On occasion during my artistic life I have had what you might call "hangers-on" who weren't quite friends but just wanted to hang around me. Now I don't think I'm that thrilling a person that people find my company irresistible. I think it had to do with my ability to make their imaginary worlds and identities real. Patricia was one of these folks. She had me make a number of miniatures, all relating either to herself, her original imaginary characters, or her favorite comic book characters. This is a miniature portrait she commissioned, with her beloved black Labrador dog "Henry." It was done in the format of the "Lowell Trumps," a set of miniature portraits I shared with you some time ago. Pat would come into my house and sit talking while I worked on art. Many times she would "forget" some small item of hers in my house so she had an excuse to come back. We weren't, uh, that kind of friends as she was quite straight and had a sad-sack boyfriend whom she treated poorly. After a while she decided to seek her fortune in Chicago and disappeared into the Midwestern fog, never to re-appear. I have not heard news of her in 30 years.
Portrait of Patricia is ink and watercolor on Fabriano paper, mounted on black matboard, 3" x 5", winter 1981. Colors restored in Photoshop.
1 comment:
Another nice small picture!
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