Thanks to Amy and everyone who made the opening a success.
fighters
Beauty and fear
There is actually a book titled Art and Fear. I am nervous about the upcoming show, so I turn to love and beauty to calm me. When I saw the face of Fighter A235 I loved his serene expression and knew I would have to paint his portrait. I feel calmer just looking at him.
Full face
Lately, I have wanted to eliminate backgrounds all together. This painting of Fighter A915 is a start.
Cross eyed Fighter A159
The free dictionary by Farlex says that head trauma can cause strabismus in adults. Perhaps this explains the crossed eyes of this fighter.
Continuing Fighter A537
Work, lately
Fighter in process and Flowers for Giselle:
More fighters!
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.
Two drawings
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.
Treasure
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.
Story painting
I was looking for circus performers on the LOC site, and found Irene Montgomery “the most perfect formed, circus performer in the business”. I found her intriguing, as I have recently completed two novels about circus life. One by Melanie Benjamin, entitled The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb; the other by Stacy Carlson, entitled Among the Wonderful. I have depicted Ms. Montgomery with an imagined fellow performer: a friend, I hope, as the books pointed out how lonely circus life can be.
