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Friday, May 23, 2008

On Painting the Real....not the ideal

Young Man   oil/canvas   35 x 24 x 1.5
Drawing and painting the human figure excites me to pieces. I love the reality of people with all of their quirks and wrinkles. In our culture, we seem to worship the ideal.....those with the most symmetrical features, those with long lithe bodies, and those who appear to be magazine-worthy. Unfortunately, the ideal quietly becomes our reality and we can never ever measure up. Subjects that are stimulating to me seem more real and I choose to immortalize them on my canvas....to make them my ideal.....I think that it is my small way of reversing the trend. "Young Man" is just that........a laborer with a shovel. We see men like him every day. He seems noble and worthy to me. The back lighting adds to the grandeur of such a common subject. I like that. I especially like the way the hand curls around the top of the handle. I am searching for the soulful....that is worth remembering and saving.