Vernon

Vernon Salvador

Twelve years ago I was feeling artistically stuck when I came across a photograph of Vernon Salvador, a civil-rights attorney who had died the year before.  I am drawn to images that stop and consume me, it could have been the contrast of light with the gray-scale photo or the kindness of his presence.  Regardless of the underlying reason, the desire to recreate this picture was important.

Creating … More Than Thought

I believe that art is a collective of the subjective (feelings and emotions) and the objective (observation and thought) and yet what strikes me as meaningful are my works that lean into the subjective.  There is no over thinking or working, the creation is unbound by contrived constraints.  The most common constraint for me is time.  Many of my works have taken years to complete, yet this painting was started and finished in an hour.    Unlike other oil paintings I diluted the paint, there was no texture, with the hope of moving quickly.  To this day I still struggle with the “objective”, rediscovering this work reminded me of the “subjective”, which is the soul of the creative flow.

Gratitude

I never knew of Vernon Salvador and apologize to anyone who did know him when they see this image, wondering why I used yellow to represent his hair.  Yellow felt the color that I should use, representing brightness and hope.  I am grateful for this brightness and for all who live to create a kinder and more loving place.