, render unto God what is God's.

• Jesus Would NOT permit big corporations to despoil the environment.
  Jesus would remind citizens that God made man stewards of her creation. Good stewards tend to their environment is such a manner that it is left in better condition than they found it for future generations.
  
  
• Jesus Would NOT wear a triple decker crown, live in a princely palace in Rome, and hold out his hand to have people kiss an enormous gemstone on his finger as a greeting.
  Jesus would wear a crown of thorns, live the life of a modest carpenter, and greet his fellow human beings with a warm, friendly, "Hi, How are YOU"
  
  
• Jesus Would NOT encourage racial animosity.
  Jesus would teach us that all humanity are one and that racial differences are only skin deep, praising the goodness of the Good Samaritan over the highest ministers in the temple.
  
  
• Jesus Would NOT limit women's horizons and aspirations.
  Jesus would encourage women to become educated and to participate in all aspects of life to the fullest, for there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.

I could continue along these same lines by discussing foreign and domestic policy initatives by our current administration. But I think you get the drift of my message.

Jesus of Nazareth's message was NOT to bring comfort and aid to the rich and powerful, but rather to empower the downtrodden and to bring social justice to the sick, the defenseless, and those most despised and oppressed by society. He was born of an unmarried, uneducated, peasant girl, probably just beyond the age of puberty (for it was the custom of the time to marry girls off shortly after puberty). In her own time, she was probably thought of in little higher regard than that of a slave. Yet, she was not of too humble an origin to give birth to one of the most influential people ever to have walked upon the face of the earth; a man that many claim to be divine.

Jesus would NOT be a Republican and Jesus would be a die-hard, liberal democrat. But these messages are messages you will not hear from televangelists, TV and radio "news commentators," and captains of banking and industry. It is time for liberal Democrats to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?"
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I really think Jesus would be an independent. Unfortunately, this would exclude him from participating in US presidential debates... which is potentially the most delicious of ironies.

Other interesting discussions/articles about the topic:

• Is Jesus a Democrat?
• The weak link in Bush's triad: Jesus is a Democrat
• Democrats, Jesus & the Bible
  
  Comments and discussions are most welcome!
  
  

First Freedom First petition

I just signed the First Freedom First petition -- about the importance of safeguarding separation of church and state and protecting religious liberty. The founders of our nation believed that all Americans should have the right to worship according to their own beliefs, or not to worship at all. It was so important to them that they placed it in the first sentence of the Bill of Rights.

I believe that religion is a deeply personal matter and that Americans must be free to practice their religion without coercion. Simply put, there must be a separation of church and state.

I know that we agree about the importance of these issues, so I hope that you will ACT NOW, like I just did. Be a part of First Freedom First.

Sign the petition and encourage others to join you. Together, we will send a powerful and resounding message -- safeguard the first freedom! Please visit the website below and join me in standing up for this fundamental American freedom.

http://www.firstfreedomfirst.org/

Illustration Friday - Smoke

Cover and inside spread for America's Community Banker magazine. This was a combination of an oil painting scanned and then worked on top of in Illustrator. Then those Illustrator shapes are exported into Photoshop. I wanted to use the mediums for what they are best at.

Oils - natural texture, brush strokes
Illustrator - exact, sharp, easily edited detailed shapes with gradients
Photoshop - combining the two together, the smoke and final color adjustment.

Portfolio Show Tonight in Atlanta

I should have posted this sooner, but anyway. For all of you that are in the Atlanta area I will be showing my portfolio TONIGHT at The Defoor Center. I'd love to see any of you there. It's free with free food and drinks! You can't go wrong!

Members Portfolio Show Flaunts the Year's Best Work

See the creations of Atlanta's freelance community, enjoy hors d'ouevres and cocktails and mingle with your colleagues at the Freelance Forum's Members Portfolio Show.

Scheduled this year at The Defoor Center, this annual event features the work of illustrators, writers, designers, photographers and other creatives in a festive setting with lots of opportunities to eat, drink and wander. So whether you are looking to talk craft, check out the talent for an upcoming project or catch up with friends, the Members Portfolio Show is the place to be November 2.

Admission is FREE for members and guests; but only members may exhibit.

When: Thursday, November 2, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Where: The Defoor Centre
Address: 1710 Defoor Avenue, NW, Atlanta 30318
Admission: FREE for Members and Guests

Special Note on Parking
Please note the following free parking options for the Members Portfolio Show on Thursday, November 2, at the Defoor Centre:

Onsite at Defoor
Parking lot on the left before the Defoor Center (vacant business)
Along Taylor Street -- the first left after Defoor
At Wachovia Bank on Taylor Street

A security guard will be available to walk guests to and from their cars, if requested.

Get Directions to Defoore Centre

See you there!