Wild One

The Wild One 46" x 56" mixed media on wood panel

Marlon, Marlon, the WILD ONE. 

In a society in which conformity is becoming seemingly irresistible through technology, romantic heroes of the not-so-distant past speak to us in ever louder voices. They may have only portrayed heroes, but through their art, they were heroic in their presentation of those values we hold dear as human beings.  We are all wannabes.  We want to do the right thing, we want to draw upon our inner strength, we want to be defiant in the name of freedom, we want to be clear of conscience knowing that we fought the good fight, and we stood tall, unscathed in our beliefs, and in the defense of our fellow human beings.  At least a very good percentage of us feel that way. 

Brando, or perhaps the image of Brando is that persona. 

Perfect? Nope.  Flawed to a fault.  But he owned the faults.

So I painted him on wood.

Why wood, you say?

What does wood bring to the table? (please note: I have consumed but a glass and a half of Nebbiolo)

It is the medium that carries the message, like the fat in a ribeye.

The painted wood panel, using silkscreen, the "advanced technology" of a bygone era to transfer the image onto and into the wood through the infusion of acrylic and water-based oil pigments-well, let's just say it brings us back....way back.

The imperfections in the panel shine through.   The faults.  That is where the beauty lives.

Lead us not into the temptation of perfection, and eternal boredom.

Marlon, Marlon: The Wild One,  56x46 mixed media on panel 2017.  Hazelton Galleries, Toronto, Miami