Picture This.....

By Ivan Butcher II

Picture This... is not the kind of
book that the reader will sit and
read cover to cover.

The book is arranged by subject
matter which will cause the reader
to have to take time to reflect on the
message in each one of the articles.

Now those responsible and guilty
for all of the negative conditions
and hardships caused by their self-
serving, fraudulent, mismanaging,
thieving, and wasteful deeds, are like
Vampires with no Reflections.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477229170

Ivan Butcher II

As a child, I was given books, pencils, crayons and paints in place of toys. My art experience - I never studied Art until my second year in college. The very drawings I did as a youth became the work that changed my Life. Since I didn't meet the prerequisite for the art courses I wanted to take as electives, the art department head recognized my potential and allowed me to take my first painting class. I received an "A", it was then I realized where my interest laid, so I changed my major from accounting and business administration to art education. It wasn't until I began teaching Art on the elementary school level that I began learning the basics. After more than thirty years of teaching Art, I feel I have mastered my trade. Before I retired I upgraded all of my illustrative skills. I find that I haven't drawn or painted as much since I have been retired. I am working more on computer graphic designing and video making. As an artist I have always felt that the theater and movies were the ultimate arts, because they incorporate all of the writing, performing and visual arts for their presentations. Today, I feel that words have the greater impact for me as an artist.

Book preview

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AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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© 2012 by Ivan Butcher II. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/09/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2916-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2915-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2917-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012911811

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Topic Table of Content

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About the Book

Picture This… is an anthology of my reflections as an artist, an educator and an elder in the Virgin Islands addressing the social issues I have been witnessing. As an elder, in this community, I cannot stand by and watch the social decay and not say something, as an educator I cannot sit and not offer solutions to these conditions, and as an artist, at this time of my existence, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Noting the old expression, A picture is worth a thousand words, here are the words for you the reader to try and visualize exactly what is happening in the Virgin Islands from my perspective. My future intention is to make each one of these articles into a work of Art, using mixed, multi-media, mediums specific to each of these creative expressions.

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"Pure Genius is not Perfection, Genius has to be Edited.

Perfection Belongs to The CREATOR."

Ivan Butcher II

Introduction

Why Picture This . . . ?

When I began taking my writing seriously was when I began receiving feedback with responses of recognition and support. The big question I have been asked, how is it that I have had so many of my articles featured in the local newspapers.

What I believe is when I write, I am not attacking anyone and I have tried to offer a solution to the issue I am addressing. When I write, I am trying to create mental images for the reader.

It was after posting, After Forty Years, I Am Still Not Accepted, I received a note questioning why was I doing all of this writing wasn’t I supposed to be an Artist, painting and drawing. This response inspired me to respond with Picture This… , because of my questioning the residential status issue in the constitutional draft, it made me realize that I was making my point heard.

I began to teach Art here in 1969, when the Dept. of Education was recruiting teachers from abroad. I see myself as a city boy, but an island man. My lineage to put my roots into perspective: I was born in New York City; my father was born in Trinidad, BWI, his father was born in Barbados, BWI; my grandfather’s father was from Scotland (French-Scottish); my father’s mother was born in Martinique, FWI raised in Grenada (French /African). I was told that my father’s grandmother’s African roots were Rhodesia, Africa.

My mother was born outside of Appomattox Va., both of her parents were born in the same area; my grandfather’s people were African and my grandmother’s mother was Cherokee/African.

When people meet me they are often curious to my background and religion. They ask if I am an Israelite, Muslim, Rasta, African, West Indian.etc. My usual response is that, I am Human.

My full involvement as an artist, an educator, an entrepreneur, an environmentalist, a parent and now an elder, here in this St. Croix community, accounts for my broad perspective on the issues I am addressing in this book.

As an artist, since I had not been drawing, painting or sculpting, a book would be the best way to document the sum of my creative impressions during this period in my life.

As an educator, I realize that using the internet is like having an infinite library, because someone could exhaust a lifetime searching out answers. Today someone is only limited by their own lack of initiative. This is the impression a lot of people have of us here in the United States with all of the information and opportunities available to everyone we have a failing public educational system. Their perception is that it’s because of our self-absorbed arrogance that the rest of the world isn’t important. There are those in other countries using the internet who know more about our history, our politics, our life styles and are eager to replace the incompetent and the slothful.

As an entrepreneur I have realized the power of free marketing on the Web. Everyone I have watched build and launch their websites were spending a lot of money on paid advertising, in addition to sending out countless email announcements. Instead of paying for a website, I decided to join the free social websites, that already had thousands of membership, where you can create a valuable contact base. Since writing was to be my art of expression, I began posting my articles as blogs. I spent hours everyday responding to feedback of all kinds. Now with a product, a complete collection of my writings, I can tap into the network I have established, for free.

As an environmentalist, when considering development the conservation and the preservation of our limited forest areas, and the recycling and the refurbishing of neglected properties should be the main issue considered when preparing for progress. There are too many viable alternative non-pollutant, non-deforesting, and non-coastal altering industries.

For one, the University should be expanded their degree offerings: school of the arts, agriculture, engineering, marine biology, medicine, theology, etc. The new state of the art sports complex proposed should be built on the St. Croix University’s property. Every college town benefits from the commerce generated by the institution’s presence in their community, or are we subscribing more toward the penal economic system?

As a parent, I was raised in a village where Elders