GERARD MARTI

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations
adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Following this historic act, the Assembly called upon all Member Countries
to publicize the text of the Declaration, and to cause it to be disseminated, displayed,
read, and expounded principally in schools, and other educational institutions, without
distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.

Here are a couple of Articles that I think should be reminded or tattooed on our political leaders fore head.

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 3 : Everyone has the right to life, and security of person.

Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment or punishment .

I would like to add that every human being has a fundamental right to live in PEACE .

So "Give Peace a fucking chance "

This is a portrait of my vintage Washburn "Washington J9" guitar that I acquired a few years ago in Toronto. I was there, invited by Ronnie Wood, to see the Stones rehearsing. I spent five or six days watching the boys playing in the basement of an abandoned TV Studio. Keith was the one who inspired me. I could not take my eyes off of him. Between each song, he was pouring himself a drink from the bottle of Jack Daniel's sitting on a little table next to him. They were playing 30 to 40 songs every night. That should tell you how many glasses went down and how many bottles were killed. When I came back home with my guitar, I set up a little table and a bottle of Jack near my Marshall Amp. Then I put "Can you hear me knocking" on the CD player and spent a few nights playing it Loud and Elegantly Wasted .

Here is an Artist who is not afraid to make a statement, and push the limits. Inspired by the Jim Marshall infamous photo of Johnny Cash angrily giving the middle finger to the camera, taken back in 1969 during his San Quentin prison performance. Gerard said "Shove It" is my own way of flipping the bird to all the jerks in the world. They will recognize themselves."

Buddhism is, for me, the only acceptable religion or belief. I have no knowledge, or recollections, of any genocide or killing of any sort, perpetrated in the name of Buddha. Knowing what the world has experienced in the past, and presently - the Spanish "Reconquista" (Inquisition), the 12th century Crusades, the European War of Religions during the 16th century that still, to this day, divides the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom and of course, most recently, the Jihad in the name of Allah. I strongly believe in "not believing".

If religions are the Opium of the masses, I rather get high in a pacific kind of way. And really, just by looking at the logos, a skinny white guy nailed on a cross, bleeding to death, vs., a well fed, seated Asian fellow, looking happy, smiling at me. My choice is made. But because I'm a little weird, I like the idea of a Schizophrenic Buddha.

Dimensions 24" x 30"