Portrait of the artist's father

"Vincent, '81"

Ink, oil and enamel on paper-mounted panel.

5.5" x 5.5"

A portrait of my father, the year he graduated medical school. Reverting back to a limited palette and subtle tonal gradation, in an attempt to a get at a familiar likeness. Lately, I've been attracted to images that represent, or conjure an idea of home or roots. It's maybe best described as painting "comfort food". My father's backyard comet photos, trees and family photos; these are the givens. Images tied to a personal history, as opposed to the interests that develop over time. The splitting of the portrait is a way of not getting too comfortable, or to hint at some tension that might exist with images like this. It hopefully creates a kind of visual buzz that causes a double take, makes you look closer at the face depicted.