Trips, Travels And Changes

Well if you've been following the site you'll notice I made a few changes again. But first, an announcement ... I'll be traveling again, hopefully the snow will hold off long enough for me to pick up some new material. I'm not sure where I'm going around the state, but I'll figure it out as I go.

As for the changes, well, I'm trying to work the Oregon Paintings section into a standalone site ... sort of. I spent most of my career painting Oregon scenes and I don't want that record to get lost amid my new abstract and expressionist creations, which tend to get more public notice and exposure. Someday, I'm convinced, this will all mean something to someone.

As for other things, I've been having second thoughts about some of the things I've said, and so I've made adjustments accordingly.

I've been angry about being lied to by religionists who hide behind God to spew their bigotry, but I've also been reminded that people very much need to believe the things they believe in. More important, they're not all hate-filled judgmental monsters ... just the ones who have the visible presence in mass media right now. In that regard, I'd like to offer my prayers, best wishes, and high recommendations to and for the United Church of Christ. Many many Christians and their churches know that what the big hate-mongers teach is not really Christianity, but the United Church of Christ had the guts to speak out about it -- and put words into action, to tell the world that Christianity is not about hate and judgment. I'll try harder to remember that.

See you on the road!

-- Chriss Pagani

Pagani on 01.28.05 @ 11:09 AM PDT [link] [No Comments]

Free Porn - Sex AMPamp; Religion in America Today

I'm getting older and I don't really do the stuff I did in years gone by. I went through a lot of things with a lot of people back then, some of which I might talk about. When I was immersed in religion - you know about that phase of my life - I also found myself immersed in sex. When I begain to lose my faith I also began to feel that sex was ... well, icky.

I know way too much about religion from the inside, which is why I can say from personal experience that if you want sex, you want God. Well, at least you want some fundamentalist Christian version of God. From my experience, you see, fundamentalism and kinky overactive sexual behavior go together. You'd think it would be the opposite: It's the religious people who don't like sex, right? They certainly complain a lot when other people do it. I guess it is supposed to be all those atheists are out there who are screwing their brains out. You might think that, but you'd be wrong. So I'm going to give you the magical secret to lots of sex, with some of my own work added to illustrate ...
Pagani on 01.21.05 @ 08:40 PM PDT [more..] [4 Comments]

Web Site Changes, The Artist Changes

You've probably already noticed that the site looks a little different. I've tried to make it cleaner and friendlier … but the changes go far deeper than that, as you will see.

For one thing, there are fewer paintings now. Why fewer? I thought the site was too cluttered so instead I'm trying to offer a representative sample of my work. For example, I reduced the number of Oregon paintings from 205 to just 44 -- enough to give a new viewer an idea of the range of what I do without flogging the subject to death.

There is also a major update to the Artist's Statement & Biography section, and if you've been there before it's probably time to visit again. This was the toughest part of what I've done - and in fact it was so difficult that I may change my mind at any minute and delete the whole thing …
Pagani on 01.07.05 @ 12:49 PM PDT [more..] [No Comments]

Resolutions For A New Year and New Times

I seldom make New Year’s resolutions in part because – like most people – I seldom keep them. There is also nothing special about the New Year, it’s just an arbitrary date: Meaningless, like so much in life, except for the artificial meaning we impose upon it. But perhaps this year, I will make an exception … oh yes, it is already past the official date, but I’ve decided to take more time to think about it.

I’m getting older; sometimes the moment where I could make a difference seems to have passed me by.

What should I do? Maybe I will give up painting.

That isn’t a joke; one of the things to which I’ve been giving serious thought is whether or not there is any point in my art. I have a lot to say, for sure, but I seem to have a problem saying it paint. Pretty pictures aren’t good enough. There are a million artists out there who can paint pretty pictures.
Pagani on 01.05.05 @ 12:41 PM PDT [more..] [1 Comment]