IF Rain

"Rain" for Illustration Friday.

IF Dance

This is my Illustration Friday "Dance". I originally made it in a small painting I did years ago. I love cultural anthropolgy.

Tulips

These were birthday flowers my neighbors gave me. Really beautiful.

Jungle

This is my Jungle for Illustration Friday.

My original idea was for a vine going around and around and coming out the eye of the skull. Skulls just seem to belong in jungles. Maybe dead things where they fell. This is a monkey skull which seemed all the more appropriate.

I really saw the need for dying as well as green leaves. Like the eyes and the skull they represent the cycles of life.

The bloom are a styalized hibiscus, one of my favorite tropical flowers.

The bugs are fashioned after a real insect of the Amazon.

And I like the movement of little snakes across the bottom. To me, both the snakes and the bugs seemed to be headed somewhere.

I think the eyes could be both eyes of the jungle looking out and eyes of the viewer trapped amoung this verdant activity.

"Shaman"

This is a combination of things. The background is a round piece of wood used by my late friend Tim Box as a sculpting base. the painting is mine. The wings Tim took from his dead bird and sprayed them gold.

During my young army daze

This must have been taken around the beginning of the seventies. This is post Viet Nam and pre Europe.

About our Hero

John was born in a clinic over a hardware store in northeast Texas. His mother was a seamstress and his dad was a carpenter. His grandfather was one of the last blacksmiths in West Texas. Highpoints of his high school career were winning best actor in a regional high school competition and portraying Leo the Lion, the costumed school mascot. He was Mr. School Spirit in his senior class. John has a long career as a social activist.
In 1978 he served as Co-Chair of the Gay Pride Parade. His editorial cartoons have appeared in the San Diego City College FortKnightly newspaper.
He served as President of the San Diego Veterans Association. With other gay veterans led the revival of San Diego’s Veterans Day Parade after its 40 year absence. He coordinated the first years parade.
He has worked as a Benefits Counselor at the Center for Social Services. He has also served a Vice-Chair and Quality Assurance Chair of the HIV Consumer Council.
He has coordinated the Scott Carlson Thanksgiving Dinner several times.
In 2002, John received a Special Commendation from City Councilmember Toni Atkins for being named Volunteer of the Year by the Consumer Council.
He has been a member of the staff of the Strength for the Journey retreat since 1992 and served as their Dean for three years. He is currently a volunteer Peer Advocate at Being Alive.
This summer, John is a Co-Coordinator of the Art of Pride Exhibition and a planner of the Interfaith Pavilion, both venues inside San Diego’s LBGT Pride Festival.