Describing one's personality, their very essence through a portrait can be difficult. We are so much more than our bodies. They are simply vessels that carry what beautiful souls we have. Sean, a 6' 2" young man at Carson-Newman, and I were models for each other on our huge, hand stretchered canvases. My goal was to capture Sean's eclectic style, not only his outward appearance, but all of who he is as a person.
Sean, with the TN flag tatted on his bicep, is much more than his beanies, tall stature, or long mustache. Kind, gentle, and hilarious, would be words to describe him, while nice, quiet, or shy would be far from the truth. Being more of a class clown than anything, he would photo shop the professors into Star Wars characters, put them on T-shirts, and wear them around campus. How to describe a bohemian, an artist, and a friend?
To make this painting, I shone different colored lights on Sean's face, while he wore his favorite beanie. His calm expression reminded me of how he had a way of making people feel safe. The brush strokes and style of painting, along with the expressive colors, reflected many of his attributes, like respect and mischief. Although they didn't seem to correspond with each other, he had a way to blend opposing aspects of himself.
Nobody is perfect, and there is beauty in that. The example of Sean is one way to live in this world, and this painting seeks to capture the beauty in originality.