art

Orange is the New Backdrop

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“Orange is the New Backdrop,” Jerome Stueart (11 x 15) watercolor, mixed media on paper.

I believe in using art to create the future I want to see.

This is the Justice we need.

Now, I believe mass incarceration in the US is a huge problem on many levels–not to mention that it’s a money-making scheme for those who own the prisons, but I also believe in Justice. Many of us are watching the Trump Administration break the law by the Trump administration and wondering– isn’t this illegal? Is no one going to catch them on this? It reveals to us what many already know that the justice system works differently for those with money and power than it does for most of us. But I still have hope.

Judges are still fighting for us, and justsecurity.org is cataloguing all the lawsuits currently being filed against the Trump Administration. I have listed a few of the charges there–including some that are just Trump’s personal charges. But there are LOTS of lawsuits being filed right now. Justice may be slower than we want, but it can be more lasting.

My illustration may be a fantasy: two current prisoners as (hopefully) future plaintiffs in one of many lawsuits against the Trump admin already forming, but it gives me hope.

I was disgusted by the PR stunt Kristi Noem did with the men as backdrop for what amounted to an ad for Homeland Security. MSNBC revealed that the men rounded up for the El Salvador facility included men with NO charges against them, but who sported a tattoo that would look good in the public relations message Trump wanted to send to his voters about the “good job” he was doing on immigration.

In my painting, I imagined a future I wanted to see.

I want to believe that Justice will happen. We are being flooded with Executive Orders and State’s Bills whose purpose is to scare us into giving up. It may look hopeless, but people are fighting back. And I want you to take heart.

Many people are fighting for us, and we can join that fight.

Two people that are helping us know HOW to fight back are AOC and Bernie Sanders, and you can watch one of their stops on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in its entirety, below. AOC begins about 11:40 into the video:

I believe in using art to create the future I want to see. I don’t have to be confined to ONLY what is happening, or what happened. I can create a new future.

I hope you make art creating the future YOU want to see. May your art inspire you and others to create that future.

Mama Just Got Added to the War Chat

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“Mama Just Got Added to the War Chat,” Jerome Stueart (11 x 15) watercolor, mixed media on paper. 3-25-25.

This was perhaps too easy to make fun of–as public incompetency is its own caricature. Of course, as an artist, there is a representation which reflects my own idea of attractiveness–as every artist does throughout time. But this is also a nod to adult gay son’s taking care of their moms/parents. Shoutout to family caregivers. And it’s a nod to gay representation in editorial illustration, and a positively-presented unique body image. Hey, we deserve that!

Also, just to note, V.P. is not J.D. I suspect it is only a matter of time before our own troops will be used to help V.P. in the Ukraine.

While the sheer incompetency of the Trump Cabinet and other Appointees is what this illustration is about, I was most appalled by the sheer lack of empathy by any participants in the chat about the lives they were taking. War is a serious business, and I can’t imagine Obama’s team or Hillary’s team using prayer emojis and cheering on the deaths of those who were NOT the target. I expect my elected officials to be grave and reluctant to use weapons of mass destruction to end the life of one person–and if they have to use that kind of weapon, I would hope that they would have more respect for life than this. Trump and all his team disgust me.

Everything I see from this administration comes from a lack of empathy and compassion for the humanity of anyone but themselves. They are all drunk on power.

I also hate the kidnapping of Christianity to promote hate. I’ve seen it many times, and of course, Christianity has promoted slavery, and the subjugation of women, and the cruel treatment of the LGBTQ community. So it has a history just in the US of being used to hurt people– not to mention WORLD history– but that is not what the core of our faith teaches.

I hate how the US is being run now in OUR names—as if we all agreed this would be the right thing to do. I can’t imagine a single Christian person–if they truly followed Christ–approving of this kind of behavior or of the “disappearing” of people who don’t agree with Trump–students and professors taken off the street and shuffled into prisons in El Salvador for exercising their rights of free speech while Trump’s team are committing crimes against the country and humanity every single day.

I pray Justice comes, and she comes swiftly, against this fascist regime.

Until then, illustrations and essays, and calling my representative and protesting when I can. I’m going to try to start illustrating more of what we CAN do–and not just the shock at what is happening. I think there’s a place for prescriptive illustration– a tool which has been used for propaganda before can be used to model ways to fight back. Show us winning, show Justice coming, show the paths.

Thank you for listening. I’m just one bear bearing witness. I just didn’t think I would be witnessing this.

The Return of the Judges

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“The Return of the Judges,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15) watercolor, mixed media on paper. 3-24-2025.

Judges are fighting to stop wide sweeping illegal actions of Musk and Trump.

Judges are fighting for us! This is ONE way we fight back. This is ONE group that is fighting for us. But people ARE fighting back–and you are part of that resistance too. Do what you can, find a buddy to help too!

Judges are part of the #resistance. They are doing their best to delay, stop, and to annul the sweeping changes T and E are making to our country’s structure.

When you saw #StarWars for the first time, did you ever imagine becoming a #Jedi? The Empire we now discover is made up of Billionaires and Corporations. The Empire is about money and power and control, aka Capitalism and income inequality.

They don’t care about you, and they now own the Federal government.

But we are the 99% and they are the 1%.

Will you join the resistance? #WelcomeToTheRebellion

Hope is a Mother Birdie Teaching Us to Fly

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“Hope is a Mother Bird Teaching Us How to Fly,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15) Watercolor, mixed media on paper.

Relaunching this after putting some words across the bird for clarity. I forget that political cartoons sometimes need words… sometimes. Better without them, perhaps, but in this case, better with.

Bernie Sanders launched rallies across swing states and red states. They are attracting thousands of people in each spot. His goal: teaching us how to handle this current fight, and how to fight back. He is listening to how folks are hurting from the poor decisions made by the Trump administration and their decimation of the structures that support people across America. You can hear some of this in his new video on Instagram.

Sanders is also teaching folks how to not lose hope. I remember his 2016 moment when the bird flew to his podium and was dubbed thereafter as Birdie. It was a sign of Hope. I have imagined that Birdie is back — much larger, and able to instruct a whole flock of people how to fly.

He’s one of many keeping people informed and giving power back to the people.I find myself also listening to AOC, Pete Buttigieg, Chris Murphy, Jasmine Crocket, Sarah McBride, and others tell us what is happening in our government behind the scenes, and how we can fight back.

These people representing us in Congress inspire me. Add them to the political activists outside of Congress and I have feelings of hope.

Hope is not dead. It just needs US to learn to fly.

#berniesanders #hope #rally #fightoligarchy

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit, Magician

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“Find Joy in the Work,” (11 x 15) watercolor and mixed media on paper. Jerome Stueart.

Happy March (Hare)!

Repurposing and reposting this painting I did from New Years. It’s one of my favorite paintings and it illustrates both what I want to do more of this year– reading, painting, writing, but also my theory on maintaining my sanity right now. Balance paintings that comment on the difficult times we are living through with paintings that show beauty and peace and joy.

Keep doing magic for yourself and those around you in these strange, chaotic times. Find time for joy and relaxation around your strategies and plans for how you deal with the malevolence in the air. Our heroes (you) can’t always be fighting or stressed— our bodies can’t take it for the long haul— and this is a marathon, but it should have nice way stations for rest. Hobbits need Rivendell, after all.

I’ve learned that making Art can calm our hearts and our minds. Try creating something beautiful for yourself and those you love.

I’m trying to balance editorial illustration that feature Orangesides and his Terriers (you know who) with beautiful calming paintings–soul and mind cleansers. Breathe in. Breathe Out. You got this.

Think local. Think Home. Think Chosen Family. Do what we can to those we have around us.

Pull out the top hat.

Do a magic trick or two!
______

Hope is a Mother Bird

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“Hope is a Mother Bird,” Jerome Stueart, (11x 15) watercolor, mixed media on paper.

When I saw that Sen. Bernie Sanders was going to go back into rally mode, and go across the nation, teaching people how to fight oligarchy, I was filled with hope. I’ve also been watching Rep. AOC give instructions and insight over instagram, Youtube, and other social media. Reps Chris Murphy, Jasmine Crocket, have also been trying to help people make sense of what’s happening and give us a game plan of what to do. I hear Pete Buttigieg is possibly going to give weekly talks about what Democrats are doing right now.

All of this is to HELP US—because we are the power in this situation, but we don’t know our powers. We need help to find out HOW to make our voices heard even as votes are happening to take those powers away.

Fight oligarchy. Call your representatives. Join rallies. Educate yourself through these people and other organizations. We can be taught how to fight back. It’s not too late.

This bird–the same bird that flew onto Bernie’s podium in 2016–it’s back. It’s bigger. It’s ready to fight. It is HOPE and HOPE FIGHTS.

This bird in the painting felt so much like it was sitting on a nest– parenting us, helping us hatch. The people, for a moment, when I was sketching, looked like a whole mass of eggs. We are being educated, taught how to fight, and reminded of the powers that we have.

Let hope hatch in your heart.

Tough-Love for Billionaires, or Have We Got an Asteroid for You!

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“Tough Love for Billionaires, or Have We Got an Asteroid for You!” (11 x 15) watercolor, mixed media on paper.

Do we need names on these dinosaurs or can you imagine who they are?

I know the real asteroid in the news has been downgraded from being a concern for Earth, and that’s …WHEW! However, when it comes to metaphorical asteroids, I think we’ve seen how effective our collective action can be. More of us than them. Perhaps Friday will get the attention of a few dinosaurs.

I hope you take a moment to shop only local and small on Feb 28th and not give money to big box stores–really those stores that supported Trump or pulled back their DEI initiatives.

We think we can only affect change through voting, but that restricts us to such few opportunities over several years.

We can make changes through withholding our money. And this affects billionaires and CEOs the most.

Join me on Feb 28 for the Big Economic Blackout and then several others that are planned.

This is a different kind of march, a different kind of protest.

But we have seen that those kinds of protests are effective. Target has lost billions to a boycott for cutting DEI initiatives.

Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, Trump, and others need to feel your power too.

Join me this Friday, FEB 28th.

Note: I just cut a blue square out of some paper and it sat there on the painting when I made the photo–so it’s not painted on there. This is why Jerome must learn Photoshop and digital editing.

“Consider the Half-Life of Roses”

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“Consider the Half-Life of Roses,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15) watercolor, watercolor pencil, mixed media on paper.

A satyr in a painting stops his play to smell the roses again before they are gone. My mother keeps dried roses in the kitchen window, and I know they still hold a beautiful smell. So much of the rose lingers after the rose dies. Roses have a long, long half-life. They don’t have to stay beautiful to hold a room spellbound. They give joy long after they can hold their blooms up, or keep their petals on. Old Roses are the most underestimated, and therefore give the most joy when we stop for a moment and smell them. “Oh, it’s still there.” Proving that their influence lasts so much longer than their lives. For years and years and years to come.

Hope you take time this week to enjoy everything around you.

A Mug of “The Gulf of Empathy” and more

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The folks at Redbubble have reviewed “The Gulf of Empathy” and have approved it. Here on this site you can make other things with the print.

Part of the proceeds will go to charities that protect and defend LGBTQ and Immigrant communities. There is no wait on shipping for these items, so you will get them faster than the prints over on ⏹ space. If you wanted t-shirts or mugs or buttons, I have those. See the first comment with the address.

Thank you so much for the love you have given this piece of art. I had no idea it would touch hundreds of thousands of people as it has. I know it reflects the love and appreciation that you feel for Bishop Budde and her sermon during the Inauguration, a sermon about empathy, about love, about mercy, about defending those who need our protection right now–which is quickly becoming EVERYONE.

We all need to be protecting each other right now. I want to help do that in any way I can. So, first I will use this miraculous accident that happened, and I will ALSO call my representatives and make it awkward, and make palm cards and post “know your r1ghts” flyers where I can.

Please pass this to anyone you think would like to know about these. Thank you!

NOTE: Redbubble only has things the Squarespace Site does not have. So if you want PRINTS or SETS of CARDS go to Jerome Stueart Art on Squarespace. If you want the other items you see below: stickers, mugs, totes, pillows— please go to Redbubble

Prints for “The Gulf of Empathy” available

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Prints of “The Gulf of Empathy” are now available at my SQUARESPACE store, follow the link below. Spread the news widely wherever you see the painting online. I will too!

Thank you for your patience! And for your immeasurable kindness and loving comments about my work, and for those who have slipped me coffees through ko fi. You are beautiful people.

NOTE: There are only 5 items available at this time— an 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 print of the painting, or packs of 5 x 7 cards—a 10-pack, 25-pack, and 100-pack.

Because of constraints, nothing will be shipped until after February 17th.

After the 17th, things will ship normally as they would anywhere else. There’s just a wait time for the newness. I won’t be able to ship your items until the 17th.

As I mentioned, part of this will go to charities that support or defend the LGBTQ community and the Immigrant (documented and undocumented) Community.

Thank you again for supporting artists.

And thank you again to Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and her sermon during the Inauguration that prompted this painting. Her bravery is a model for us to speak out, use our platforms and our gifts, and protect others as much as we can.

If you know of places that could use this link—places where you posted the painting before– please let them know. I will do my best to get it everywhere I can too.

http://jeromestueartart.squarespace.com/store

With great love,

Jerome Stueart

PS. If there are glitches in the shopping experience, let me know and I will fix them as fast as I can. I am the only person monitoring this at the moment. Thank you!