the ones who mean the most

Another painting finished! Directly above is Vertigo, a portrait of John. I just finished it. Well, you know how that goes... "finished" is relative!

People often ask me if I have a favorite among my paintings. I guess that my self-portrait 10 pm has garnered the most critical favor, so I do like it a whole lot. But overall, the works that mean the most to me are the ones that mean the most to others. Let me tell you about them (starting with the most recent and progressing in sequential order):

Vertigo - I've painted John before. That's what you get when you live with an artist. He's a very patient and accomodating model and I love him so much for it. However, I think this one is the most powerful composition and it was certainly the most fun to do of any of the paintings of my husband. As I was finishing it, he was hanging out with me, reading a book. Usually when I'm painting, I'm completely oblivious to everything going on around me, but every so often I saw him glance at it. He really, really loves it. That's pretty much all the acclaim I need.

Burning Bright - this one was featured on my blog a few posts ago. It's of my dear friend Vince, who is an awesome runner. He knew I was doing a series of runners for school, so he generously dug up a picture for me. In addition to running like the wind, he also has a keen eye for composition and knew that this particular photo would make a great painting. He was right. It was one of the easiest paintings I've ever done and he seems happy with the result and that means a lot. Also, I believe Vince has some of his own artistic talents; a while ago he showed me some excellent photographs he took of winter landscapes in Pennsylvania. I wish he'd do more of that.

Young Dave - (see the second photo in this post, above) this was the largest painting I've ever done-- it's close to five feet tall. It features another very dear friend, David, on his motorcycle. For years, Dave and I were inseparable-- he has an open and sincere baby face that was a joy to paint. Again, it was a class assignment-- this time the theme was biker people. He and I went out to lunch at a local greasy spoon and I surprised him with it. It's the first time I've ever seen Dave speechless. It was a very special moment. Dave now lives in North Carolina with his partner Steve and I'm told the painting hangs in a place of honor in their home.

All That You Can't Leave Behind - (see the top photo in this post, above) every artist I know has done a 9/11 work. This was mine. I worked in Sears Tower when 9/11 happened and Robin, Kat, Toni and I were together for all of the horror and its aftermath. Shortly thereafter, I left my job at Sears Tower-- because it was in Sears Tower. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. I met Robin, Toni and Kat for lunch one day a few months later and snapped a few pictures of them. Later I drew it in colored pencil as a triptych. I chose it as one of the paintings I'd show for our Certificate in Drawing graduate show. None of the gals knew I did it. When they arrived to see the show, they walked in together, coincidentally enough, in the same order as they appeared in the painting. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw it and more than a few tears were shed by all of us.