Jon McNaughton
McNaughton Painting
"Pray for America."
America needs to have a conversation.
Not about who deserves something and who doesn’t.
It’s not about whether Cliven Bundy deserves to graze
his cattle on the land of his fathers,
America needs to have a conversation.
Not about wether Officer Darren Wilson has the right to defend himself,
But whether one American has more rights than another.
America need to have a conversation my brothers.
Not about whether I am my “brother’s keeper,”
America needs to have a conversation.
Not about whether our government has all the answers,
But whether we’ll have a conversation with the One
who does have all the answers,
And to choose love instead of hate.
It’s time to have a conversation.
In April of 2014 I went down to Nevada
to visit with the Bundy family with the idea of doing a painting.
I was apprehensive, not knowing what to paint
that would reflect the conflict in a proper way.
As I arrived I was expecting to see
a large ranch like the Ponderosa,
but was met by humble people
in a simple home who prayed together
I was told the firsthand story of their struggle with the BLM
to maintain their ranch that had been in the family for generations.
As I was preparing to leave, Cliven asked to speak with me privately.
He wanted to share some ideas for future paintings.
He hoped I would paint a picture that would tell the story
of the people who had worked hard to settle Clark County.
Then he wanted to know if I could paint something
He was concerned about black Americans
who are living on the dole of the US government
and need to be freed from oppression.
He spoke of the hard living conditions
for them and also the Latino people who struggle in America.
He had tears in his eyes as he rehearsed almost
the same things he would notoriously speak the following day
and bring the media’s ire crushing down upon him.
Some have said,
“Cliven should have kept his mouth shut.
I think Cliven is the farthest thing from being a racist.
He is a man of the West who loves his country
and loves other people.
There are many who don’t like him because he is different.
He doesn’t just do what he’s told and say what he’s supposed to say.
I thought about what I should paint
and felt that this painting is bigger than one man.
It’s about what is important to America.
What have we become?
Why must people hate each other for a word?
Why can’t people fight for their freedoms
to the extent they fight against racial hatred?
When you see this painting,
the way you view it is a reflection
of the world you choose to live in.
If you see racism, hate, oppression, and religious diatribe,
you surely won’t like this painting.
If you see the love of country,
family and a prayer to the God who loves all men and women
regardless of race or color,
you understand what I meant when I painted,
Prints are available at:
http://www.jonmcnaughton.com/pray-for-america/
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