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MJ Tribute 12" x 12" Oil on Canvas

Michael Joseph Jackson

August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

A tribute piece to honor the "King of Pop," ...culture.

enjoy  :)

~ J

The Self Fullfilling Prophecy 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas

I have been saying it for a long time... the truth is in the message.   Everyone loves to listen to Pac, but how many actually hear the messages?!

"Changes"

Come on come on
I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal to brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.
"It's time to fight back", that's what Huey said.
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead.
I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
Learn to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.
And that's how it's supposed to be.
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
but things changed, and that's the way it is


Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
aww yeah


I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...
let's erase the wasted.
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right.
'Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight.
And only time we chill is when we kill each other.
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.
And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.
But some things will never change.
Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game.
Now tell me what's a mother to do?
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you.
You gotta operate the easy way.
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way.
Sellin' crack to the kids. "I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is.




We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive.



And still I see no changes. Can't a brother get a little peace?
There's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.
But now I'm back with the facts givin' 'em back to you.
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up.
You gotta learn to hold ya own.
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone.
But tell the cops they can't touch this.
I don't trust this, when they try to rush I bust this.
That's the sound of my tool. You say it ain't cool, but mama didn't raise no fool.
And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped and I never get to lay back.
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the payback.
Some buck that I roughed up way back... comin' back after all these years.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. That's the way it is. uhh


Some things will never change


~Tupac Shakur  (Bishop from the movie Juice)

Chesshire Rodgers Portrait 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas

I am almost positive this was the first black and white portrait I produced, but its been more than a few years since so some fog remains.  The pressure was on to make it right since, umm, yea she is my wife lol.  Even my instructor reminded me daily to not screw this one up since this could bring on a lifetime of friction. Ha! Didn't matter in the end, I still shined, and I enjoyed painting this one.  I love this woman's swag and this picture emphasized that beautiful, quiet, confidence that always drew me to her.  This proudly hangs next to a picture that my father created and always serves as a good source of inspiration.  This one is absolutely not for sale, so if u thinkin bout it... ya better git it out ya mind! lol  :)  

James Brown 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas

James Brown, the true godfather of funk.  One of my third paintings under the black and white value concept.  The main focus was that you could visaully see music, if ever there was a thing, but to convey a sense of almost hearing the music, or rather his vioce, come right through the painting.  I think it was a successful feat in that regard.  But mostly what was so important to my growth as a fine artist, was that when I finally sold this one, I got exactly what I asked.  No one tried to gas me up and get a deal or swindle me out of the time, energy, work, creativity I put into it.  This turned my confidence up a notch, to now was I not only painting with bolder strokes, but I knew that if the content spoke volumes by itself, than overall, the art will sell itself.  The artist can now dettach from what he birthed, by way of compesation for the aforementioned traits.  The gentleman just knew that his son would love this so much and it was perfect for a Christmas gift, as his son loves music, so this one became a game changer.  I saw the man who purchased this about a year later and he thanked me and said his son loves it and is inspired by it.  waa-laa!  like magic!  I stood in faith that someone would come along and fully appreciate the art for what it was and how it could amplify a part of their own lives to the extent that they would reciprocate value in kind to hold ownership... and what do you know?! Milestone!

Commissioned Portrait 12" x 12" Oil on Canvas

Portrait I did for a friend of mine, his mom.  Beautiful woman, I'm sure, never got to meet her but that was what I tried to convey here.  I think it turned out great! Shout out to  Eric G!  He turned me into a believer of his skillset (my dude throws down in the kitchen!), so naturally I had to make a believer out of him in my own skillset and it worked.  One hand washes the other.... 

Chris Farley 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas

Chris Farley was a clown.  Just look at him... doesn't he look like he is about to pop a corn?!  Hilarious, and he wasn't afraid to laugh at himself.  How poetic.  This was not really that hard to complete probably because my use of negative space and it was done in the midstream of my black and white value studies.  Honestly, if there is a relative connection to the content, the journey to completion is a breeze (most of the time lol).  *Oh and on a side note, an artist friend of mine complemented me on my portrait of Rob Ford.  Aaah man, I almost busted a stitch once I found out who Rob Ford is.  Clearly, he knew it was Chris Farley, so the joke was perfect and if you have been following the news, I'm sure you know who Rob Ford is too.  rofl

Winter Landscape 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas with Gesso

More of what I like to call, re-recycled art, because just about all art is recycled at some point, is it not?! So This was something completely different, not even sure what it used to be, in hindsight.  Anyway, I still covered the canvas in different areas with the Gesso and gave it a bit of time to dry.  After that, I pretty much manipulated the painting over the textured portions to that of a mountainous pass, which turned out to only be a fraction of the reference picture I used.  The happy accident that occured was turned into the textured clouds up top, and everything just kind of came together.  Word, more texture! 

Jim Leyland Portrait 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas

Painted this for fun stemming from an idea I gathered while watching some good ol' Detriot Tiger baseball with a good friend of mine, I swear looks just like Jim Leyland.  It could be the six degrees of seperation theory into play here, so that gave me more motivation to produce a painting like this so I good pick with him and hold a figurative mirror up to his face.  We both got a good chuckle from it and now that he is the owner, the coincidence and the legend continues on... priceless!

Grand Canyon 24" x 30" Oil on Canvas with Gesso

Kinda funny how this one came about.  This is actually a recycled canvas, meaning it used to be something else entirely.   First, I just splashed a bunch of gesso on the canvas in the areas of rock formations from the reference picture I found.  But get this, I found the reference picture (the poster) in an old frame from the thrift store. You know, those seemingly random beautiful scenery's, where you get a little excited to think about hanging it up somewhere in your house, only pull it forward to reveal 50 more behind it, exactly the same and at a bargain price! lol  ...I guess, it is re-recycled art.  Oh the irony.  Anyway, the Gesso I placed before I began to paint, is really the texture that you might faintly see.  So word, mines got texture!  :)

Richard Pryor 18" x 24" Oil on Canvas

Really enjoyed doing this one, I mean, check out the look on his face?! haha ridiculous and pulled no punches, just called it like he seen it.  Genius, troubled, addict, kept a fire burning from within to spit something real to the world... a few of the many traits seem to plague those who shoot to superstar status in a stupid, fast time period.  My cousin is now the proud owner (shout out EII!) of this one, of which I'm confident, enhances and amplifies his mancave all that much more.  ;)

Erykah Badu "22 x "28 Oil on Canvas

One of my favorite black and white studies.  Soul music... if ever there was a picture to represent it properly, this is defintely it, within the realm of the more current artists... plus, I dig her swag.  I already thought that the original image was dynamic in its own right, but nevertheless, I sought to put my own spin on it, so I changed up the microphone to something that was a bit less phallic in shape (lol, you know, for class etiquette puropses) and basically cropped enough to still maintain the same feel but more forced in a black and white scope.  ..and so the emphasis remains on the look.  Compelling, or like we say in the streets, all the way charged!

Miguel Cabrera 24" x 48" (huuuge) Oil on Canvas

Not much to say about this one except that the motivation behind it was formed during his record breaking triple crown run.  It serves as a bonus that Miguel represents the D, but in essence, this guy just loves the game. Quoted as saying, "I like to play.." the man went on to brake records and make baseball history as the first player since the 50's to earn the triple crown, which is leading all of baseball in RBI's, homeruns and batting average..  Helluva feat! Go Tigers!  :)


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The 1000 Yard Stare - Self Portrait 24" x 36" Oil on Canvas

This one was done to fill a time crunch, under pressure of a deadline for a final critique that was happening, literally, in like two days.  Also, it was birthed out of the frustration I felt attempting to gain ground in this art game that seems to be lead by an extremely snobbish, narrow-sighted, greedy, often watered-down and rather foolish culture.  Maybe I should tell you how I really feel!?  No offense to any big wigs in the art game, thats just how I percieved things during this period. :)

Marilyn Monroe 22" x 28" Oil on Canvas

The look of contemplation is what really tempted me in this one and credit to my wife for helping me narrow it down to this one.  The idea that I would tweak the black and white value scale with a sepia-like overtone is what really set this one off.  This is a newer painting, created just last year and is still available. Not much else to say, everything is laid before you...eat up.

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Billie Holiday 18" x 24" Oil on Canvas

Interesting piece once again, as the focus was on value shifts and contrast that creates an illusion of close vs far away, also referred to as light vs dark.  This painting in particular, was more so, a learning process and created during the time I had begin to work different perspectives.  Overall, it took me about 10 months (in cumulative degrees) to finish. I managed to force myself to accept mistakes push through these new and difficult areas.  The angle that her head is tilted creates a dynamic feeling, that made it almost vital to hit the mark, so to speak.  The subject matter became of interest primarily because I wanted to tackle something with more of an ol skool feel, so in my researching, I ran across the lyrics to a song by the name of "Strange Fruit," in which she sang.  Interesting, not only because of the time frame, but the "Strange Fruit," referred to  Black people that had been lynched.  Those who were cursed to hang from a tree, hence the stange fruit.

 "Strange Fruit"

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin' eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

Powerful!

Biggie Smalls is the Illest! Biggie portrait 22" x 28"

The concept behind this painting was primarily derived from the study of light. Values contrasted with each other, light against dark, etc... But do you see how the influential aspect of the subject matter involves an icon in with a steady flow of music would have a direct influence on the content?  Powerful, to say the least.  I think the boldness of the look is regarded in the painting and any musical influence creates a feeling of.. "yea, this is definitely the Notorious B.I.G., definitely!"

Uuh Huuh...

Kids Sharing Ice Cream - Oil On Canvas 24" x 30"

Prior Commissioned work

The subject matter was somewhat difficult to compose together, in the beginning.   A summation of both classes, because there had been so much information with so many questions going in and an even greater amount upon the conclusion of the two, I had to think objectively and with abstraction as well.  So after a few weeks of letting the idea percolate, as you so cleverly put it, I came up with an idea.  I even looked into the word percolate and surprisingly, what I gathered was "..to extract the essence," so I choose the subject matter of kids sharing ice cream.  

            This just really got to the root of everything and was simple enough to make enough of a splash that the reverbs within the heart of the message will echo continuously throughout time.    With that in mind, I looked for an image that contained a bit of that "essence" and how fitting in which I found a reference photo so intricate with intermixing,  that it obtained different genders and races all compacted into this one picture of a little girl and a little boy sharing ice cream.  The awesome that is already prevalent in the child before the indoctrination of a shared and possibly biased ideology.   Engineered  with gender specificity in mind, as children are adopted into gender specific roles at very early ages, I wanted to highlight the colors of their shirts as the process of socialization had already begun, but only to the point of apparel, as innocence and impartiality still remained.   Notice the expression upon the kids faces, which is always open to interpretation within any art form, but to me, the only concern is getting enough ice cream, or rather getting a taste. 

            Powerful and profound I found the image, and immediately I knew I had to transform this concept into a painting infused with my own style and spirit (and quite possibly a few bits of my cat's hair).  Which I'm quite sure if you look closely enough, you will find all three!  :)

            Thank you Deb for this opportunity and for opening my eyes to the world, society and a purpose driven future.  You told us truth, exposed our history and in doing so, moved me into a position to make an impact!  

~ I deeply respect and admire you,  sincerely,  Jamie Rodgers

Mat 19:14

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." *note Professor Deb Bishop @ LCC, has dared to become the one of the few people in my life who not only revealed to me truth, but showed me how to adjust my sails.  Here is to new horizons!

Tomorrow nightscape 24"x30" oil on canvas

For this painting, I emphasized the use of bold color in a landscape setting.  While the primary focus was on a wide range of color, how I used this color and the feeling that is formed to the viewer is especially important.  My aim was to maintain the warm but rather vast and unknown feel overall.  Think of yesterday or tomorrow perhaps.  The possibilities are infite, endless, forever....  That is the mark I wanted to strive for within this landscape.  How do you feel when you view it?

*check out my color palletes

...intense!