Description: TITLE: JESUS, PAUL, LAMBCHOP... NOTE: PLEASE ALLOW TWO-THREE WEEKS for DELIVERY (working on this one...) I am honored to have thousands of collectors own my work across the globe.I also have several well known actors, film-makers, musicians and professional athlete collectors.A partial list includes: Julia Roberts, Jimmy Vaughan,Willie Nelson,Muhammad Aliand Tim Burton. for more information please see:Explore the many works of kata billups, rockandrolliconart.com, etc. cadiz, KY. 42211 A NOTE FROM KATA:WHAT MAKES MY ART DIFFERENTFROM OTHER ROCK AND ROLL THEMED ART WORKS? When I initially work on this topic years ago, I entitled the article 'Kata's work versus Other CRAP' but nowadays people are so sensitive to 'shaming and blaming etc.' that I couldn't get away with that title anymore. But the true part about it was this: just about anybody can capture an image of someone from the torso up (a bust it's called) but only trained artists can place a subject in a scene and then a small handful in that group have anything to 'say' with their work. That's where my work comes in- each piece has a message derived from some autobiographic event in my life. Since I was a teenage artist, I was driven to express my ideas through my work. When my rock and roll icon artwork began (in the late 1980's) I was one of the first to be working in this genre (beside the great illustrators for the Rolling Stone Magazine and Andy Warhol and a few others). I hinted at above, and most importantly, all my work 'works' on multiple levels and that is one thing that led to its popularity. My collectors are generally well educated and well-traveled people; (many have been to all the major museums in the world) therefore- they recognize the underlying messages, my referencing other works, the wryness or comic insinuations, the broader social commentary hidden behind the veil of celebrity and comedy etc. etc. and that is why they buy my work. I've heard from collectors again and again saying things like: "I don't even LIKE Elvis, but your work spoke to me, and I bought it". That's because my work is not REALLY about Elvis or the Beatles or anyone- it's about life's larger themes which I feel compelled to make a statement about through the recognizable aging (and some now gone) rock icons. They are my doppelgangers. DESCRIPTION OF PAINTING: This scenario from my imagination shows Jesus visiting a clinically depressed Paul McCartney. He is sitting on Paul's right side and slides a Lamb chop Puppet in to Paul's peripheral field of vision. Paul hasn't bothered to get out of his robe. His white socks dangle off the ends of his toes. He is depressed and disheveled. On the wall behind him is the cause of his plight... Yoko... (some say she broke up the band)...but I include here a good retort to that from two anonymous writers via a Beatles fan site I visited recently--these comments are in a small font---"It's not that people think they wouldn't have broken up because of her because their break up was inevitable. But people just hate her. Like me, I can't stand her. Not because of what she used to do, but because of what she's doing to Julian. For not letting (blank) go to John's funeral. There are so many things people hate her for... I agree that those are terrible things, you are definitely right about that. I just get tired of people blaming her specifically for the break-up, and that happens A LOT. People have simplified it to that point. I’m not defending her as an ideal person or anything, (part omitted her) Even without me saying anything, you all know what that implies. Not to mention the misogyny and racism that gets directed at her for no reason other than her proximity to John".anyway----back to my painting.... Paul has taken a paint brush and scrawled a big X through one of Yoko's pictures and he has painted red "devils horns" on another. Below Paul's table is another picture of Yoko which he crumpled up and threw on the floor. to quote John Lennon on this topic- "I've always thought there was this underlying thing in Paul's 'Get Back.' When we were in the studio recording it, every time he sang the line 'Get back to where you once belonged," he'd look at Yoko." NOTE: I often mention that my paintings are often autobiographical in some odd way. Maybe this piece is not only about Paul but the angst I felt during the conception of the painting due to "faux friends" of mine. on with the painting description----Jesus likes Paul, so he hired an angel to tidy up his apartment. The angel wears a Japanese robe and fuzzy fake leopard slippers. She is turning around to smile at the viewer as she sweeps the floor. Jesus' expression is slightly mischievous. He knows that Paul doesn't want to communicate directly- so he moves the puppet's little lamb-like mouth and uses a silly falsetto voice in an attempt to cheer Paul up. Like many of my paintings, there are elements within the piece that are autobiographical. The setting for this painting is the tiny living room of an old house by a railroad that I rented while attending Graduate School. My beloved old German shepherd (Zoe) lies on her old blue mat at Paul's feet. A couple of my other Beatles paintings are displayed on the living room walls. The big Lazy-boy chair is one I found at Goodwill. The green and white 50's hassock and old floral covered chair (far right) I found at yard sales. The purple drapes and painted wooden "stage" base were not actual to my little house but I added them near the completion of the painting to give the piece a stage presence - (yes, all the world is a stage...).The piece is the largest painting of my career. The figures appear practically life sized. I felt that the drapes and faux stage would visually invite the viewer into another world (one where Jesus takes the time to cheer up one of the world's most famous rock stars). This compels me to mention the deeper meaning behind this piece. Please allow me direct you to my graduate THESIS (see paragraph and link below). It will explain more about my quest to paint Jesus the way I see him (in real time- with real emotions- interacting with people throughout the world regardless of their situation, status, problems, biases). What are the emotions Jesus displays toward Paul? Maybe those emotions include a quirky combination of compassion, wit and humor. By the way, my THESIS makes a good case for wit and humor being classified as emotions. For an overview of my Graduate Thesis please read the paragraph below. overview: ABOUT MY GRADUATE THESIS: The goal of my Graduate Thesis was to portray Jesus in real time and with the full gamut of emotions in twenty first American culture. Some may find the above painted scenario frivolous. Please remember it is only ONE example of the goal of my THESIS (to show Jesus as an emotional being). One painting can not show ALL the span of emotions. As I mentioned in the preceding paragraph, I chose to show Jesus' humor, wit, satire and compassion in this scene. The piece also expressed (for me) Jesus' ability to cross time and culture lines. This is where my work becomes serious behind a seemingly frivolous facade. overview: ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AMERICANS FACE: America has been known for its frivolity over the past few decades. The eighties was known as the "me" generation and was a time for getting rich from empty dots. The people of many countries have recently experienced much graver conditions than most Americans- but Americans may soon know the dangers and challenges which much of the rest of the world understands. The American economy is in serious trouble. We have exported some of the things we Americans do best (invention and production). Our textile mills are only one of the hundreds of industries that are now based overseas. Thomas Jefferson had strong warnings for America if the majority of its citizens ever became anything other than agrarian. He explained that this is the only way to remain self sufficient and independent individually and as a nation. The twentieth century witnessed bizarre measures to break apart the family farm. Crazy things happened- like our Government paying subsidies for farmers NOT to produce. Many of our elected officials are driven my greed and a lust for power. They have created new credos of policing other countries and now declare wars without the proper Constitutional "permission". This alone engenders much of the disdain we Americans encounter by the rest of the world. One third of American homes are in foreclosure, millions of Americans have been robbed of their savings and pensions by greedy elites and bankers. Although in some ways we Americans have grown up like children, we have not been immune to suffering. Our suffering has been more of the silent type. The statistics in our country show very high rates of sexual and spousal abuse. Our enlisted men and women are suffering record levels of post traumatic stress and suicide. Therefore the point of this painting remains: no matter the tribe or tongue we come from, Jesus sees, cares, and is ready to become the type of friend we need Him to be. He is ready and able to heal a leper, or to befriend a depressed rock star. I have painted more "serious" paintings, but they can be perceived as "preachy" in our post-Christian culture. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF WORK: (SIZE, MEDIUM ETC.) This piece is category 5. SIZE: 20" high and 24" across. nicely framed.partially hand painted. CATEGORIES OF WORK:(listed in descending order by price and rarity) 1. PRIMARY ORIGINALS These are the most time-consuming, most expensive and generally the largest in scale of my works. They are owned by hundreds of Private Individuals and several Museums worldwide. One Primary Original may take weeks, months or even years to complete. For decades I created an average of five to twenty pieces of this type work per year. I'm taking a break from creating them to build my business and life in new ways. I am not yet sure if I will ever create work in this category again. For updates please check k a t a b i l l u p s . c o m 2. VERSIONS OF WORK These are generally the second most time-consuming and expensive of my works. They are ownedby hundreds of individuals across the world. Each one is an entirely hand-painted VERSION of a Primary Original Painting. They are similar but in no way identical to the PRIMARY ORIGINALS after which they take their inspiration. Within these pieces I've been inspired to rework or add newcharacters, furnishings, backgrounds and colors in ways that never occurred in the PRIMARY ORIGINALS paintings. These pieces may even contain new themes and ideas. I typically devoted one to four months creating each piece (depending on size and complexity). They sometimes (but not always) include unique frames embellished with one-of-a-kind mattes and vintage objects de' artand unusual titles. They are framed in many ways; simply, ornately, etc. They were painted on a variety of surfaces besides just canvas or wood including gallery wrap canvas and small furniture; (both whichrequired no frame). All these works are technically and legally Original Paintings. They are entirely 100% hand painted throughout all the layers applied as the work progressed. I generally created around five to fifteen pieces in this category of work per year. This category of work began in approximately 2004 and ended in 2023. I have around ten to fifteen unfinished pieces within this category in storage and may complete them if I am so inspired in the future. If so, they will be dated the year they are completed. 3. REPLICA ORIGINALS These are typically the third most time consuming type of work (and third most expensive)and are owned by over one thousand people across the globe. There may be over two thousand incirculation. I do not know because I never kept exact records. The demand for them arose when Patrons admired some of my previously sold PRIMARY ORIGINAL pieces and wanted something similar but not as expensive. They are are similar to my VERSIONS of WORK (see category 2. works above) withsome important exceptions. First of all, they are as close to being identical to the PRIMARY ORIGINALS as possible. They have no new creative developments within them (unlike works in category 2.) withthe important exception of the frames which were often elaborately embellished with one-of-a-kindmattes, vintage objects de' art and unusual titles. They are painted on a variety of surfaces (wood,canvas, mirrors, small furniture and other materials). They are hand-painted REPLICAS of some of my favorite PRIMARY ORIGINALS. Each piece is hand painted across the entire surface andmany have additional painting in layers beneath the surface of the top glazes. Each work required atleast a week or several weeks to complete (depending on the size and complexity). They are legally and ethically also Original Paintings in their own right. I began this category of work in approximately 2004. In late 2023 I stopped creating in this category. I have about forty unfinished pieces in this category (in storage) and may complete these works if I am so inspired in the future. If so, they will be dated the year they are completed. 4. SMALL GALLERY WRAP CANVAS REPLICA ORIGINALS This category was created in 2021. I created less than 70 of these and will never create any more. They are similar to my Replica Originals but smaller. For or more on REPLICA ORIGINALS see category3 above. In addition they are created on gallery wrap canvases which are deeper than most average canvases. They're designed to be painted on all four external edges of the canvas (edges which are typically covered by a frame. The idea is for the collector to display the work without a frame and enjoy the unique dimensional effect as the painting 'wraps around' the sides. The artwork may also be displayed 'standing up' on a piece of furniture. Proper hanging apparatus is attached to the back of the canvas. 5. SECOND STYLE REPLICA ORIGINAL PAINTINGS New to the market beginning in 2023 and projected to be my main product going forward, this type of work is similar to my REPLICA ORIGINAL works but less expensive. Like my VERSIONS OF WORK, I've added new elements. This type of work allows endless opportunities to re-express myself (beyondthe original inspiration). I'm adding additional themes and characters to previously created PRIMARY ORIGINAL pieces. Each piece is first printed on a uniquely light-weight yet strong material using state of the art equipment (for maximum clarity of resolution, color, etc.). I then spend several hoursembellishing the piece with hand painted areas (and attaching one or more vintage objects de' art to theframe. The areas of hand painting make each piece an ORIGINAL work of art technically and legally. 6. SPECIALIZED FRAMED OR MOUNTED PRINTS. When I first offered this category at the inception of my rock and roll icon art work, pieces were typically framed after being mounted on foam core or wood. They generally had many objects de' art attached to the piece using glue and or wire. I also mounted the prints on small pieces of furniture, toys, cigar boxes,mirrors, musical instruments etc. I began with very small embellished framed prints at my first show inNashville TN. in the early 1990's. Originally using tiny photographic prints of my work called proof shots,eventually my work expanded in size. I created and sold hundreds (probably over one thousand) of theseworks. The prints mounted on toys, furniture and other objects during this early time were more rare. Icreated about one hundred of them. These pieces were created only between the years 1993 and 2004.They ranged in size from very small (around 3" x 4" to much larger 16" x 20" or so). 7. 2023 SIGNED PRINTS About twenty five years after beginning my rock and roll icon art business, I stopped creating prints. Around 2004 I wanted all my future collectors to own works more unique and valuable than my prints(which were mainly sold framed and with kitsch objects attached as mentioned above in Category 6).This decision was made even though many early collectors (like Julia Roberts) owned these pieces.For one year only (2023) I produced signed prints one more time. This was in the interim of developing a more affordable new product (see category 5 above). The new product evolved as I began to phase out my older categories of work. This made the remaining work more rare and therefore more expensive and I still wanted any potential collector be able to afford my work so I developed a new product. Whilecreating the new product it seemed good to offer signed prints one last time. Each one was producedon extra heavy card stock paper with a gloss finish using the most expensive state of the art equipment. Each one was signed and dated. Launched again near the end of 2024 until-?
Price: 2777 USD
Location: Cadiz, Kentucky
End Time: 2024-12-26T01:59:52.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Unit of Sale: Single-Piece Work
Signed By: kata billups
Size: Large
Signed: Yes
Date of Creation: 2000-Now
Period: Ultra Contemporary (2020 - Now)
Material: Acrylic, Canvas
Item Length: 20 in
Region of Origin: US
Framing: Framed
Subject: Celebrities, Christ, Costumes, Dog, Figures, Houses, Humor, Inspirational, Love, Musical Bands & Groups, Toys & Games
Listed By: Artist
Type: Painting
Signed?: Signed
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Style: Contemporary Art, Figurative Art, Modernism, Pointillism, Pop Art, Portraiture, Postmodernism, Realism
Painting Surface: other
Original/Reproduction: Original
Theme: Americana, Animals, Animation, Art, Biblical, Domestic & Family Life, Fantasy, Hobbies & Leisure, Inspirational, Music, People, Portrait, Religious, Theater
Production Technique: Acrylic Painting
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Handmade: Yes
Item Width: 24 in
Time Period Produced: 2020-Now
