"Jah is Forever"

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW)
Medium(s): Pencil, Linolium base
June 19, 2008



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What does it really mean to be a Rasta? To follow the rastafari way of life? Contrary to Bob Marley's popularity where people love him and his "ras colors" because people think it all relates to smoking weed, and that is what he undoubtingly has become a symbol of. When I learned who Bob Marley actually was and what he did, weed was such a small part of what he was all about and what he believed. Bob Marley was probably the most internationally well known and outspoken freedom fighter of his time in this music. He was not the first for sure, nor the last. With his songs I recommend people hearing (search youtube where he plays live) are Get Up, Stand Up..War...and Crazy Baldheads.
His dreads were extended in here because of what they actually symbolized. I learned dreadlocks actually publically showed a person's pledge to the visions of Emperor Selassie of Ethiopia, practically a living God in their view. All of this was and is a very outspoken movement about displaced africans returning to Africa to regain their roots and culture, and outspeaking against "Babylon" which symbolizes any kind of oppressor depending on context, mostly referring to tyrants like the United States. Dreads themselves were seen as revolutionary, and today most true rasta's allow only certain people to see them. Next time you want make dreads and rastafari a style and fad...keep this in mind when you exploit and disregard its rootical meanings.
The Lion symbolizes from the Lion of Judah to the lions Selassie as a child played with. It stands for lots of inner spiritual power, inner strength in Africans, and overall African pride. The little African continent in the middle is bleeding, which symbolizes all the blood that was and is being spilt fighting over the land. Enough said.
The flag on the left is the Flag of Ethiopia and the Rastafari Movement..though not the actual country's flag. I researched that many Ethiopians do not recognize the changes that were made to the flag, because the president who did led the country into poverty and famine. Many still recognize their flag with green, gold, and red with the Lion of Judah on it.
The AK47's at the top represent Bob Marley's song Get Up, Stand Up and War.

Reggae music has highly influenced my artwork presently. Concious-reggae for that matter (reggae relating to strictly lyrics that teach and speak about recognizing and regaining one's roots and culture, uplifting people from their current state to improve their lives and for their fellow people, recognizing within oneself and the natural world as creations of "Jah" or God, and many forms of revolution on different scales. Jah is Forever comes from a song "Jah Is" by Mystic Vision, which describes to the listener that the body may get hurt, grow old and weak, but not the internal fire people have within themselves, and that God is forever, since we are apart of his creation.

I have personally emersed myself in the parallels that this music has, with what I believe indigenous people all throughout the land need to hear and listen to..to go back to their roots and regain their culture..to recognize Ihtsipaitapiyopa in everything that he has created, the essence of all life.With this sight, our people will once again be a proud people, and do anything to protect and save ourselves against the overshadowing Babylon.

"Though the body grows old and weiry, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weiry but Jah is forever.
Majestic is the body's only composure.
Everything that breathes moves together,
and Jah, the orchestrator.

Though the body grows old and weak, but never the fire
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever,
the body grows old and weak, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever.

Who made the mountains? Who made the seas?
The works of Jah.
Who made creations, like man woman and child?
The most high.

Though the body grows old and weak, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever,
the body grows old and weak, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever.

Speak of Jah Jah in a genesis revelation.
Jah the grand master of all the nations.
Who transgress the love? Transgress against Jah?
Richness

Though the body grows old and weak, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever,
the body grows old and weak, but never the fire,
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever.
Jah is forever,
Though the body grows old and weak, but not the fire, never.
the body grows old and weak, but Jah is forever.

The body is complex in design.
So divine are I rastafari given,
tell them Jah Selassie I.

Jah is forever,
Jah is forever,
the body grows old and weak but what, not the internal fire, no no.
The body grows old and weak but Jah is forever."

- "Jah is Forever" - Mystic Vision





--Artist's Critique--

Originally drawn on a linolium pad intended to be a linocut print, I had made some major mistakes in my carving. The overall result had turned disaster because the inner carved color was almost exact as the original untouched surface. Unless I had really good lighting and often lifted the piece up to eye level to see the canyons versus the flat uncarved sections, I wasn't really able to tell where I had worked versus where I hadn't and what still needed to be carved. The print itself to me was ruined, but the pencil drawing itself I thought was alright, nothing special, just a pencil drawing in my collaging style.
Different pencils on different days contributed to there being a contrast in darkness between the left side from the rest of the piece and other subjects. Though in someways it displays a balance compared with Marley's dark focal point beard and the dark leaves on the african trees below on the bottom. A nice exploration more into the human face and what it does during different emotions, where skin wrinkles and tenses, etc. Overall a nice composition, the new topic alone compared to the rest of my portfolio adds variety to display and show the same meanings in the bigger scheme of things.