Pencil on Mat Board SOLD 1/3/09

Joe by himself, without this background would have been fine, hopefully a good drawing about a gentle man named Joe Kchodl (PaleoJoe). His rugged yet enlightened face, the searching gaze and holding a mysterious frog cane could have told the story. Conceptually this would have been to direct and given too many answers, from my point of view there was much more to tell then this. Now the background gives a mystery that’s unexpected, the viewer needs to get involved, interpret the background in their own way to complete the tale. Certainly I have my reasons for its symbolism; partly it’s a nod to the future and what the next tenants of our small planet will find, as we have found the trilobites. The background alludes to paleontology but not of our time but future times.
The arch, metal, rust, bones, fully exposed on the left and just hinted at on the right, are they the evidence of life of us? All though this drawing is about Joe, or how I perceive Joe, it’s also as much about me, a nexus of the model, the artist and now the viewer, the full artistic circle.

It’s the largest pure portrait drawing I have done, which in itself was a challenge. I do like the massive quality that’s quite unnerving it seduces the viewer from across the room adding to the power of the drawing. I don’t have a title as yet, it will not be “ortrait of PaleoJoe” for it’s about more then that.

I thank everyone for keeping track of this long WIP, I hope it was interesting and I was able to answer some your questions, it’s been quite the journey.

Writers always get to dedicate their books, well I am going to dedicate this drawing: To my dear step-dad, Mr. Carl W. Pitsch, you will live on, within so many, for so very long.

Thanks for looking
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