Rusty Banana Forge

Hail to the one and only God & King. Hahaha! I only realized this now after finishing the illustration!
Merry CHRISTmas!!! And a Happy Happy New Year 2007.

Did this quick illustration for all my friends and relatives. May your season be as gay as… uhm… hahahahah!!!

This year has been a big year of change for my family, but for me personally? I feel I could have achieved more for myself!

At the start of the year and during the course of the year I saw a total of 3 rainbows. I took them all a sign of hope: that the amazing plans for me have yet to unfold. 3 is a nice number, one for each of us kids in the family.

Looking forward to more posts next year! Subscribe to my blog today!

Just recently I got a comment to my Shame of Satan post about how that particular image gave Troy the feeling of rebirth (yes, oddly.) That was when I just really felt I needed to say something about the dissected Jesus being posted on Artist Den previously…. (yes someone did post it ). I illustrated Shame of Satan as a response. I just had to. Hopefully it also made a point. (I got a comment saying that Satan doesn’t need wings to fly, that’s probably true - but where he’s going there’s no where else he can go but down.)

This is another illustration I did for similar reasons. I had hate to upload. Done in about an hour:

Another reason why you may want to learn Digital Painting: Art Therapy. Here, I just unloaded all my hateful feelings onto canvas. No this NOT my way of doing voodoo or sumpa, kulam or barang. It’s my way of clearing myself creatively of spite thrown against my family by a certain woman. She is perpetually heaping insults at us and stabbing herself with venomous knives and then blaming it on us. So what’s a Christian to do, right? I can pray for her, sure - but God help me, this requires EXTRA grace. Nuclear payloads full of grace. So as an artist, this is how I deal with emotions. (And NO, it’s not for sale.)

Perhaps you are asking, why post this illustration, Mr. Christian Artist? It’s not very Christian now is it?
Well, maybe. It’s a frightful scare, I know … and Halloween’s pretty much over. But my reason is to rebuke the woman… who uses her tongue to make her money and her poison: The Bible says what is hidden will be brought to light. Nothing that is concealed will be hidden forever. Let those who have no sin cast the first stone.
Salt water and fresh water cannot flow from the same spring Let God decide then which spring she will have.

Every time I write one of these messages, she should not take these lightly! For these (I’m guessing there’ll be more) will serve as witness to God and to everyone else that she has given many chances to repent and put a rein on her tongue. Deceit and false witness are not of God.

I leave her name out because I believe God wouldn’t be pleased if He would be able to Google her name and find me poking fun at her face. So instead I have settled to keep it anonymous.

Let this work and the accompanying words remind me, just how much God loves us and even those who hate us.

At the start of the 2006, we saw a rainbow.
And on the 24th of June, 2006 … (yesterday) we saw another one. I take it that God knows the situation that our family’s in right now and that he’s got something good in store for us regardless of death & taxes!

“

He’s keeping his commitment to always provide for his children. We’re counting on you God!

I was thinking of what sign I’d ask God for to tell me whether or not to join the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards (c/o Neil Gaiman & Fully Booked)

I fixed myself a fruit drink and as I sipped, I tried to figure out what’d be a good sign.
Couldn’t think of any. But I knew it had to be something not within my control. Something natural like Gideon’s sign in the Bible. The one with the dew and all.

Finishing my drink, I still couldn’t think of any. Washing my cup in the sink, I thought…. if my sister comes home happy, I’ll do the contest… If she comes home bitchy, I won’t do it. Then I reasoned, I can’t base it on another person’s emotions - those things change even without divine intervention. Further images of flowers growing in my room and few other strange phenomena came to mind. But I couldn’t really make a decision.

So I turned on my PC log on to Yahoo Messenger… and find my friend Fero finally adding me to his list of YM buddies. And then he messages to me: “So are you joining the Neil Gaiman contest?”.

And that was that. We’re submitting a collaboration.

Oh and my sister came home distressed about the car.

Hmm. What an interesting Sunday January 1, 2006 turned out to be.

1st
For the entire 2005, my brother never went to church. He went for the first time today with his fiancé.

2nd
During the sermon the pastor mentioned a story about a certain Joel he knew who was as thin as a wire before but had invested into growing physically buff. What drove this Joel to attack the gym was his daughter’s death. That definitely struck me - having the same name and physical “inadequacy”. I have yet to experience anything to shake me up though… so I’m anxious yet excited at the same time

3rd
Saw a rainbow with the family. A rainbow on the first day of the year. Symbol of hope. I thought of my dear Philippines, and now I also think of my sister’s call to the West, and my brother’s upcoming family. Then of course, I also connected this to my own hope for a better physique, perhaps a family of my own.

I may not have a love that conquers all,
or a faith that moves mountains,
but hope — the simple hope that God is not through with me yet
That’s what I have.

I’m writing this because I met someone who felt Christmas was dead to her. The “spirit” had gone missing. Much of me feels the same way, because largely I haven’t taken any actions yet to change my environment otherwise.

It’s really easy to text or say “Merry Christmas”. But if you don’t feel it… don’t feel it at all…. if the Christmas feelings you felt when you were a child aren’t there anymore… don’t kill yourself, I’ll reason it out for us:

1. We can tell ourselves that weve outgrown it. We try to live it up again, try to feel the way we did back then…. but we’ve changed. It can be cynicism killing off the significance of Christmas.

So now, you’rve got to make Christmas meaningful to you and others around you. We talk about giving. Yes there are the gifts, and yet so much MORE. And that “MORE” is what we need to do, for we are no longer children - and adults need more to truly feel Christmas.

Hook up with a charitable organization. Volunteer. Invite friends over and tell them how much they matter to you.

2. We are not celebrating any traditions. Or the traditions we celebrate are so shallow it just doesn’t count. Or others we celebrated with years ago, feel disinclined to preserve those traditions with us.

It may, in fact, fall upon your shoulders to take on the “leadership role” in getting your family or friends to celebrate the way they did.

3. We’re working even on the holidays. There is no anticipation of the long Christmas break. Our schedule is messed up (watch out freelancers!) We keep working, because as much as we believe we need the Christmas spirit - we pretend that it can creep into us even while we break our backs.

If it is in your power to stop working, do so. Get a leave. Why show everyone what a machine you are during Christmas?

All in all it’s easier to let Christmas die. Our roots grow naturally when we are children. But in our 20s, our roots need more nourishment. Nights are longer and the sun is harder to find during Christmas… even as the cliches are everywhere. We have to stretch our branches so much further… not only for us to receive our share of light… but to also to bear fruit.

The most impossible thing just happened. I’ve been voted to be Public Relations Officer (PRO)for INK (Ilustrador ng Kabataan/Illustrators for Children). That means going out and dealing with people and organizations external to INK.

Now for anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I work at home. I’m a hermit crab and the ocean scares me sometimes. And for anyone who’s worked or experienced me for 7 days in a row knows I have an amazing ability to cluelessly piss off people. Plus, the popular first impression that I give is that I am brooding or at the very least suplado (term for a person indifferent to other people). It’s quite natural really what with the way I avoid people’s eyes, forget their names, and keep quiet.

So when I get voted to be PRO, I absolutely KNOW that it’s something I can’t do. So I absolutely KNOW that God wants me to trust Him. He is moving in my life, and I’m glad I’m aware that He is. I had pretty much resigned myself to being extremely inadequate in the social graces, and the so-called emotional quotient. So my reaction to it all was one of expectation and excitement: I can’t wait to see what God will do with a quiet hermit like me in a position typically meant for outspoken diplomats.

Will He break me ? Yes, He probably will. Will He turn me into an outspoken diplomat? Like Abraham’s Sarah I chuckle at the thought. I look forward to this unknown He has put before me and I’m going to be the best quiet hermit PRO, I possibly can!

I really felt the need to paint this. I’ve attached the image. Took around 15 minutes.

Toasted!