TITLE: JESUS BROKE OUT the LAMBCHOP PUPPET and HIRED an ANGEL to TRY and CHEER UP a CLINICALLY DEPRESSED
PAUL
McCARTNEY
This is the largest painting in my studio in Colorado. It is over 5 feet high and 7 feet wide.
Thousands of collectors across the USA, Canada, and Europe own my work. Many celebrities also collect my work. Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Susan Sarandon Julia Roberts, Jimmy Vaughan and R.E.M. are just a few of my celebrity collectors.
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ARTIST'S DESCRIPTION OF PAINTING:
This
scenario from my imagination shows Jesus visiting a clinically
depressed Paul McCartney.
He is sitting on Paul's right side and slides a
Lamb chop Puppet in to Paul's peripheral field of vision.
Paul hasn't
bothered to get out of his robe.
His white socks dangle off the ends of
his toes.
He is depressed and disheveled.
On the wall behind him is the
cause of his plight...
Yoko...
(some say she
broke up the band)...
but I include here a good retort to that from two
anonymous writers via a Beatles fan site I visited recently--
these comments are in a small font---
"It's not that people think they wouldn't have
broken up because of her because their break up was inevitable. But
people just hate her. Like me, I can't stand her. Not because of what
she used to do, but because of what she's doing to Julian. For not
letting Cyn go to John's funeral. There are so many things people hate
her for... I agree that those are
terrible things, you are definitely right about that. I just get tired
of people blaming her specifically for the break-up, and that happens A
LOT. People have simplified it to that point. I’m not defending her as
an ideal person or anything, it’s just the scapegoating and the “Yoko”
trope (Ever been called a Yoko? Even without me saying anything, you all
know what that implies). Not to mention the misogyny and racism that
gets directed at her for no reason other than her proximity to John".
anyway----back to my painting....
Paul has taken a paint brush and scrawled a
big X through one of Yoko's pictures
and he has painted red "devils horns" on
another.
Below Paul's table is another picture of Yoko which he crumpled
up and threw on the floor.
to quote John Lennon on this topic- "I've always thought there was this underlying thing
in Paul's 'Get Back.' When we were in the studio recording it, every
time he sang the line 'Get back to where you once belonged," he'd look
at Yoko."
NOTE: I often mention that my paintings are often autobiographical in some odd way.
Maybe this piece is not only about Paul
but the angst I felt during the conception of the painting due to "faux friends" of mine.
on with the painting description----
Jesus likes Paul, so he hired an angel to
tidy up his apartment.
The
angel wears a Japanese robe and fuzzy fake leopard slippers.
She is turning
around to smile at the viewer as she sweeps the floor.
Jesus' expression
is slightly mischievous.
He knows that Paul doesn't want to communicate
directly-
so he moves the puppet's little lambswool mouth
and uses a
silly falsetto voice in an attempt to cheer Paul up.
Like many of my
paintings, there are elements within the piece that are
autobiographical.
The setting for this painting is the tiny living room
of an old house by a railroad that I rented while attending Graduate
School.
My beloved old German shepherd (Zoe) lies on her old blue mat at
Paul's feet.
A couple of my other Beatles paintings are displayed on
the living room walls. The big Lazy-boy chair is one I found at
Goodwill.
The green and white 50's hassock and old floral covered chair
(far right) I found at yard sales.
The purple drapes and painted wooden
"stage" base were not actual to my little house
but I added them near
the completion of the painting to give the piece a stage presence -
(yes, all the world is a stage...).
The piece is the largest painting of
my career.
The figures appear practically life sized.
I felt that the
drapes and faux stage would visually invite the viewer into another
world
(one where Jesus takes the time to cheer up one of the world's
most famous rock stars).
This compels me to mention the deeper meaning
behind this piece.
Please allow me direct you to my graduate THESIS (see
paragraph and link below).
It will explain more about my quest to paint Jesus
the way I see him
(in real time- with real emotions- interacting with
people throughout the world regardless of their situation, status,
problems, biases).
What are the emotions Jesus displays toward Paul?
Maybe those emotions include a quirky combination of compassion, wit and
humor.
By the way, my THESIS makes a good case for wit and humor being
classified as emotions.
For an overview of my Graduate Thesis please read the
paragraph below.
and here's a link to my THESIS
KATA'S GRADUATE THESIS PAPER
overview: ABOUT MY GRADUATE THESIS:
The goal of my Graduate Thesis was to portray Jesus in real time and
with the full gamut of emotions in twenty first American culture. Some
may find the above painted scenario frivolous. Please remember it is
only ONE example of the goal of my THESIS (to show Jesus as an emotional
being). One painting can not show ALL the span of emotions. As I
mentioned in the preceding paragraph, I chose to show Jesus' humor, wit,
satire and compassion in this scene. The piece also expressed (for me)
Jesus' ability to cross time and culture lines. This is where my
work becomes serious behind a seemingly frivolous facade. overview: ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AMERICANS FACE: America has been known for its frivolity over the past few decades. The eighties was known as the "me" generation and was a time for getting rich from empty dot coms. The people
of many countries have recently experienced much
graver conditions than most Americans- but Americans may soon know the
dangers and challenges which much of the rest of the world understands.
The American economy is in serious trouble. We have exported some of the
things we Americans do best (invention and production). Our textile mills are only one of the hundreds of industries that are now based overseas. Thomas Jefferson had
strong warnings for America if the majority of its citizens ever became
anything other than agrarian. He explained that this is the only way to
remain self sufficient and independent individually and as a nation. The
twentieth century witnessed bizarre measures to break apart the family
farm. Crazy things happened- like our Government paying subsidies for farmers NOT
to produce. Many of our elected officials are driven my greed and a lust
for power. They have created new credos of policing other countries
and now declare wars without the proper Constitutional "permission". This alone
engenders much of the disdain we Americans encounter by the rest of the
world. One third of American homes are in foreclosure, millions of
Americans have been robbed of their savings and pensions by greedy
elites and bankers. Although in some ways we Americans have grown up
like children, we have not been immune to suffering. Our suffering has
been more of the silent type. The statistics in our country show very
high rates of sexual and spousal abuse. Our enlisted men and women are
suffering record levels of post traumatic stress and suicide. Therefore
the point of this painting remains: no matter the tribe or tongue we
come from, Jesus sees, cares, and is ready to become the type of friend
we need Him to be. He is ready and able to heal a leper, or to befriend a
depressed rock star. I have painted more "serious" paintings but they
can be perceived as "preachy" in our post-Christian culture.
to read recent press about this painting follow the purple link directly below-
Interview with Kata Billups, the artist behind "Jesus Broke Out the Lambchop Puppet and Hired an Angel to Try and Cheer Up a Clinically Depressed Paul McCartney."
www.fuse.tv/ 2012/ 05/ meet-the-woman-behind-the-177-000-jesus/ paul-mccartney-painting - Proxy - Highlight
ARTIST's TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION :
1. This
Original painting is entirely hand painted (by me of course) on heavy
cotton canvas. It was painted during the second year of my time in
Graduate School (while receiving my M.F.A.).
It is signed and dated
2004.
2. The medium used is
acrylic on canvas. Acrylic paints are now equal to or superior to oil paints. If the acrylic paint is a high quality pigment (such as the ones I use) the longevity and steadfastness are often superior to oil paints. A little known fact about oil paint is if the artist does not have decades of experiencing with the medium- oil paint can easily crack and chip after about a decade. This is due to the improper mixing of the drier and other mediums in the oil paint itself.
DETAILS about ART WORK, FRAME and SHIPPING:
1. The painting measures 66" high and 88" across.
2. The frame will be of extremely high quality and will cost over 2,000
dollars.
If the buyer prefers the piece to be unframed I will stretch the piece on 4" to 6" WIDE stretcher bars and
paint the sides per the buyers instructions. This will be a "gallery wrap" style of framing.
3. If
the buyer wants the piece sent to a destination within the 48 United
States of America I will stretch and frame the work and transport it by
commercial freight service.
4. If the buyer wants the piece shipped to a destination outside of the 48 Continental United States I will ship the painting - properly rolled into a cylindrical shape- and inside a wooden box.
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