I was able to paint during the 7 days without power. I have been reading two books about Cézanne. The biography by Alex Danchev is great, and the other book, Interpreting Cézanne by Paul Smith has me thinking a great deal about the artist’s use of patches of color, which I have been exploring in my portraits. I am using my palette knife almost exclusively now as well.
Lately, I have wanted to eliminate backgrounds all together. This painting of Fighter A915 is a start.
The scrapbook has some boxers identified, and number A1013, Frankie Roberts, is one.
I am thrilled and inspired by these fighters’ faces. They allow me to create colors that express emotions I want to see in my work.
It is a mystery what makes a drawing more present than the subject itself, but when you have the feeling of being swept off your feet by an image, it is pure happiness. I am looking forward to painting one of these fellows tomorrow while listening to the Giants/Jets game.
Yesterday, I found magic in the material form of a scrapbook containing photographs of pugilists. Their faces contain much of life: fear, sorrow, loneliness, humor, despair, and, though beaten, maintaining dignity, and persevering. I can’t wait to put this treasure to use. The photos will allow me to fuse my older, sports-themed work with my newer paintings. To only display one page from the scrapbook is a tease, at best, but I will. More can be discovered about this stunning group of photographs on Julie Mellby’s Graphic Arts Blog.
