Jon McNaughton

                My very important person (VIP) for this week is Jon McNaughton.  I believe McNaughton to be a living VIP because he stands firm on his principles.  McNaughton is a Utah artist whose paintings have attracted the attention of millions of people internationally over the past few years.  He also writes a blog and shares his paintings with explanations of them on Facebook.  I first became aware of McNaughton when I saw his painting entitled One Nation Under God.  I liked the painting so much that I purchased a copy of it.

                McNaughton received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Brigham Young University and has been painting for twenty-five years.  He is obviously a conservative, and his paintings beautifully described the principles that he considers important.  His paintings can be seen and purchased through his website.  

                The Jon McNaughton blog states:  “There are three kinds of people who view my paintings:  Those who like it, those who hate it, and those who simply don’t understand.  I am especially interested in this last category.  I hope my work will create conversation and reach people on a deeper level.  I like to use metaphor and multiple levels of meaning to reach my viewer.   If it makes them think and feel, then it is successful.”

                This site obviously does not like McNaughton’s work.  It describes McNaughton as libertarian, and his art as “absurd paintings depicting the Founding Fathers as devout Christians.”  The article continues:  “As he markets to Conservatives, Mr. McNaughton’s website helpfully explains every last scrap of symbolism in his artwork, leaving nothing to chance, or interpretation.  His most famous is perhaps One Nation Under God, depicting Jesus surrounded by a range of patriotic figures and liberal bogeymen, along with some figures representing real Americans….”

                I like McNaughton’s art, but I also appreciated his posts on Facebook and his blog entries.   His blog entries include articles entitled “What Is A True Christian?,” “What Would Happen If…?” and “Is Homosexuality Wrong?”  A recent post on Facebook is a very interesting article entitled “Star-Spangled Racism.” This post begins, “Racism is alive and well in America and nowhere is it more obvious than in the case of George Zimmerman versus Trayvon Martin.  Has America traded one kind of racism for another?  We used to hear of white on black racism during the days of Jim Crow.  Now, the streets of urban America are filled with mob violence of black people committing racially driven hate crimes against white people – and there is hardly a whisper.  Even on this last Independence Day, celebrations were cancelled for fear of black rioting.  There are those who now celebrate Independence Day as a time to act out their racist views.  It appears that the poles have shifted.”

                We need more people like Jon McNaughton who are willing to stand up in defense of America, our Constitution, our Founding Fathers, and our way of life.  I encourage you to link to McNaughton’s sites to see his paintings and to read more of his wise writing.