Georgia O'Keeffe

Truth be told, I never fancied her work. I respect it. Admire it. And value it. But I would never hang it. (And Lord only knows what she'd think of my work.) But when it comes to Georgia O'Keeffe the person, I am the hugest fan. So many words make up this small-framed woman. Strong. Talented. Confident. Independent. Free. Alive. Yes, truly alive.

And, oh yes, she's originally from Wisconsin.

Above is one of my first pieces from 1991. It's from a photograph taken by her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, in 1932. I plan on doing another soon. A great head-on shot of her in her later years. Still beautiful and strong. Stay tuned.

Lastly, here's a nice piece of footage I found of her sharing her Ghost Ranch in New Mexico as well as its surroundings. Watch the whole piece. Her last line is the absolute best.

My Reservoir of Possibilities

I just discovered my "reservoir" of possibilities: an overstuffed folder filled with pictures torn from magazines. I spent about an hour culling down the pile. What's left are about 18 portrait candidates, ranging from David Bowie to Georgia O'Keeffe to Johnny Cash to Walter Cronkite to Daniel Day-Lewis.

As I reviewed my 18 possibilites, I realized that my style has truly evolved. I started years ago by mimicing Patrick Nagel. His work was incredible and perfectly captured the sexiness and energy of the 80's. He died too young. But now I have gravitated to faces with more character. Wild hair. Wrinkles. Zesty expressions. There's one of Keith Richards that's begging to be produced.

Heck, with that criteria, he may be my masterpiece.