I was reading a blog by FAN4YRS I Blame Sebulba earlier today. In it he had made a comment in relation to Anakin about how there are those of us who miss out on proper training because they pretend they understand instead of asking for anothers help. I could see that in Anakin. He always had a hard time taking criticism. Even when it was well justified. I fact it was always a personal attack in his eyes. Keeping him down and subservient to his teachers. To him everyone was snubbing their noses at lowly former slave from Tatooine.As I contemplated FAN4YRS blog I found a little of myself within the message there.

I was quiet and kept to myself as a child. This of course made me an easy target to the bullys, which seemed like everyone at times. (Sebulba being a bully to Ani and how it shaped him was also a part of the above mentioned blog). I don't ask for sympathy since I got over it a long time ago. They were kids after all. This made a difference not only in my early relationships but in how I took instruction. So on the one hand we had the unworthiness complex and on the other there is the I can do it better without you butting in syndrome. In college during a critique I had an instructor tell me I was one of the best self taught artists he had known. This was not necessarily a compliment. While it was an aknowledgement of my talent it was also a jibe telling me I could do better if I gave a better ear to my instructors. Perhaps, and I did take it to heart. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to prove ourselves, we forget to work towards improving ourselves. Its a lesson I still need to be reminded of at times. All we come across in our daily lives are gifts of information to learn or relearn this or that message, and I thank FAN4YRS for playing his part as messenger.

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For those who are interested in seeing my artwork. Here I have finally uploaded them to place I can share with you.

Journeys Part_3
Journeys_Sunset on the Prairie
Relativity of Focus
Presentation
Triad and Dichotomy_inquiry
The Teacher
Relativity of Good And Evil
Journeys Part_1
Journeys Part_2
Jim Rat Illustration

I will share others later if people seem to want more or as I do them. There are no Star Wars related works her. My artwork deals mostly with personal symbol narratives and spiritual ideals. Each element of the image has some meaning to me. Some are multi-level meanings. While there are my own motivations and meanings I invite the viewer to come to their own meaning of the narrative. I purposely create an uneasiness or something isn't quite right feeling in each piece. While they are a more realistic style, they have a feeling of being in a dream. Common elements within my work is a crow/raven, a wolf, bear, nature, a wotai stone(in this case a quartz crystal), my daughter or my wife.

The one cartoon image among them was done as an (paid) illustration for Rock & Ice Magazine. It was for some question and answer column.

Feel free to make comments.