In the art of San Quentin res-ident Jon Goldberg, a vivid imagination conceives and materializes paintings of galaxies and celestial objects that merge reality and fantasy. Art has allowed Goldberg to discover ways to reach the remote distances of space.
“As a young boy of only 10 years, my mother saw that I needed an outlet,” said Goldberg. “I struggled with emotions and anger. A friend of hers was painting with the instruction of mentors, classes, and TV legend Bob Ross.”
The artist recalls his first childhood painting, a snowy winter mountain scene, which he created while working alongside that family friend through the guidance of a Bob Ross video.
The praise his artistic creations spawned was new to Goldberg; he was more accustomed to reprimands for doing wrong. Art changed everything. Suddenly he received recognition and reward for a newfound talent.
Goldberg was reluctant and slow to give himself credit for his skill and always thought that he could do much better. Throughout his life, he remained humble and open to criticism while improving his skills.
For some time during his mid-teens, he put the brushes away. When he did try to paint again, he found himself uninspired.
Before his incarceration, Goldberg had moved to a little town in the mountains of Northern California’s Humboldt County. His neighbors had built the town’s community center and organized an annual fund-raising festival known as Bridgefest.
The event, which raised support for struggling families and the elderly, took place on a bridge. It featured live music, the selling of blueberry pies, and sales of handicrafts by local artists.
It also included a flying saucer toss for which Goldberg painted art with space alien themes.
“I created a couple of life-size space aliens for the families at the festival to take pictures, and a kiosk with a flying saucer hovering overhead to display schedules and information about the festival,” said Goldberg.
The artist’s inspiration was dormant during his incarceration until he moved to San Quentin’s Donner Earned-Living Unit. In Donner, he could paint his cell as he pleased and there he rediscovered his passion.
He began by painting a setting sun over his cell door. He followed it with a blue sky overhead which featured happy clouds like those Bob Ross taught him to paint. In the back of the cell, a painting of the moon rounded out the theme.
“The moon is my connection to the universe through my astrological sign, Cancer,” said Goldberg. “Most signs are connected to a planet, but Cancer is guided by the moon and its phases, as are the tides.”
In one of his paintings, he included water themes because of his deep connection with the ocean and water.
For his work “Man in The Moon,” the artist focused on a realistic round moon foregrounded by a second, cloudy, crescent moon the color of aged copper and wearing the face of an old, wise man. Goldberg aptly named the series “The Moons of Wisdom.”
“I have found an outlet to connect with others and an escape from this sometimes-devastating prison environment,” said Goldberg. “It allows me to drown out the noise …; I put on some mellow music and go to another land.”
Having the ability to paint for his family, and especially for his son, has strengthened his connection with them. He includes his son’s initials — letters that mirror his own initials — on every painting. By this, he lets his son know that his father would never forget him and that he remains part of everything he does.
Goldberg uses his painting to cope with anger and addiction. It is therapeutic and an excellent way to make amends for his crime, he said.
