About my Portrait of JD
January 23, 2025
This is a supplementary document providing historic information about my portrait of James Dean (the painting & prints). First, there are 2 small sets of non-standard, off-market, pre-publication prints, “edition variants” (EV) copies that were inappropriate for release in the final limited edition (LE) of 150 prints (in the “Remembering ~ B&W” series). Those copies will remain off-market non-LE prints, for use as gifts, etc.
The history of my portrait of JD (“Remembering”) and the print series began long before 2017. That year I decided to restart my art education, with the guidance and tutelage of Adam Grosowski. As part of the term final, our assignment was to do fast black & white paintings. If we wanted, my class-mates and I could choose to do renditions of “Xeroxed” copies of iconic images, of people, etc. So, among the many copies available, I saw and selected the copy of a photo of JD that still seems very rare. Clearly, the original photo was an enigmatic image of the charismatic actor. Dean’s emotive intensity and concentration were enhanced by the chiarascuro contrast of light and deep shadow. The project was very challenging for me, for several reasons. One was translating my Vision of the 8.5″ x 11″ copy of the photo to a much larger painting. Another issue was more difficult.
For example, most of my earlier work and background in the arts involved illustration, work with pen & ink, sketching, serigraphy, and graphic design. So, my JD portrait project was a huge leap beyond the artwork I did in the previous 40 years or so. Thus, my habitual “perfectionism” caused “mental blocks” that threatened to prevent accomplishing the mission (a painting done in about 4 hours). Luckily, Adam gladly helped me get my painting completed, with encouragement, advice, and a few exemplary brushstrokes.
Since 2017, my original painting remained at home, admired by many friends and acquaintances. In most of those years I focused on scientific research, political analysis, meta-economics, writing, and R&D of next-gen monetary technology. Yet, the image of JD’s intense concentration finally compelled me to share it with the world. Yes, the original painting included a bit of my mentor’s touch, energy, and magic, but many of the early works of the great renaissance masters were also influenced by their mentors and apprentice collaborators. Now though, modern “experts” consider “student works” with one touch of a mentor’s brush as not “the work” of an apprentice artist. So, re-did my portrait of JD, as a new, different work of digital art, appropriate for limited editions, for fine art collectors of our modern world.
Hence, the B&W series of prints (of “Remembering”) and all subsequent series, featuring my unique variations of the portrait (with colors etc.), are/will be my original works of art. For now, you can see a small lo-res watermarked version of the new JD portrait print at my “Michael’s *MAD Gallery” page.
Apology, Repenting, Etc.
January 20, 2025
Note: This revised apology was prompted by the seemingly bizarre or atrocious things that Pres. Trump has been saying and doing lately. It is not an excuse for either me or him. I hope this new version makes my reasons and the realities more easily understandable. ~ MM, 2/23/25
After Pres. Trump was re-elected I really woke up. I had been super-naive, unrealistic, a bit delusional, and foolish. I should have known that we would get what we deserve, more kleptopian kakistocracy and a President who could keep exposing the whole truth about all the depths of corruption infecting us. I now also see that I was wrong about Pres. Trump’s mentality and ethics. Clearly, he is the only one who could and would do what needs doing now, in this final phase of civilization’s Endgame, Technopoly. So, please disregard almost everything else I wrote about the President. Obviously, he deserves everything he’s got, is getting, and will keep getting while enjoying the perks (etc.) of office, and afterwards.
Oh, and I also realized that he is a Way greater actor than Ronald Reagan* and–being the uniquely, absolutely perfect, most realistic President for Kleptopia USA, as is–DJT really is our greatest President, “greater than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln” (etc.), as he said. They were imperfect Presidents, thus constrained. Now though, even when Pres. Trump says horrible or totally wacko sounding stuff, he’s doing a perfectly designed act, for the sake of motivating the perfect results, or the best possible results, faster than anyone else could or would. So, considering the super-mega-load of hate and derision he puts up with, he deserves a mega-Oscar Award or, maybe even to get a sainthood award from the Pope. He could even be considered a true Buddha, a real Awakener (in disguise).
Yes, I am still truly grateful that only Pres. Trump could and did wake me up to the ridiculous folly of me trying to help make America greater or better, wasting my precious time, energy, and opportunities. The “American” experiment with Madisonian representative democracy was clearly doomed from its defective beginning. Later, with lots of help from Hamilton (and us), The Fed finished it, proving that V.I. Lenin (the godfather of Russian totalitarianism) was right:
“The surest way to destroy a capitalist democracy is to debauch its currency (i.e., its money system).”
Yep, if the ever-expanding flow of The Fed’s play-money is the blood of American-style capitalist society, this one’s got stage-4 leukemia. Oh, BTW, if the rule of law, judges, law officers and National Guard troops are a society’s immune system, then this one was dying of psycho-social AIDS long before Pres. DJT was elected (the first time).
So, I also owe thanks to President Trump for absolute proof that–from before the US Constitution was signed–the elitists who created and control The Fed (etc.) were planning and doing what it took to get us here. Now, I can and will get back to working on art and writing, especially fiction and fantasy, the most popular, most profitable products in America (and the world). Oh, seriously, I do not want any of this little apology to be misconstrued as a sly/stealthy critique of Pres. Trump and his cunning backers. They really deserve being among the All-Time Winners of the last Winners Take All world-game. Yes, and to prove my sincerity, I will devote some of my Work to immortalizing them and their historic exceptionalism in future paintings and CGI video artworks (maybe somewhat after the manner of Dali, or Picasso).
* Note: Reagan only needed to fake sincerity and Neo-con Americanism; and, while acting like a good guy (who loved “small government”) he enabled a 300% increase of US government (making Pres. Johnson’s expansion of USA.gov look modest). Also, using what Pres. Bush-1 called “Voodoo economics” Reagan’s regime set the stage for the economy and politics of today, enabling and requiring what only Pres. Trump can and will do for America and global Technopoly.
Michael Lucas Monterey: Creative Evolutionary 