This is an 11" X 14" poster on Satin Luster Paper. It was created in Photoshop using pieces of some of my recent paintings. It was made for a special poster contest I recently entered about Patriotism.
The quote is from President Barack Obama and reads: "We are the change that we seek." In other words...it's up to us, the American people, to pull together and change this country.
In the contest I was asked to write what the poster meant to me including my thoughts on how it related to Patriotism and this book I had to read online. Here's what I wrote:
The state of the nation influenced me to create this design. I have spent my life as many of us have, living by the notion that we are a free society to choose our own lifestyle. Aware of the many cultures that helped create what we know as America. We are currently in troubled economic times, yet we collectively, as a nation continue to do whatever it takes to live the American Dream embracing the notion of “freedom of choice”. The poster was created from pieces of paintings I have recently created in 2009; each painting holding symbolic references to America and it's many influences on the history of the country. President Barack Obama pointing to "we, the people" sort of symbolic of "Uncle Sam", the American flag jetting out of a skull, symbolic of triumph over death and terrorism, yet the skull symbolic of Native American culture, our early and ongoing prominence in a nation and it's land. The Dreamcatcher being symbolic of the way we all hang onto our own personal dreams and are free to follow in this great country. The symbolic hand of God, or a “Higher Power” is holding the paintbrushes, the creator of it all. The currency lying on the flag, symbolizing the wealth or the greed we chase after or fall into, which can ultimately destroy all if we do not own our own role as individuals, proud patriots, in keeping this nation productive in a positive way. I think the way it relates to the book is simply that it paints a picture on the idea of the whole concept of how the book simply puts it out there about our unity as a nation and the contributions our ancestors have made in shaping this nation we proudly proclaim as America.
