My work comes in two varieties, the individual portrait and the portrait in a conceptual group. I paint portraits for commission, but I also paint works in unified series with themes.
Originally, my conceptual shows were a way to get the word out about my portraits. I never felt like a group of unrelated paintings on a coffeehouse wall was going to grab anyone’s attention, even if the works were good. If I was going to go through the trouble of putting up a show (and it is a lot of work), I decided to make it worth everyone’s while. By doing conceptual shows instead of whatever’s-in-the-studio shows, I created exhibitions that viewers could sink their teeth into.
My thematic series have grown in scope and purpose over the years, but, on some level, they still serve this essential promotional function.
For my first show out of university, I ripped myself off: I re-made my thesis project for a real-world context.
The series of portraits which I created for my senior project focused on the professors of the art and art history departments. My subjects were the very people who were responsible for grading the project and deciding whether or not I would graduate with a studio degree.
I had discovered that the portraitist-subject relationship was a delicate and loaded one, and I wanted to take this bull by the horns while still in the relative safety of the academic bubble. Besides, it amused me to reverse the professor-student power dynamic...!
The gesture of my senior project seemed like such a growing up moment, but, at some point in my last semester, it occurred to me that my professors would have little influence on my work once I was in the real world. The next logical step in my transition from student to contributing member of society had to be to tackle the artistic power structure outside the university. I decided to paint portraits of some Portland art dealers. I wanted to send these gatekeepers the message that I wasn’t afraid of them--even though I was petrified of them at that time!
Hess and Paul Missal
both 2003
both acrylic on canvas
both 48 x 34 inches
I painted the portrait of Hess for my senior project. Then, the summer after I finished school, Missal agreed to sit for me as one of the founding members of the Portland co-op Blackfish Gallery.
Gathering my source photos of Portland curators wasn’t as simple as making appointments with professors. The dealers didn’t know me from anywhere.
I decided that simply walking into the galleries and requesting twenty minute interviews was my best plan of attack. I considered sending letters of introduction, but, even then, I had an inkling that dealers receive a lot of unsolicited mail from artists.
My “cold-call” method was hit or miss. Sometimes, the gallery owner and I would do the interview right then and there, and other times we would set up a time for later. Mostly, my request was politely (and not so politely!) declined. Little did I know it then, but I was learning a skill that would be useful for years to come: coping with rejection. I found then--and it is still true today--that the only sure way to get over a rebuff is to apply to ten more places!
I will always be grateful to the twelve curators who did agree to participate (and to one of them in particular). They probably sat for me on a lark more than anything else, but I couldn’t have done the series if they hadn’t had some sense of adventure.
I put up Critics Critiqued six months after completing university. The series earned me a handful of commissions and a bit of a reputation.
At the opening party, “what’s next for you?” seemed like the question everyone was asking me. And, much to my surprise, I had an answer! I was already gathering a new group of subjects: I was definitely hooked on making work in series.