When Jack Beverland was fired from his job at the age of 52, he vacillated between thoughts of suicide and murder. He polished his guns and planned the assassination of the corporate executives whom he held responsible for his "forced early retirement" until his brother Jerry took him under his wing. Jerry suggested that painting might help him resolve his deep-seated anger. His first efforts were simple, moralistic and, not unexpectedly, violent. However, with time these crude and obvious visual outbursts became more reflective, even enchanting. Beverland continues to paint away his desperation; he has come to believe that "art should be a way out."