Art & Inspiration Blog

The basic theology that Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory is founded upon is absolutely held by all branches and denominations of Christians and Jews. Since Christianity is born from Judaism and Jesus and all of his disciples were Jewish, the two religions agree and share certain core theology.

Recently I was asked on Twitter by a Catholic friend, Christine Ryan, if I had any Christian art. My reply was that all of my UnGraven Image Art is Christian since it is based on Christian theology!

My art may also be classified as Jewish as it is also based on Jewish theology.

That theology is that the Creator speaks the physical universe into existence, beginning in Genesis 1:7 with, “Let there be light.”

The theology also holds that the letters of the words spoken by the Creator are the essences, the very basic stuff of the physical universe. Thus, theologically the letters of those words can be understood as the smallest waves and pre-particles of science.

I use biblical letters as strokes to symbolically represent the basic essences that elementary physics calls “strings” makes my work both religious and scientific, or secular art.

The amazing discovery about the special font, known as torah font, the Bible’s original font and the one that Jesus and his disciples were familiar with, is actually the only font in the world that is alpha-numeric, phonic and binary came later. These qualities not only add to the perfect seeming symbolism and fit between what science tells us of the strings and theologians know about the letters. When one studies both, it seems as if the two groups are simply using different terminology to describe similar phenomena.

Plus, Torah font has twenty-two basic letters and thus also incredibly references the eleven strings in our universe while the opposites exist in alternate universe(s).

Applying my artistic understanding and the correlations between the strings and contemporary science gives new meaning to teachings in both the Hebrew and Christian testaments.

For instance when Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is at hand”, it can be considered that He quite literally meant what He said. The Kingdom of God —the Words of the Lord – are actually right at hand in the here and now, wherever we each are at any moment. As the essentially essences – the building blocks of our physical universe—they must be for matter and energy to exist!

Dock Less Traveled

Until Post Conceptual Art theory, all of art was classified based upon its narrative, which means imagery. For instance a painting of the Last Supper is considered Christian while a painting of a Passover Seder is considered Jewish. Works of art that depict the people, places or things held sacred to a religion are considered religious, especially if it seems that was the artist’s intent, while works that do not are considered secular. For example a portrait of a mother and child is secular but one of Mary and the infant Jesus is religious or Miriam on the infant Moses is religious.

The Manifesto of Post Conceptual Art [Click HERE for free download of it] is the first art theory to focus on the stroke, which is the one element that must exist in any work of art in any discipline. In Post Conceptual Art the stroke is a symbol. In the branch known as UnGraven Image art the symbol is a Torah font letter from original Bible texts.

My friend tweeted asking if I would paint a crucifixion with the words of the Pentateuch as strokes? I responded that there really is a prohibition in the Ten Commandants against painting an image of God, which was adhered to in the Early Church. Historically that was changed by a pope in order to help teach the Christian stories to a very illiterate populace in the Middle Ages.

My job as an artist is not to paint the past but the present, the now with The Divine at hand. Christians understand this as the risen and living “Word”. Jews refer to this as HaShem, the “Name”. Notice how close in meaning the nouns the Word and the Name are? A name is a word and a word is a name for someone or something. Notice also how both refer to a combination of letters that are capable of being spoken or written?

My art can be classified as secular It can be classified as science-based. It can be classified as religious and understood to convey important concepts of duality shared by most of the world’s religions, including Christianity and Judaism, due to the binary symbol strokes. And my art can be classified as being also and always fully Jewish or fully Christian due to the symbol strokes that are the letters of Bible texts that depict the basic theology that begins with, “Let there be light.”

Thanks to Christine Ryan for asking the question that inspired this blog! You can follow her on Twitter at @DuffyLifeCoach.

Creating the new Post Conceptual Art Essence Portrait of Abraham Lincoln was an exceptional experience. The humanity and goodness of the man seemed to permeate the images I used for reference as well as my own. Like when a reading  good book, I lingered at the end, almost unwilling to end the “encounter”.

As a part of the Essence Portrait series I am creating portraits of selected American presidents and heroes. I use the Ten Commandments, the original letters of the words of Exodus 20 for each and every stroke. This honors the office of the president, as the chief executive administers the federal laws. The Ten Commandments are widely acknowledged as being the basis for the laws of the USA and also of most of the free word.

There is nothing that I can write in this blog that is wiser or more revealing about Abraham Lincoln than his own words that live on.

Some of his quotes below will surprise you. They are familiar, but you may not recognize that they originated with Lincoln.  Some of the quotes reveal his sense of humor and wit.  Most are wise and wonderful.

Abraham Lincoln- Ten Commandments

By Judy Rey Wasserman

Strokes: Exodus 20

Abraham Lincoln Quotes:

• If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?
• Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality.
• The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.
• A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.
• If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
• A house divided against itself cannot stand.
• Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.
• The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them.
• No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.
• All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.
• It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
• Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
• Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
• My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.
• Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
• As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
• Y ou can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
• America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
• Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
• Public opinion in this country is everything.
• Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.
• Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty , and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
• Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.
• How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
• I care not much for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
• I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.
• The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
• I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
• To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
• The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
• T hings may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
• Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
• That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.
• I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.
• I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.
• I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
• I don’t know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
• I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.
• I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.
• I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country’s cause.
• I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.
• I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.
• I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.
• To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men.
• I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.

This year, four days ago as I write this, a snowstorm finally ended that has broken all the records for my area since they began keeping them in the 1600’s. If snow was gold we’d be able to lift the whole country out of recession and pay the national debt we’ve got so much of the stuff.But snow is not gold. It is frozen water. Schedules and plans were seriously impacted as many of us were busy tunneling out of our snowbound homes and into equally snowbound businesses, once they were reachable via the roads. People in Denver, The Dakotas, Maine and other far more snowy places take this kind of snowfall in stride but here in Southampton we are not prepared for such a record breaker.

For larger image click: Psalm 23 (Male Cardinal) Print

Our winter holidays celebrate light and inspiration, which is always a new beginning or birth

Usually it is a delight to tour our streets as shops and homes decorate with lights for the holidays. Now, with ice on the road there are little traffic and due to the snow many of my neighbors

are not displaying the lights they had up late last week.

While we usually think of light coming from the sun, moon and stars, snow can easily be viewed as a weather form of light. It is not only white– it reflects light to the extent that people who are out in the snow on sunny days are urges to wear sunglasses to prevent eye damage.

For larger image click: Psalm 23 (Female Cardinal) Print Collect this print

Biblically, water symbolizes the word of the Lord– inspiration– especially in the first five books of the Bible. I am not saying that the water mentioned in the Bible is not real water, but that it also represents the word of the Lord.In the time of Noah when people perish in the flood but Noah and his family safely float in the ark, when the infant Moses is floating in the basket in the bulrushes, when the red sea parts, and when Jesus turns water into wine and then walks on the sea, the waters mentioned can all be understood to also be the word of the Lord. Clearly some people benefit and are able to transform their circumstances while others who are seeking their own egotistical ways flounder or perish is suggested by the metaphors. Again, snow is frozen water. The snow fell here equally on all, without respect to age, race, religion or wealth. It was an equal opportunity snow. While that last quip is a kind of a joke it is also true because the opportunity to benefit from the snow was equally there for each person. Some people were inspired with ways to benefit and make the record breaking snowfall with the delays, changes in plans and two snow bound days fulfilling. Others failed to be inspired or discover benefits for themselves. Psalm 23 (Male Cardinal) was the initial painting of the Written on the Wind series. It was inspired by the tsunami, which was followed by a blizzard and massive snowfall where I live and have my studio. Each is created using the strokes of Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepherd…”) for each and every stroke. As the reports of the animals who survived, including those from a game preserve where there were many human deaths came in, I painted and watched from my window as a pair of cardinals flitted in the deep snow finding berries and forage somehow despite the heavy blanket of snow that seemed to cover everything.

We were housebound during and for a day after the snow, while the news on radio and TV was filled with stories of the tsunami. One story was about the wild animals, most of whom survived as the somehow knew to head inland for higher ground. The animals managed to know something that so many human beings who were busy enjoying the beaches and the sea failed to see or hear.

The animals were in tune with their environment, including the water, naturally seeing or hearing the inspiration they needed to stay safe.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Blessed and Inspired Holiday Season and New Year.

Psalm 23 (Male Cardinal) Large Tote ForestGreen & Natural

Cardinals Mug- opposite side has Psalm 23

Winter Beauty Girl’s Sweatshirt

Mens Tie – Double image of Psalm 23 (Cardinal) srepeated

This year the USA ’s Thanksgiving celebration coincides with the date first set aside by George Washington for the celebration exactly two hundred and twenty years ago.

Fall Tree Aleph Trees of Life series by Judy Rey Wasserman Strokes are the original letters of Deuteronomy 6

From its roots the  harvest and thanksgiving festival shared by the Plymouth Rock community of Pilgrims (who both sought and offered religious tolerance) and Native Americans (who were so tolerant they enabled the new settlers to survive!) has been a communal  expression of gratitude and religious tolerance. Perhaps George Washington’s time spent with Native Americans during the French and Indian War helped develop his tolerant views, which were radical then— and in many parts of the world remain so today. Although much has been written and preached in America about Thanksgiving, I think nothing surpasses Washington’s initial declaration. It is the only law or decree that both brings tears to my eyes and makes me want to say, “Amen!”

So this year I am turning over my annual Thanksgiving message to my first “guest blogger” who is also the subject of the Essence Portrait I am currently creating: George Washington

In his first term as President, our first president made the following proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating the first official national Thanksgiving Day in the new United States of America:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.”

Amen.

Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving.

Each year Judy Rey Wasserman writes a special message at Thanksgiving. Previous messages that you will also enjoy include: Thanksgiving Choices and Thanksgiving Faith & Vision

On November 10, 2009, Judy Rey Wasserman completed a new Essence Portrait of Barack Obama using the letters of the text of Exodus 20 ( Ten Commandments) for all  the  strokes. Below is the portrait plus the artist’s comments about her choice of strokes.

If there were an award for the person who has made the best use of social media and the Internet to date, it would absolutely go to Barack Obama. It is widely understood that Obama won the presidency of the United States due to his incredible and pioneering use of the Internet to reach new and swing voters. Perhaps the presidency is his reward.

As an artist I am creating Essence Portraits and other artworks for a series and show(s) called Essence of Social Media.

Obviously President Obama is one of the celebrities at the very top of my list for this series.

My purpose with the Essence Portraits goes beyond celebrating and commenting on Social Media, such as Facebook, Linkedin, My Space. Twitter, You Tube, etc. My purpose with any Essence Portrait is to show the spiritual, the Source and also the scientific essence within each individual.

I am the founder of Post Conceptual Art theory especially a branch called UnGraven Image I use strokes that are symbols to represent the essential pre-matter/energy of string theory. My symbols are the only set on the planet that is alpha-numeric, phonic and binary, which means they elegantly represent elementary physics’ strings.

Pissarro (a Jew) and Monet (a Catholic), were friends who founded Impressionism to paint the Light, which the understood to be both a religious and scientific reality.

I am founding Post Conceptual Art (painting with strokes that are symbols) painting and sculpting within the branch of UnGraven Image to depict the essential essences, the energy of the universe, which I understand to be both a spiritual and scientific reality.

UnGraven Image’s symbols are the Torah font letter-numbers. This symbol set is also the original font of the Bible. My artistic strokes and processes also always references basic theology held by all denominations and branches of Christians and Jews and also mentioned in the Koran: the Creator speaks the universe into existence beginning with, “Let there be light!” Since the symbols are also always binary, which is synonymous for duality, my work also references concept s of duality, including light/dark, holy/profane and also yin/yang.

The Bible texts for all of my work are selected carefully and prayerfully. For Essence Portraits I consult the people who are subjects if possible for what texts they would prefer.

A while ago I contacted the White House through their web site, politely asking if President Obama had any favorite Bible texts he would prefer me to use for an Essence Portrait of him. Since the Post Conceptual theory of painting with symbols is radically new, I doubt if the intern who handled my request understood it. However, I did immediately receive an emailed reply that my email was received.

My choosing a text for the strokes that would add up to create an image of President Barack Obama was easier than for any other single portrait to date.

Barack Obama’s professional adult life has centered on the law. He is a Harvard trained lawyer who was president of the Harvard Law Review. He has practiced law, taught Constitutional Law, served as a senator (lawmaker) from Illinois and as Chief Executive his job is to uphold and administrate the law.

The basis for the law of the Western and most of the free world is the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. This scripture is suitable for the strokes for an Essence Portraits of Presidents of the United States.

Barack Obama’s use of Social Media to gain the presidency and his continuing use of it, especially Twitter (@BarackObama), as a way to reach his citizens,  coupled with his strong legal experience made creating an Essence Portrait of him using the letters of the Ten Commandments for all the strokes is an appropriate, even elegant choice.

The image below is large enough that you can pick out some of the symbols strokes!

Exodus 20 – (Barack Obama)

By Judy Rey Wasserman

NEW! Added 11/13/09 Poster of Barack Obama -Ten Commandments at our Zazzle store. And check out the other items for the whole family featuring Judy Rey Wasserman’s Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art!

Presenting and introducing the first Essence of Social Media Portraits in playlet tweet style featuring Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher in Song of Songs (The Kutchers).

Song of Songs is the Bible’s love song. While it has deep religious and spiritual meaning, on the surface it can be understood as romantic and even erotic poetry.

Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon, with religious scholars differing whether it was indeed written by Solomon or for him, much of the descriptions and references fit that time.

The portraits of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Kutcher actually began with the idea for the artwork pictured here, Song of Songs (The Kutchers)

In my Essence Portrait series artworks are named after their essence: their strokes, while the manifestation from those strokes- the name of the person imaged by the portrait — is in parenthesizes in the title. An example of this concept using simple chemistry would be: H2O (Water) . However, my strokes are the original words (Torah font letters- phonic, binary, alphanumeric symbols) from the Bible that symbolize the strings of elementary physics. Unlike elements, the strings (and words of God, such as, “Let there be light”, that create the physical universe are so small they are scientifically understood as energy or pre-matter.

Their basic portraits of Ashton and Demi Moore Kutcher have appeared in recent previously blogs, where images some of the colorful variations I am creating of them are presented. These images also appear in a private video about the Essence Portraits , which in time will be changed a bit, added to, and become public.

But from the first stroke, we were always heading to dual portrait about the Song of Songs . These basic Essence Portraits of both Ashton and Demi Moore Kutcher are created using the original Torah font letters from Song of Songs for all of the strokes.

Song of Songs (The Kutchers), 2009, by Judy Rey Wasserman

In both Jewish and Christian traditions and theologies the Song of Songs also refers to the union of The Divine (please substitute your most meaningful name for my term “The Divine”) and humankind (or followers/observant people).

The heavenly bridegroom takes his beloved earthly bride in a sacred union. Their relationship is one of lovers, mutual, interactive and even exclusive.

Like Adam in the Bible, Ashton’s was created first and Demi’s Essence Portrait followed. Partially this was due to Demi Moore Kutcher’s fabulous hair, which I knew would take a long time to create tiny letter upon letter. I spent a lot of time lost in both the beauty of the text and the lovely Mrs. Kutcher.

Since the Kutchers are actors, and used to wearing make-up that alters their appearance, I used some of the words and texts a bit like make up to create their Essence Portraits. This is the first time I have done this.

The Hebrew of Song of Songs 7:11 is fairly visible in the left hand side of the image of Demi Moore Kutcher. The English translation from the KJV is; “I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me”. Her necklace is a repeated chain of four letters that mean “the beloved”.

In both portraits a form of the word beloved is found just under the lower lip, where a shadow normally appears, as if each person had just whispered an endearment of the other.

There is art history and significance in this artwork, which might go unrecognized by a casual observer.

First, the work resembles a Social Media message, such as a tweet. However a tweet is a form of common social interaction, so while each portrait can stand alone, here they are combined into one image.

As an artist I find it wonderfully expressive of the “eternal dance” of lovers in that each is separate and apart—an individual in a unique Tweet of space. Yet these can join together to form a whole that is not only meaningful for them, the lovers, but for the onlookers, as we represent society.

The Tweet proportions were purposefully altered to show more of the Essence Portraits—the faces—and less length of the short message.

The work combines Post Conceptual Art, specifically the branch of UnGraven Image with Conceptual art, especially word art with a kind of realism as Social Media messages are real visual things.

Since the Renaissance, Western artists have placed participants in biblical or mythological scenes within the physical context and realities of their own times. Giotto, Fra Angelico, Da Vinci, Rembrandt painted scenes from the Bible taking place in the architectural surroundings by people wearing the fashion of their times. They even used images of people who were well known at the time, often patrons, in some of the scenes, rather than models.

While on one level the Song of Songs (Kutcher) artwork is a present day Essence Portrait of two real people, on another significant level these noted actors are portraying the eternal and sacred lovers from Song of Songs. It is biblical scene in our contemporary setting of social media.

The @Names in the portrait messages do not use the names the Kutchers use on Twitter since neither actually tweeted the message and this clarifies that it is an artwork not a screenshot. However, I came close to the font colors each uses on their Twitter Profile page for the @Names.

While a thin black band separates the two “tweets” they two are surrounded by a thin red “frame” That frame is a part of the united portrait of the couple.

Both Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Kutcher wear the red string from the Kabbalah center on their left wrists. The idea is that the left hand is receptive hand while the right is the action and giving hand. The red string’s purpose is to protect against evil from outside influences coming into one’s life.

Here I use the red “frame” the way I use gold frames of prayer in the Genesis: Sunset-Sunrise series, as both a kind of protection but also as a reminder and as a communication reaching out to the universe. That red string around a wrist also reminds the wearer to avoid letting in any bad influences: to be careful where one goes, what one sees and does—ideas found in another Biblical book attributed to Solomon: Proverbs.

The red band has another visual Biblical reference: the red blood of the lamb covering the doorposts of the Israelites during their first Passover Seder. Like a left hand, that door was an entrance where others could enter. So my red frame symbolizes a home that safely encircles the lovers.

Christians also have a similar custom that stems from the basic understanding. They often pray for protection asking for the blood of Jesus over their homes, loved ones and themselves.

The thin band of red can also be understood as the remnant of background of a Profile page screenshot, which was cropped

It is especially fitting for the Kutchers to be artistically portrayed in social media setting as they are effectively using it beyond entertainment or socializing to help others and create social change..

Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN, and their representative Larry King to see who could be the first to be followed by one million people. @aplusk’s idea was the winner would give $10, 000 to buy mosquito nets to help end malaria. The ensuing media coverage of the contest raised awareness for eradicating malaria, which is possible. Ashton Kutcher who was the underdog, creatively used UStream to gain a last hour rally becoming the first to have a million followers last spring – but everyone involved really won.

Next, in a conversation that actually began in the Twitter stream Demi Moore was involved in helping a person expressing thoughts of suicide obtain much needed professional help. While @mrskutcher certainly did the right thing, and everything turned out well, becoming publicly involved in the stream was a risky move.

The Kutchers continue top speak out about causes and work for charities through social media. They have already won one award for this, and will no doubt be honored with others.

Of course, the Kutchers also use Twitter and social media to tantalize followers and fans with snippets of their relationship. They post photos of each other, which are often playful. They tweet to and about each other. Like the onlookers in the Song of Songs , we are their witnesses, and better off for it.

This blog was posted a few hours before the Kutchers’ wedding anniversary on September 24, 2009 with prayers and well wishes for their health, happiness and continued success, individually and as a couple.

________________

The artwork above will be available soon in a small signed limited edition on canvas through my studio and representatives. It will also appear in a show being created featuring Essence Portraits.

The main purpose of the Essence Portrait series is to help us learn to see the Divine in ourselves and others. This is accomplished by more than understanding the concept. By looking at Essence Portraits created with tiny strokes that are the words of The Divine our brains gain much needed visual memories so that it uses to decipher impressions of light into recognizable, usable images. Thus these images actually physically encourage our brains to perceive in a new way.

Essence Portraits of celebrities, especially actors that we have identified with as characters in films, TV and plays further encourages the ability to see The Divine essence in others, and then in ourselves. [For more on the theory of Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory, and how it is a vision we can all share, go to ungravenimage.com. Play the top You Tube video,"Painting with the Big Bang of Genesis". Enjoy the art and information found via the many tabs on the menu. Plus, download the free art manifesto booklet]

The freest nations are the most tolerant nations. The least free nations are the least tolerant, and often church and state are one and the same.

Historically, where there is tolerance freedom will grow and prosper. Freedom does not create tolerance although free people can and do create and strengthen laws to promote tolerance.

By the time the Continental Congress met to create a government for the new United States of America , tolerance had been the practice in the colonies for more that 100 years.

Obviously, not everything that is claimed to be a religious practice will be tolerated by a society. We know human sacrifice was practiced by some religions, yet not state in the free world will allow that practice today as the job of government is to protect its citizens.

For every current major religion we can find places and periods where people who practice the path or religion were tolerant as well as others when they were or are not.

While the constitution of the United States granted religious freedom to all, in many states this was not fully upheld. Not coincidentally the other freedoms of their citizens also were curtailed.

A free market economy and trade is prospers with religious tolerance. If a nation’s citizens and government is wary of any other country that does not agree religiously trade is impeded. Instinctively we want little to do with our enemies, those we believe are against us or could destroy what we hold dear.

In countries where “church” and state there is little freedom, even if supposedly free elections are held; since, what one is to believe is already rigorously limited. Any government that legislates or enforces religious participation and adherence—or atheism, as Communist countries have done, has little faith in its people to recognize what is good and true. This opens the door to dictatorships that will enforce the “correct” religious beliefs upon the people—usually for the betterment of the enforcers.

The recent fraudulent Iranian election is an example of a religious dictatorship is a good example of a religious leadership enforcing a non tolerant regime to protect religious beliefs, not the people. The ongoing brutality on peaceful protesters by this regime underlines that theology and consequently their own power, not the people governed is what this regime seeks to protect. Church and stare are one.

The majority of wars in modern times have been waged for religious reasons. While governments can be tricky and go to war to gain assets, people will only join in when they believe in a cause. While the world wars may not have seemed to have been waged for religious reasons, the Allies were united in a Judeo-Christian world view and morality, including Russia , which was still populated with people raised in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Tolerance precedes freedom. Freedom precedes peace.

A free people cannot have a lasting or real peace with a nation where there is not religious freedom and tolerance because by the constitution of the other nation only the religion of that nation is fit to endure. All the treaties in the world cannot change that.

As I write this it is “World Peace Day. “ We are asked to pray for peace. This is a giant step in the right direction as all peoples of all faiths are encouraged to pray for peace.

What we need is a World Tolerance Day, when all peoples of all religions pray for religious tolerance. That would send a profound and meaningful message to both governments and clergy, the two most powerful groups in humankind.

If and when the United Nations and world leaders focus on religious tolerance as a basic human right our world will be on the path to both freedom and peace. When killing someone due to their religious beliefs is no longer celebrated but abhorred universally we will have peace and freedom.

Ironically, almost every major religion has prophets who have predicted a time of world peace. Theologically we seem to agree that world peace is possible. How bad can a religion that hopes for world peace be? Perhaps from that basic understanding we can become more tolerant and usher in more freedom and peace.

What can I say about a woman who has helped to radically change the way we see women—and since I’m a woman, the way I see myself?

Demo Moore ’s career has involved risky roles such as those in Indecent Proposal and G.I. Jane , films where she used her talent and beauty to challenge narrow perceptions about women’s physicality and rights.

However, her riskiest role before a camera was simply playing herself, when photographer Fran Libowitz captured her nude and seven months pregnant for the cover of Vanity Fair.

While Demi Moore’s very pregnant photo is an iconic art image today, at the time it was a career risking and iconoclastic move.

Apparently the idea was to take a stand against “anti-Hollywood, anti-glitz” attitude.

It succeeded at more than the intended purpose.

With one image Moore and Libowitz decimated attitudes and constraints that sought to hide pregnancy or at least disguise it as if it were obscene. There was nothing obscene about the very pregnant Demi Moore. Instead, she was deeply beautiful and sexy in a way glitz and glam can never achieve.

Later Moore and Libowitz collaborated on another cover for Vanity Fair . This time they turned the tables on fashion and the art world as Libowitz photographed a fashionable “canvas” that was Demi Moore’s naked body with clothes painted on it.

Demi Moore’s use of herself as a canvas inspires and even challenges me, as an artist to do likewise. Of course Essence Portraits work to reveal more than the features of the public persona because every stroke is a letter from a carefully selected Bible text in the original language and font.

Like the previous portrait of  her husband, Song of Songs (Ashton Kutcher), Demi Moore’s portrait uses the text of Song of Songs for the strokes. This will be explained in visual a blog that will be posted on September 23, 2009, which is the day before the couple’s anniversary the following day.

Song of Songs (Demi Moore: Hollywood ) is square – and meant to be or at least reference avatars. It is the first version of Song Of Songs (Demi Moore) that I created. It plays off a “ Hollywood ” background that references the sign. Only a few people are instantly recognizable as a symbol of the Hollywood goddess the way the Demi Moore is—but then Andy Warhol already created famous portraits of the others.

Song of Songs (Demi Moore: Hollywood) by Judy Rey Wasserman

Although Hollywood farms a part of Demi Moore’s background and she also represents it, in the image above she also partially obscures the gigantic sign.This is a visual reference to her career risking stands, such as thoise mentioned above to encourage the understanding of women’s real beauty and worth beyond their appearance.

The surface image of the portrait (face) is simplified, almost cartoon like and certainly slightly referencing the Warhol portraits. Yet we know that the structure of the portrait itself, the essence is those Torah font symbol-strokes, which are the words of the Bible.

Thus in the foreground, and yet underneath the glitz and glam, a meaningful, tolerant, loving and blessed essence of the human spirit is revealed. It’s easy to see the spark of The Divine in Demi Moore.

Notice that this portrait is of the young Demi, somewhere near or before the time of Ghost. This was a selfish move on my part as I do intend to create others portraits and felt it would be easier for me to move ahead in a chronological order for what I intend to create over time.

However, I am not yet ready to reveal the full picture of my plan, but the upcoming blog blog on September 23, 2009 does hint of what’s to come. I will also explain why I chose the Song of Songs for these portraits of the Kutchers and how I have used it, especially certain texts and words in both portraits. That blog will also deal with Twitter and the Kutchers, who are very much acting as a team via social media.

To discover more about Judy Rey Wasserman’s Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory see http://www.ungravenimage.com and be sure to play the top video and download the completely free art manifesto booklet, “A Painting’s Meaning is Inherent in it’s Strokes”

This first basic Essence Portrait of Ashton Kutcher.  Plus, below are two other portraits based on the basic Essence Portrait.

It can stand alone as a work, but it will also appear variously in my artwork dealing with Social Media. I think that Ashton Kutcher is one of the best users of Social Media, plus he is someone who it is easy for me, and now hopefully others, too, to see the Divine essence revealed through him. This portrait is a result.

This artwork is a really three tones, cream colored paper, white and black acrylic and black ink. The strokes are from the original Hebrew Torah font letters of the love poetry of the Bible, the Song of Songs.

Song of Songs (Ashton Kutcher) by Judy Rey Wasserman

Aside from publicizing his upcoming films, promoting his celebrity, it is clear that Ashton Kutcher has actually made new friends—some of whom are also my friends—through Twitter, USTREAM and You Tube. Ashton Kutcher seems to be on Social Media having a lot of fun, which is a key ingredient to all good relationships, on or off the web.

In April 2009, Ashton Kutcher (on Twitter @aplusk ) publicly challenged CNN and its representative Larry King to a contest over who would be the first to win one million followers on Twitter. Ashton Kutcher told his fans and Twitter followers that if he won he would “Ding Dong Ditch” Ted Turner’s home in Atlanta . More importantly, on Twitter he promised to donate 10,000 mosquito bed nets to charity for World Malaria if he beat CNN, and 1,000 if he lost. CNN responded that they would do likewise.

Ashton Kutcher was the underdog in the contest, trailing behind CNN, but also Britney Spears who was in second place in Twitter popularity.

I posted my first and still only stick figure cartoon on Twitpik about this contest. Most importantly, Ashton Kutcher new used Social Media, and then cajoled old print and broadcast media to join him in gaining attention for a worthy cause. [link to cartoon: http://twitpic.com/3geydas ]

When CNN’s Anderson Cooper began courting votes for CNN on his live broadcast, Ashton Kutcher turned to Social Media’s live broadcast outlet, USTREAM creating shows of his own. The Twitter stream was filled with Tweets about @plusk’s related events, news, and links to his STREAM broadcasts.

Ashton Kutcher also appeared on Talk shows, where he campaigned for new Twitter followers. He also used these opportunities to raise awareness about the problems of malaria in the world. Malaria is an ongoing problem that simple, inexpensive netting can help remedy, thus it is a problem that we can resolve.

Ashton Kutcher was tweeting and broadcasting on USTREAM from his home where his wife, Demi Moore ( @mrskutcher ), Soleil Moon Frye ( @moonfrye ) and others were partying in anticipation of his win. Excited and happy, but knowing that having watched the winning moment his audience would leave, he held up his prewritten check to the camera and once again spoke of the cause of eradicating malaria.

Although people active on Social Media had been using it to help create awareness for causes and raise funds for charities, Ashton Kutcher’s challenge to CNN made the idea mainstream. It also made the idea that Social Media was an immediate and workable way to communicate news and ideas quickly to vast numbers of people mainstream.

This proved and continues to be important for another event on Social Media, which may be one of the most significant social and political development of the Twenty-first century.

On June 15, when the dispute over the fraudulent election in Iran was breaking news, this tweet came from @ aplusk : “ They counted 40 million ballots by hand in less than two hours? http://bit.ly/16qjq3 ”

One of the main purposes of all of my Essence Portraits is to reveal the Divine that is within and the essence of each human being. In keeping with the text of Song of Songs , Ashton Kutcher is portrayed as an eternal handsome romantic leading man, but beneath the smile in his eyes and his casual, playful presentation the portrait reveals is a passionate, caring, and spiritual man.

This Essence Portrait of Ashton Kutcher is meant to be part of a set, which will include a portrait of Demi Moore. Song of Songs is love poetry, a text that is made for lovers, for two. To further unite the two portraits you can see some of the words of the text. For instance famous words “My beloved is mine”, in Torah font Hebrew, is painted in white on Ashton Kutcher’s right (left as you face the image) cheek. Every stroke is a Torah font letter.

Along with other Essence Portraits this new one is featured in an almost completed short private video presentation for selected Social Media celebrities about how they can uniquely participate with their own Essence Portraits in Social Media, plus raise funds and gain exposure for their favorite charities at no financial cost to themselves. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s celebrity portraits and prints, I have created two additional original digital Essence Portraits of Ashton Kutcher.

This digitally colored image, the colors were either poured in using Photoshop’s paint bucket or using the brush, added in as Torah font letters. Notice that the image has been trimmed so that it is square and can be used as a avatar. <– Song Of Songs (Ashton Kutcher) Aleph by Judy Rey Wasserman

According to my Twitter pal and filmmaker Jason Pollock (@Jason_Pollock ), Ashton Kutcher now has a fantasy Football USTREAM show http://www.ustream.tv/ashton , where he wears a Chicago Cubs shirt and cap, and is obviously a fan of the team.

The Essence Portrait of Ashton Kutcher as a Bears Fan is very playful on my part as it is by me, a fan of Kutcher’s of him as a fan. The sports and fan image works within the point being made in that slide of the presentation also. I left the face and hair in black and white as fans tend to be gung ho for their team, while against the other team. There is little grey or color tonal values when one is rooting for one’s team.

The “C” for Cubs can also be visually understood as the Hebrew letter Kaf, which looks like an upside down or backwards C, thus adding it keeps within Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory to use Torah font symbols for strokes. The only other stroke added is an orange Lamed, which sounds like L, on the lips. So, I am glad Ashton Kutcher is a Cubs fan, because any other team’s logo would have been far more difficult!

Here is the above image, used as an avatar in a Social Media type of Tweet that is a quote by Ashton Kutcher.

To discover more about Judy Rey Wasserman’s Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory see http://www.ungravenimage.com and be sure to play the top video and download the completely free art manifesto booklet, “A Painting’s Meaning is Inherent in it’s Strokes”

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958, which means this is posted on Madonna’s birthday as a kind of homage to her.

Like many of our great musicians and painters, we know her simply by her first name. She is one of the most recognized people in the world.

Madonna’s music has inspired and entertained us for over a generation., moving from Like a Virgin and Material Girl to Like a Prayer to her movie,I Am Because We Are. Most of Madonna’s adult life has been lived in the press, including controversies in the tabloids. Yet, also revealed by her work and tidbits of her personal life from the media, where she is always news, is her ongoing personal spiritual quest and focus on helping others.

This Essence Portrait of Madonna uses Psalm 96’s original alpha-numeric symbols, also known as Torah font letters for every stroke for every stroke.

Psalm 96 (Madonna) by Judy Rey Wasserman

Below is a close up portion of Psalm 96 (Madonna) that shows how the Torah font letters are used, including how they overlap and intertwine. When we can see the divine in another person, we learn to also see it in ourselves and many others. We are perfect. Our life-long task is to express our unique perfection. For many people, of different paths and religions we are created of the very words, even breath of the Creator.

Close up portion of Psalm 96 (Madonna)

Like many of us who are active on the web and early adopters, Madonna is also involved in social media. She has a Facebook fan page, is on MySpace, videos appear on You Tube and On Twitter she sometimes tweets through her manager Guy Osary who is @ guyoseary . Her videos are also quite popular on You Tube.

Here is an example of an artwork that combines Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art – an Essence portrait with word art to create a kind of Tweet.

Madonna Tweet Aleph by Judy Rey Wasserman

In Post Conceptual Ungraven Image Art they always represent the strings of Elementary physic’s theory. These strings are the essence of our universe of energy and matter. For a brief artistic visual introduction to Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory – where you actually get to see a real painting created – a kind of universe itself— See You Tube video: “Painting with the Big Bang of Genesis”.
NOTE: if the video below does not display on your screen Click this link to play it at You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vll3udNU3Y

[Note: If the embedded video fails to play in your browser,here is the link to "Painting with the Big Bang of Genesis"' on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vll3udNU3Y