“The Fine Art of Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously”
40” x 30”
Oil on stretched canvas
2008
Collection of private collector
 

“The Fine Art of Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously” came about with a conversation with my ex-girlfriend and the model for this painting.
  We were discussing how “political correctness” was getting out of control. She was talking about how she now had to eat her favorite fruit (watermelon) in private as to no facilitate the stereotype. About this time I stated that wished I could paint that image. No sooner did I say it when I realized that I was now censoring myself.
  The next day I went out and picked out a watermelon and rode it home in a backpack on my old rat motorcycle (not an easy task in itself). I should have known right then that this was going to be an interesting experience.
  We sat her out on a sleeping bag in my back yard and let her at it. She devoured half a watermelon as I shot pictures and her enjoyment is evident in the painting.
  I know that people were going to view the image in a negative light so I had to make sure that people the people would possibly be upset by the image they wouldn’t be able to blame me for weak technique. This was quite a challenge.
  I could have down played the image and maybe just hinted the Vanessa was eating that particular fruit but this wasn’t an image for the spineless. So I just based the image that I would use purely on composition and other factors that would mediate any other image. 
 The painting process went smoothly doing a full under drawing until it stood on its own and then moving on to painting. There were no major problems although painting her dark skin was something I wasn’t used to.
  I did use different web servers to post progress images as I worked on the project, this is were things got interesting. It seems the closer that the image got to completion the quicker the web servers would delete the image.
  I knew why they were deleting the image. I didn’t go into this project not knowing what the opinions on it would be, but I didn’t expect them to censor the image before it was even close to completion.
  So I spent allot of time shuffling servers trying to feed the growing interest in the painting visible while I dealt with computer softies that felt the need to save society from the evil that I was painting…it was pathetic.
 I dealt with racists, liberals and people that viewed what I was doing as wrong. I also got allot of mail from Black people, but I didn’t receive one letter from any of them saying that they disapproved of what I was doing. As a matter of fact they supported it!
  Again I received offers to buy the painting before it was completed. After the 150 or so hours it took to complete it I answered the e-mails offering to by it. Unfortunately some wanted it for the wrong reason. Many were born and bred racists that thought it was funny. Their offers were declined. I knew what the image would lead people to believe they knew my views but they were dead wrong. The painting was meant to be controversial but not racist. The model was my ex-girlfriend so I’m obviously not racist.
  I finally found a buyer that knew what I was trying to do and they now own it.
  I realized that this image gave people just what they needed, an opportunity to get on their soapbox and yell to whoever would listen. The title came pretty easy after that.