Artists turn away from the challenge of portraiture, which is capturing emotions, moods, and moments. Portraits abound on the living room walls of a Marion home owned by a brave, self taught portrait artist and his wife. With an American tap dancer, an actor a scientist, the composite between three famous comedians, the traditional cast members of a long running science fiction TV series, a former TV reporter, various rock stars, athletes and entertainers, and his friends, he created a large montage called "Faces". He favors grabbing shots from videos, which give him a wider range of faces to choose from. Only people who touched his life during the year and a half he spent painting the montage were included.
Other portraits hanging on his walls are large individual renditions of a lead singer from Babes in Toyland, a Russian gymnast and singer songwriter. His favorite tools are pencil, graphite, and charcoal. His toolbox was filled out by conte crayon and then colored pencils. His first work completed in colored pencil was that of him and his wife, a Kobe, Japan native. Both American drawing and Japanese wood block print styles were used in the drawing. Taken at City Hall in December 1996, their close up wedding photograph serves as the basis of this drawing, which he enhances with personal and Japanese symbols.
One such enhancement was the addition of their three cats, who were not there at the real wedding. In making the face of the first cat a mask from Japanese opera, it serves to ward of evil spirits. Another cat is sitting in a position that brings good luck.
Kimonos are the outfit of the day for the couple in the drawing. With her matriarchal symbol, a flower called the kikyo, he decorated his wife. The third cat guards a gingko tree, seen behind the blinds outside the room. He got his inspiration for the gingko, which represents longevity, from a tree at the University of Iowa.
The first project the couple had together was the 1997 drawing. His wife takes care of all the brainstorming and testing of ideas. His wife says the drawing is one of their prizes. Landscapes are his next stage of evolution as an artist, onto which he will draw people, his favorite things to draw.
Books are his primary exposure, with four featured and one on the cover, though he has not had his own exhibit. A staff member brought his work to the attention of the book editor. The artist received an email of commendation by the editor on his technique, unique combination of portraiture and architecture, and expression of complexity with humor. Since his childhood days, when all he drew were action heroes and rock stars, he has gone very far. His ability has grown so that he can draw anything he puts his mind to. Anything he sees, he enhances with his own changes.
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