Original Drawing GIVEAWAY!

By way of appreciation I will be giving away one of my original drawings to one of my Facebook fans! (CONTEST RULES BELOW)

In this contest I will give away the ORIGINAL CONCEPTUAL DRAWING for my painting, “The Forgotten Man.”  This drawing will be popular among collectors for its uniqueness.  You can see all my notes including each of the president’s heights and how I changed a few things as the painting progressed.  I figured those who take the time to enter this contest are deserving of the prize. Good Luck!

 Here is a zoomed in view of the drawing

Click image to enlarge

ONE PRIZE WILL BE AWARDED:
…the original “Conceptual Drawing for The Forgotten Man” accompanied by a written note authenticating the drawing and a few personal comments from myself.

TO ENTER:

*First, Sign up as a follower on my http://twitter.com/mcnaughtonart.  If you are not a member of Twitter yet SIGN UP.  Then write a short note under WHAT”S HAPPENING? that says the following…This painting of Obama and the presidents shows what is happening in America today! http://tinyurl.com/2fwqk4b

* Second, simply write something on this post about the Forgotten Man painting. Write your Twitter name so I can recognize you for the contest!

*Giveaway will be closed by January 28th, (Friday) and the winner will be announced on Saturday, January 29, 2011.

NOTE: We will use a computerized random number picker to choose the winner. I will do similar contests in the future to give away more original drawings. I don’t expect huge numbers of people to enter…so your chances may be better than average. Good luck!

Outside of the Box

A few days ago a young man visited with me in my gallery.  He declared that he was an atheist and that God could not exist because of all the ugliness in the world.  He had experienced a hard life and was filled with anger.  “Why should I believe in God?’ he exclaimed.  

Click on image to view short video

He had mentioned that he was a movie enthusiast, so I thought to remind him of the movie Gladiator. (One of my favorites)  Remember the beginning scene, just as he is about to go to war, Maximus smiles as he sees the bird singing on a branch near him.  He managed to find beauty in the midst of ugliness.  He then rubs his hands in the dirt and smells it to remind him of his home and family as he is about to go to battle.  In a world of chaos it is important to find the beauty and remember what is truly important. 

In my life I have chosen to view the world around me as if I’m outside of the box looking in.  This means that I don’t allow “the world” to decide who I will become.  I have chosen to create a world which is centered in God, family, country and all the things that are beautiful.  Although I recognize that there is chaos and ugliness in the world, I choose to FOCUS on the beauty which is around me.  And having room for God in your life opens the door to all things beautiful!

Remembering to stay “outside the box” is helpful in many ways.  If I receive praise or if I receive ridicule it is unimportant unless there is something to learn from it.  I don’t worry about what people think of me.  Only what the Lord thinks of me is important.  If I can make a difference, I will do it.  

Perhaps this perspective has helped to develop my sensitivity as an artist, but it also has helped me to draw closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I believe that God loves all of us and that there is a purpose that guides the affairs of men.  I believe that when we put our faith and trust in God, it elevates our spirits and we find ourselves capable to go beyond our physical efforts.  You might say we lay the foundation for miracles!   But God never forces us; it is a matter of choice. 

Although life is hard and sometimes cruel, if you view your experiences from “outside the box” looking in, I believe you will be able to see the divine purpose in your life.  You will find the world is more beautiful than you can imagine.

Jon McNaughton's Original Drawing GIVEAWAY!

We have a winner!  I want to thank all who participated in our contest for the original drawing of "Head Study of Christ."  I was emotionally moved as I read some of your posts regarding my work and this image.  I certainly have some of the best fans in the world!  I wish I could have given each of you one of my originals.  I plan to continue to give more of my drawings away over the coming weeks, so many of you will have a chance to win.  The winner of the contest is listed below...

The winner is.......TJ- Jen Bennett


(Why did I do this contest?)

A friend of mine suggested that I should give away some of these drawings to people who would really appreciate them.  This is one of the drawings from my personal files and it is a treasure to me.  I figured those who take the time to enter this contest are deserving of the prize.  

NOTE:  We will use a computerized random number picker to choose the winner.  I will do similar contests in the future to give away more original drawings.  I don’t expect huge numbers of people to enter…so your chances may be better than average.  Good luck in the future!

The Words We Speak

I was in my gallery last Friday and heard a couple of complaints about the painting “The Forgotten Man.”  One woman said, “I like all your paintings in the gallery except one…it is just too sad.  He’s the president of the United States!  He shouldn’t be painted like that!”

My response was, “Yes, I agree.  It is very sad.  It is VERY SAD. But we should not be quiet about these kind of things.  I knew when I painted this picture that people would react differently.  I hope people will wake up to the situation we are now facing.”

Click on Image to view full painting.

A black man came in and was angry how President Obama was portrayed in the painting. “You are obviously racist.  You even have a white man on the bench.  All the white presidents and Obama with his back turned to them.  This is very offensive!”  He then walked out.

In my mind, people who call out “racism” are usually the ones who look at the world through the prism of race.   Only about 15% of Americans are black.  If I had put a black man on the bench it would have immediately become a statement of race.  The fact that Obama is black only has meaning to those who wish to make it so. 

The forgotten man on the bench simply represents all Americans of every gender, color and race who may not have the same opportunities in the future because of unconstitutional acts imposed upon us by Obama and previous presidents.  The painting would have been silly had I put every gender and race sitting on that bench. 

The words people speak can be so revealing.  In the last few months since this painting's release I have been accused of everything you can imagine for speaking my mind through this painting.  Based on the positive and negative reactions which I have received, I think the painting has been a success.  If it causes people to think and feel, then it is successful.

Touched By The Scriptures

This elderly gentleman lives not too far from me. He is always friendly and kind and willing to share his love for the Savior with any who will listen. As I was modeling him for this painting I said, “imagine you are reading your scriptures and you feel something special burning inside you witnessing to you that what you are reading is true. At this moment the Lord Himself is sitting beside you and touches you on your shoulder. “ As I posed my model I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strong that both my model and I began to cry. I know that my Savior lives and that by reading His Holy words we can draw closer to Him. This dear gentleman has been an avid hiker his entire life, so I felt it was appropriate to place him in a scene where he is resting on a bench somewhere in the mountains. It is toward the end of his journey and his map and compass are close beside him—just as the scriptures are our map and compass to lead us through the journey of life.

 

Click on image to enlarge