My Pride

Up til now, most of the postings on this blog were fairly lightweight. However, this image represents the work that is closest to my heart. My black and white portraits reflect the inspirations with which I've grown up. They strike me as a combination of several of the past Masters of the Trade; Josef Karsh and Victor Skrebneski to name a few, the latter I consider a good friend having made an indelible impression on my psyche. It is not my intent to emulate or copy either of these great men but rather it is their soul within me that find its way onto my canvas. Fifteen years ago I would not have gone in this direction but with the advent of new technology and a renewed perspective that apparently comes with age; I find that this work comes quite easily to me now. The young man in this post is Marcel Salinas. At 95, he is the last living collaborator of Pablo Picasso. Initially a lawyer by trade, he transitioned to an apprentice lithographer and developed into a master of that art and then to a painter of significant repute in his own right. Now, failing in both sight and hearing, I try to find time to spend with him whenever possible. The man is a walking history book, from his birth in Alexandria, Egypt through his days with his friend Henri Cartier-Bresson. I have mixed emotions as to the best way to approach a portrait. Most of the time I think I would prefer to have some contact or conversation before I begin a session but in this case there was little said before the shutter began to click. I think the results were excellent and I fear that had I known much more beforehand I may have tried to steer his poses in a different direction. This was pure Marcel. If time will allow I want to schedule another sitting and see just how the results might change, now that we have come to know one another. Giving direction in this case is very difficult because his hearing has diminished so. I will post more from that first session as time goes by.