Young Man

Young Man   oil on canvas   36 x 24 x 1.5

For years and years, I painted and drew from live models.  As I look back, there are only a few that stirred my soul.  Mostly, I did not know them personally.  Sometimes their attitudes and demeanor did not invite me inward.  I need to be somewhat inspired by the person in front of me in some way....I need to feel a connection of sorts in order to invest my emotions in the work.  And this process is mostly non-verbal.  (I don't need to chat, go for coffee, or even verbally relate.....I just need to be inspired)  In many cases, for me, at least, the take-a-break personality interferes with my investment....breaks the mood.  OK.  So I'm picky.  For me, art is so very pure and my work reflects who I am, so, yes, there is an investment, a collaboration of the genuine.  This was one such model.  The young man.  The laborer.  Perhaps my affection has to do with the fact that I have three sons.  This is their look.  Their uniform.

"Young Man" is currently on exhibit at Group Ten Gallery.  Our opening is tonight in Kent, Ohio and features the work of Jeff Fauser (Reconfigurations) and Jance Lentz (Trees and Barns).  Come on in.

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.