I called my brother for his birthday in December of 2008

Little did I realize, he would be gifting ‘me’

 

15 minutes into our conversation, I took NOTES, writing quickly!

 

“You’re legendary ~ you’re Starshine ~ I rest my case.

 

You bathe yourself in essential charisma that exposes you to the prism of reality. You change normal things into the rainbow, the full spectrum of color. You are the HUE of the spectrum, and you know why I know this?

 

I am the Vortex

I live in the O

I am in the center

Of all emotions!

 

          You have enlightened me amongst others. You have pissed me off! I love you and I hate you.”

 

I was in awe, hearing this from my baby brother. He is an artist, a sculptor, highly creative. And, on this day, he was a visionary, a philosopher, a teacher and a ‘gift’ to me. I had never heard him talk like this before. I listened attentively as he launched into some metaphoric spirituality, aligning his talents, his vision, his welding ~ with LIFE. 

 

          “When I look at someone I touch them with my vision. I can record them. . . . Good art always causes an emotional reaction.”

 

Here comes the welding metaphor ~ blew me away!

 

          “My light is so strong, you cannot be near me without getting burned. My light is so strong when I strike my art.

 

Starshine, my light is stronger than your star. You cannot look at me. It is impossible for you to look at me without protection.”

 

I listened with an artful ear, in the presence

of an aura of light that I could see the brilliance of as he spoke.

 

“I know how bright my star is. I am a Nova.

You cannot find a stronger light on this planet.

 

          I do understand that the control of that light is an ever-learning process and I am constantly learning and I’m always getting better and better and better.

 

          I have been growing in skill. I am really growing in this skill. And it all has to do with this enormous light I am dealing with, but I have to control it. I’m really good at it because I’m an artist.

 

          I’m very good at what I do. I deal with the most intense light on earth. I am brighter than a star.

 

Continuing with this metaphor, he speaks of fellow welder, Antonio:

 

          “His light is very strong. You cannot look at Antonio when he works. His light is extremely strong. It’s beyond normal people. We are not super heroes, but we have a brighter light.

 

          That light emulates from one point and from that point it is a stark white. It is not yellow, it’s not blue, it’s a magnificent light!

 

          When I strike my art I AM the Light. I am the strongest light there is on this planet!

 

          It lives in my chest. It lives in my bones. The next time you see a welder, you will see that their light is so strong you cannot look at them. It is so strong it will strike a shadow 30 feet long. You cannot look at the light.”

 

He went on to talk of our four sisters and of my support of him, getting him his first art lesson when he was thirteen years old.

 

          “I have so much emotion and feeling. You, and my other sisters are among the very few I would talk to about this.

 

          You recognize me, you, you starter, barter, you’re the one, hey … you recognized my artistic ability when I didn’t know it. You put me on an artistic path, it may not have been prosperous, but what a path!

 

          I’ve been able to cross bridges with my art. I can’t thank you enough, as hard as my life has been, I can’t thank you enough.” (tears from both of us)

 

          “And, I recognize that in a philosophical way. When I strike my art, you don’t think I don’t think of you, Margo, Lynne (Blanche, Penny) … every second of my life. When I shine, I shine for all, not just for me.

 

          Because when your house is burning down, you’re going to grab the most precious thing ~ something I made for you.

 

(In the California Wildfires of 2003, when I was evacuated for 11 days, the first that I grabbed of my possessions to take with me were portraits he had done.)

 

Emotional soul that my brother is, he was tearful as he relayed the following to me:

 

          “My friend Tom’s son committed suicide. I wanta tell Tom, gimme a picture. When I heard about the director from Annie …” (both of us tears ~ the director from the play “Annie” that we saw in Redlands CA was stricken with West Nile disease and sent a beautiful letter to be read at the performance ~ weeks later, we heard that he had died)

 

“I feel that I am becoming the honor and respect of those that passed

 

          Maybe that’s my forte. I want to help these people. It’s horrible for you to lose your child. It’s impossible! If you took a child away from me, I would lose it.           Maybe my forte is to help people keep from losing it. I could do a sculpture or a painting, depending on finances.

 

          (Regarding the bust that he did for ‘Magi’ the mother of his daughter, Sierra ~ of Magi’s brother who died several years ago)

“. . . it was a magnificent piece of art! It captured him and ten years from now, someone that knew him will catch him in their peripheral vision and they will say, “Wow! I remember him” and they will remember his life. I am awed by it.”

 

          As he returned  to commending me, I humbly listened.

 

          “You realize you created a good man. I’m not stupid. I embrace greatness. I don’t expect people to understand my light.

 

          You put me in the direction of Jack Richard. He’s the most wonderful teacher ever. I love that guy! I was trained by this loving, giving, caring man and so I thought all artists were loving giving and caring.

 

          Selfish people. I am surrounded by selfish people. If you are smart you will be unselfish and I will teach you the world.

 

          They (artists) are greedy, selfish, self-centered mongrels. Abstract came along as a forefront and it became a collegical clique. Money gave the ability to put down co-creators such as myself. I don’t have anything against abstract because I’m very good at both.

 

          I have been given ‘everything.’ I’m a very good realistic creator. I built the frigen MGM Grand Lion! I have come so far from the moment you got me my first Jack Richards’ lesson.

 

          I don’t have a Masters or a Doctorate. I’ve lived life fabulously!”

 

Now he tells me of a work of art that he created . . .

 

“I took a map and cut it in pieces and I welded it back together and I made a sculpture called “The Nation”. Each state is welded on the backside of the capital. I made 2 of them.

 

So I play the Nation ~ it’s all welded together on different levels (musically) do you hear it? Here’s California! Here’s Arizona … they all have their own tone. It’s a frigan musical instrument. It’s a wonderful piece! I sold one for $500.

 

I chime each state. Because they’re exactly the same shape, they make the same tone, all welded on the same capital. Every one that I create will make closely to the same sound. They are not the same sound as a piano. It’s a ‘new’ instrument.

 

I play the nation very often, with paint brushes. On one end I can give a clear tone and on the other end I can give a soft tone. (he makes the sounds himself accordingly) I have too much fun by myself. I was playing my nation on Christmas Eve and cut the back side of my wrist. It upset Sierra and her friend. But they’re ok now.”

 

Here comes the writing philosopher . . . advice for ‘my’ writing

 

“You do recognize that I know that you know that I know that THE POWER IS IN THE WRITING. I proved it to you with the poem that I wrote. (I need to get a copy of that poem ~ he read it before I started taking notes) If you can make people cry ~ you know where the power is.

This was given to us by Homer ~ not ‘Simpson’

                    

Plot 1          Creating the scene, introducing the characters

Plot 2          Creating the problem

Plot 3          Resolve the problem

 

          What writing is all about was given to us by the ancients. THE POWER IS IN THE WRITING and you know how to write. You can write books, scripts, novels. We are used to the simple way that we as a society are and you can do so much with a piece of paper and pencil, you don’t need a computer. CREATE SOME PAGES! Short Story, Long Story, Screen Play.

 

          THE POWER IS IN THE WRITING. Homer gave it to us plot 1, Plot 2, Plot 3. It’s the skeleton of the power … of the writing. ‘You’ put the muscle around it. I guarantee you, you write it on the basics and you can pull yourself out of this by simply doing that.

 

          I know this through knowing you and your writing and your poetry. I know you will write the greatest life story EVER. 

 

Now, for his own life story aligned with “Les Miserables” ~ a story he relates with so deeply that Sierra calls him ‘Papa’ and he, my brother, known always to us as “Chris” (his given name, John Christopher Heindel) changed his name to “Johnny Lee” ~ I still call him Chris, but sometimes lean into “John Christopher”

 

“I, on the other hand, have a bigger challenge. I have to overcome Les Miserables. I have to create a better one, I don’t know if I can. Victor Hugo has given me a stone that I have to overcome. I have to take my time and create something as great as that. If I could do that …”

 

Continuing with the writing lesson . . .

 

          “In the Iliad Homer … he set the standard for writing. He didn’t even know he was doing it.

          Pay attention to the plot of every movie that you see.

 

                    Plot 1           get comfortable with the people, who they are,

                                       What they are. What they are doing

                    Plot 2           Create the problem

                    Plot 3           Resolve the Problem

 

          In Pulp Fiction they switched plot 1 and 2. They did not introduce you to characters …. They introduced you to the problem.

 

          When you re-evaluate your writing, pay attention to Plot 1, 2, 3 because everyone will ‘get it’. Clarify it. It will be an absolute success. That’s just the way it is.  If you want to change the system, do it on another day!”

 

And, from Johnny Lee . . .

 

“I am what excellence gauges itself on.

I am Johnny Lee

I am the Lion.

I try to keep a low profile,

But its hard to do when greatness

Emulates from your shoes.”

 

Appointing me with a new name that he had given to me in the beginning of our conversation . . .    

 

“Color Theory ~ when a light goes through a prism, you see a rainbow ~ in the rainbow, all colors are there. In art color is a solid form. When you see yellow, it is the absorbance of yellow.

 

          To call you “Hue” is to call you a piece of light. It is the most honor an artist can give a human.

 

          There is a hue ~ it is the intensity of the color.

 

          Hue ~ you are the intensity of ~ not only the color, but ALL the colors of the Rainbow. You are either the pigment or the hue.

 

I have given you

I have honored you with Light

You are beyond angels

You are beyond fairies

You ARE the Light

You are the

Hue

You gave me, I’m just giving back

I know that you know that I know

And How Do I Know?

 

I am the Vortex

I live in the O

I am in the center

Of all emotions!

 

I have extremely honored you

There is nobody on the planet that has this

You ARE the Hue

 

I have never left you. I have only traveled on. I have never left anybody. I am growing stronger every day. Please tell my sisters that.

 

Be careful

When you are the Hue,

You become ALL

 

I gave you a name

But I gave you a great responsibility

Be careful

 

Get back to me

You’re going to kill me

It’s going to be all good

You’re going to be wildly surprised

 

I gave you the best Christmas gift ever

You know why?

Because I love you!

 

 

You’re going to kill me

But you’re going to love me”

 

Happy Birthday my special brother

 

“Happy birthday to YOU

 

Love you, God Bless”