"Moses and the Burning Bush"

12 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas panel, 2021.

I have long been fascinated by the bible story of Moses and the Burning Bush. I've wanted to paint it, but it took me a while to figure out how. In this painting, I started with a technique called "decalcomania", giving me an abstract texture on the canvas. Looking at it, I could start to see various things-- faces, figures, birds, animals, and more, which I then rendered more clearly. In the center, I added the 'all-seeing eye', the 'Eye of Providence', the eye of God, and the figure of Moses was added as well.

As with many of the stories in the Old Testament of the Bible, we often may wonder if the stories are literal, symbolic, or something else. If God actually presented himself to Moses as a burning bush, what would it have looked like? How would Moses have perceived it? One might speculate that he may have seen something more, but a 'burning bush' was the only way for him to describe it.

Another interesting notion-- suggested by Benny Shanon, an Israeli professor of cognitive philosophy, is that perhaps Moses had ingested some kind of psychoactive plant that caused him to have a deep and profound hallucination.

Whatever the case may be-- including the possibility that this is nothing more than a myth-- I find this story (and many others in the Bible) to be fascinating, and I just had to paint it.

"The Return"

18 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas panel, 2021.

A symbolic apocalyptic vision.

New painting, "Alien Christ"

Rick Jacobi, Alien Christ, 18" x 24", acrylic on canvas panel, 2019

 



I've been thinking about this for many years.... If God "sent his son" to Earth, would God not also do the same thing on other planets with alien civilizations? I think that it would be quite likely, at least in some cases. Of course, it would not be the earthling known as Jesus, a.k.a. Yeshua; it would be some alien being with a name we probably could not pronounce. Alien beings on other worlds may or may NOT be humanoid; however, I have presented them as such, and given them they typical "gray alien" heads, and dressed the figures in typical "biblical clothing", just to make the image more understandable and iconic.

What do you think about this? I welcome your comments.

Note: this image was adapted from a painting by 19th century Danish painter Carl Bloch.

Quotes about my Paintings

Rick Jacobi, Bird Brain, 24" x 30", acrylic on canvas panel, 2017

Quotes from other people about my work:

On my painting "Deus Arcanum": "That piece is a cool mystical cartoon surreal alchemical opus. Well done. Applause, applause!"

-- Alex Grey

"Your art seems to exist on a wonderfully fuzzy line between a kind of controlled psychedelia and a sublime divine pattern organization."

-- Lewis Saul

On my painting "The Oracle": "Disturbingly fascinating, amazingly grotesque, yet utterly elegant."

-- Gwen Carr

"Rick, your art is spectacular-- divined, a calling from another universe, a deep place."
-- Skip Davis

"Rick Jacobi’s unique artistic voice resounds far above the ubiquitous chorus of psychedelic monotony and meaningless abstraction. His deep affinity with the ancient mysteries emerges in a most delectable way through his vibrant palette and fine technique. For every step the deconstructionists took toward abandoning decency and forsaking technique, Rick takes 10 steps closer to honesty and attention to detail. He elucidates our strange predicament on this strange planet and his critically important imagery challenges his admirers and peers alike."

-- Sean Allum / Eloh Projects

The Symbolism of "The Messenger"

The Messenger, 18" x 24", acrylic on canvas panel, 2016

There are a number of symbols and references in my painting of Jimi Hendrix. The numbers 6 and 9 represent Jimi's song, "If 6 was 9". The flaming heart is a reference to "the sacred heart of Jesus" which can be found on many pictures portraying Jesus. I certainly am not equating Jimi Hendrix with Jesus, but I DO believe he was a spiritual messenger, which is why this painting is titled "The Messenger".

This whole picture is influenced by Orthodox icon paintings of Christ and other religious figures, in terms of the composition, and also some of the design elements such as the halo, flaming heart, and the other symbols. Speaking of which, the symbols in the red and blue triangles represent the letters A and O, a reference to Alpha and Omega (sometimes used in Christian symbology); the symbols here are from the alphabet known as Enochian script. I wanted to keep this from being really obvious, and the Enochian script symbols make it more enigmatic which I like.

The flaming heart represents the message of love, the power of soul (coming from Jimi's lyrics). The eye in the triangle is NOT about the Illuminati; rather, it is "The Eye of Providence", or the eye of God. Jimi is wearing a yin/yang pendant, and has a tattoo of the Egyptian Ankh on his chest; both are to represent the universality of his message.

Observant viewers have also noted the small, somewhat demonic-looking face at the top of his hair. Honestly, I do not have a specific meaning for this; it basically appeared on its own during the process of doing the initial sketches for this painting, so there is no specific intent for this. That said, to me it would perhaps represent the intensity and ferociousness of his playing, particularly his solos on songs like "Voodoo Chile", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", and "Machine Gun", among others. At his best, as in these examples, Jimi is in my opinion channeling higher cosmic forces coming from somewhere not of this earth. In the words of one of my friends:

"Jimi was a messenger of Peace from Another Dimension. He spoke through his instrument in a language unheard of."

 
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I'm Teaching a Workshop at CoSM

 I'm going to be teaching an art workshop at CoSM, a.k.a. Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, owned and operated by visionary art legends Alex and Allyson Grey. CoSM is located at Wappingers Falls, NY. The workshop is August 10-12.

Don't make art that looks like what everybody else is doing. I'll be discussing a number of topics regarding creativity and personal expression. Students will learn a number of specific methods and techniques designed to help them come up with ideas and concepts that are truly their own.

For more:

For detailed info on the CoSM website, click HERE.

Indicate your interest in attending:

Go to the "event page" on Facebook, click HERE.

"Petitioning Papa Legba at the Crossroads"

"Petitioning Papa Legba at the Crossroads", 18" x 24", acrylic, 2018

About this painting: Legendary blues man Robert Johnson is said to have "made a deal with the Devil at the crossroads". Turns out, the "devil" is actually a voodoo/African spirit, Legba-- often known as "Papa Legba". Also, the crossroads is not so much a literal physical location; rather, it is the crossroads between the physical and spiritual world. This painting is inspired by this blues mythology

This scene is in the rural south of the USA. Highway 61 is known as "The Blues Highway", and the crossroads of the legend are said to be on this road, specifically at the intersection of 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Other roads also make this claim, but 61 has kind of won out. The crow holds a tarot card-- The Devil-- a nod to the "deal with the devil". The lizard probably means something too, but I just added it mainly to balance out the crow in terms of the composition of the picture.

On the left, carrying a guitar, is a blues man who wants to be "the next Robert Johnson". He is attired in festive Mardi Gras apparel. He has in his arm a pint of Bacardi rum, as a gift for Papa Legba.

The central figure of course, is Papa Legba. Legba is often seen walking with a crutch, smoking a pipe, and is frequently followed by a dog. He also often wears a straw hat, but in this case, I had something else in mind. His powers are represented by the bolts of energy shooting from his fingers.

On the right is a southern redneck/greaser dude, who is also a voodoo practitioner. Note the "mojo hand" (mojo bag) tied around his neck. The hand on the gearshift, his "vehicle", and the 8-ball tattoo are all a nod to the great Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, creator of many legendary custom cars in the 60s; also one of the originators of "weirdo art" and a forefather of what has come to be known as "lowbrow art" or "pop surrealism".

Prints of this painting are available on my website.