Queen Angeline  {detail}, 3.5 x 13.5 inches

STATEMENT

{short version}*

I draw. I am self taught. I have always drawn portraits since my youngest days. I prefer to draw with pencil & ballpoint pen on paper, polished ivory, polished clay or polished ostrich egg shell. I have never considered marketability as part of the equation in the creation of art, only technical virtuosity was considered {plus content now} in an attempt to surpass anything known to man in this arena {drawing}.

In the realm of artistic endeavor, I sought to achieve a timeless beauty whereby even the ancients would be appreciative of my efforts.

And yes, as far as I or anyone else who is familiar with the history of Portrait Miniatures or Photorealism is concerned, these works appear to stand unparalleled in the History of Art.

I prefer not to get on my own soapbox, but considering there are competitions for Frog Jumping, Frisbee Throwing, Violin, Piano, Singing, Dancing, Fishing, Air Guitar, Lip Synching, Trivia, Bowling, Running, Jumping, Eating, Dog Beauty, Dog Jumping, Dog Ugliness, Horseshoes, Off Roading, Chess, Checkers, Slot Cars, Hitting Golf Balls, Drag Racing, Bad Cooking, Poetry, Spelling, Trivia Spewing, Rap, Beauty and pretty much everything else under the sun, and NO SERIOUS COMPETITIONS for Drawing, NO INTERNATIONAL ART FAIRS open to individual artists and NO FINE ART REPS {+/-}, then, well, I have to get on that soapbox on occasion. There are, more than likely, more people who draw than in any of these other avenues of pursuit, and yet, it is a cultural deprivation zone here in the USA when it comes to the ARTS, especially for those who wish to Master & Exhibit their craft of drawing. There are those countries who choose to

look at their prized artists as Living National Treasures

and who cherish the opportunity to behold artistic expression in all of it’s glorious diverse forms, especially those Arts which have been mastered over a lifetime.

Art is the last realm for Freedom of Expression

and this is why Uncle Sam {the Constitution is foundational & permanent, the elected officials are the temporal ones} fears the Intellectual Dissident who freely speaks their mind. Change is coming and it will be for the better, here in the USA.

*HERE IS THE LONG VERSION

Chuck Bowden
Artist's Statement, Long Version

From at least 1965, when I was 7 years old, I knew I was amongst a society of grownups seriously depraved of brains awake enough to recognize the realities of life here on earth...Everywhere this was self evident,

grownups had devolved to become derelict of their born inherent potential for greatness,

not only this, but grownups had come to love and embrace the most unnatural, inhumane and hideous traits plausibly capable by any human being, which is to say, Americans had accepted these traits as being inevitable as tomorrow's sunrise.....From those early days I realized 

the majority of grownups were seriously delusional and willfully negligent

of the sentient integrity, logic, decency, compassion and humanity we, each and every one of us, are born with...Why or how grownups were led astray as to worship the most despicable traits of humankind was not my original interest...

From the beginning of these early observations, I decided I would crush their idiotic theories, their  ill-conceived  inclinations to embrace the worst traits a human being can exhibit...I would not do this with words, but with evidentiary proof,

in the form of Art

which would awaken every mind which beheld these creations to a realization of the nonsensical irrationality of their former beliefs...

A realization that the human spirit is capable of a beauty and magnificence far beyond the theoretically flawed and uninspired model of the human condition dogmatically implied by this confused society...With my hands I would

create a timeless beauty beyond words

in the simplest of mediums, pencil and ball point pen on paper, exceeding what anyone imagined was possible...For as far as I was concerned, the dead end dreams of grownups needed an awakening one way or another and I for one would not go through this life without at least trying my best to

bring to fruition a form of enlightenment

all could gain from and share for the betterment of each of our tomorrows...

For Art, especially in combination with Intellectual Dissidence,

has no limitations, and all the

nay-sayers,

dogmatists,

defeatists,

pessimists

and fascist inbreds

will have no dictatorial guardianship over where what and how one creates art, for art is the rare avenue undictated by others expectations, idiocies, laws, rules, regulations and mandates...Where

potential is only limited by the mind from which it springs

and so, with my pencil in hand a timeless magnificence would be revealed as

a symbolic inference of the overall potential existent in all of mankind,

and in essence, helping to crush the grownup theories of the evils of the human soul, crushing the nay-sayers, the defeatists, the dooms-dayers, the war apologists, the delusional, and in general all grownup negativity which seeks to bring down the spirit of

we who love this earth and life itself...

The fact that it was me alone versus the world of grownup idiots {see Useful Idiots here} was of little consequence for I was undeterable and knew with the strength of my convictions, that

each and every one of us is a miracle in disguise,

born with an existent love aspiring to achieve a harmonious co-existence amongst all races here on Earth, and the fact that the majority of American grownups had devolved to embrace

compartmentalized irrationalities

promoting paranoia of enemies around every corner,

was of course more of a byproduct of a handful of mentally and emotionally bankrupt

Unenlightened Men

who were and are cowards in power

and therefore, did not deflect one iota from the fact of our born inherent compassion and care for our fellow human beings which

resonates alive at this very moment in the hearts of us all....

Oh, sure, early on my thoughts were a little more minimalistic and simplistic, but the energy and spark and spirit was there just as well and since those early observations of society, little has been noted which has led me to believe that the mental dark ages isn't still shrouding this land...The success of the current crop of Mansonites (Charles Manson) in Washington D.C.

(Obama & gang)

is in no way different than when

swingin'-King-George-Junior-Of-The Jungle-Bush

was in there bombing New York City, Iraq and Afghanistan, or when read-my-lips-daddy-Bush was in there bombing Panama and Iraq, or when Clinton was in there burning men women and children alive in Waco, TX and bombing Oklahoma City, or when Reagan was in there selling arms to terrorists and murdering peasants and priests in mass in Central America, or when Carter was in there turning the other cheek while U.S. weapons were being used to slaughter millions in East Timor or when Nixon was in there bombing the hell out of South East Asia and sending tens of thousands of young American men to an early grave or when

L.B. Johnson was in there having just helped orchestrate

the assassination of President J.F. Kennedy

and starting the illegal Wars upon Vietnam...You see, tyranny depends on

mass gullibility

whereby spun-doctored propaganda is spoon-fed to the masses and the majority well, hell, they go right along with the song and dance routine

never asking one single solitary question...

And as easy as any 5th grader could identify the idiotic flaws and Three Stooges screw-ups of the two biggest stories of the past 50 years - the J.F.K. assassination by rogue elements of the U.S. Government and the 9-11-2001 Inside-Job-Orchestrated  Bombing of NYC, the majority of Americans just as easily choose to remain gullible and sleep walk through the official explanations swallowing the lies hook, line, sinker, pole and Spin-Doctoring Propagandist without missing a beat...You see, independent spirit, integrity, fortitude, and

curiosity appears dead in the majority of Americans

and the tyrants,

they're jumping for joy planning the next series of atrocities

(Operation 9-11-2001 was originally called Operation North Woods written some 50 years ago)...And the avenue of freedom, where creative endeavors take place on screen, on stage, in museums, in galleries, in books and other forums, where a stance can be taken and freely expressed

exposing the Masonites and sadists and paranoids in power in Washington D.C.,

instead have been infested by cowards more concerned with the long term interests of Banksters,

War Mongers,

False Flaggers,

Hegelian Numbskullers

and the fatness of their wallet, than with enriching any long term interests or lives of

We the People of the U.S.A..............

You see, I for one have no patience for their criminal, extremist fringe lunatic behavior, nor their theories and cover-ups, nor for the

Igorian sychophants

who themselves enable the furtherance of war's insanity, and this is why that, along with a technical virtuousity inherent in my work, I incorporate an in-your-face {see IYF-ism here} lambasting of these sadists in three piece suits, along with the Sheeple, who enable their continuance....Who are going to help awaken the sleeping decency and goodness of the American public

if not us Artists

who are as free of roadblocks as anyone can ever hope to be in traveling through this life? Are artists to be marionetted puppets controlled by the All Mighty Dollar,

blind to the kind heart which lives within,

as the majority of Americans have chosen to be? No, I don't think so...By the way, the

Greatest Enemy of Tyranny shall always be we who are Armed with the Truth

and the truth is that it is a scientifically established fact (Google/Youtube Judy Woods 9-11-2001, also, “anonymous physicist” at serendipity.li) that 9-11-2001 was an inside job {no photos of either a plane crash at the Pentagon or in Pennsylvania}..........

Just imagine, all those flag wavin' Bush-huggers who

delusionally believed themselves to be so damn patriotic

when in fact and reality,

they were hugging the real terrorists themselves...

and Obama, he just politely

Drives the Get Away Car

with the whole damn Bush Regime of Terror partying their ass off in the back seat

knowing all their horrific crimes will go unprosecuted....

Yep, the truth can be a bitch when your brain is living in the dark ages...Or maybe I should say that

TRUTH can be Revolutionary

especially when war mongers, banksters and spin doctors try and chain brains to their

dead end war machine dreams

and you the majority have the audacity to bravely and freely take a stance against their criminal agendas...Truth and Realism go hand in hand just as lies and delusionalism go hand in hand on the other side...And yes, I am the same artist who was censored in 2003 in Eureka California by the Redwood Art Association in conjunction with the Humboldt Arts Council (Google "Tactics of Tyrants are Always Transparent" censored) (or see here the story)...If you have any questions or comments or suggestions, contact me............Thanks, Chuck Bowden...P.S. And speaking of "How Grownups Were Led Astray"...In recent years, since 1998, I have written the definitive Anti-War Song Book {see excerpts in the BLOG section} which is based upon 36 CDs (I compiled) which cover just about every anti-war song (at least the majority) in existence, whereby I identify how the American people have been hoodwinked, brainwashed, and led so far astray...This book, which includes all playlists {from the most famous to the most obscure}, lyrics, art and my social commentary on the content of each of the songs, will be available soon...Maybe I should consider KICKSTARTER to get this project finalized and available to everyone. And just FYI,

any society which does not Treasure its Songs of Peace,

can never for one solitary second say

that it is civilized.