WHY DO PORTRAITS?

An integral part of our nature as humans is to enjoy portraiture. We gravitate toward images that grasp the “likeness” or better still, the “essence” of those familiar to us. Portraiture is about people. Over time, portraits have preserved and conveyed likenesses and hinted at character…commemorating and sometimes immortalizing. At their finest, portraits offer shrewd observations of the person, and become biographies in clay.

In the 1500s, Thomas More suggested that, “the images of notable men”…be put in public places “for the perpetual memory of their good acts; and also that the glory and fame of the ancestors may encourage people to behave well.” I agree! When we tangibly document good deeds for posterity, as More suggests, portraits may become moving representations of the best of mankind.

Making portraits allows me to shine a beacon on the 'good guys'. My goal is to capture something of each noble countenance that is timeless…so that it might become
a touchstone for current and future generations…and I am humbled by the privilege. That’s what portraits can do…create facial images of a lifetime.

WHO ARE THE GOOD GUYS?

In these times when heroes are badly needed, we require all the good guys
we can get! We usually think of heroes and 'good guys' as those who perform acts of extraordinary courage…soldiers, firefighters, police.

Good guys may be ordinary people who perform acts that transcend the ordinary:
  …Miss Rosa Parks not relinquishing her seat on the bus in Alabama in 1955
  …Todd Beamer on United Flight 93 on September 11, saying, “Let’s Roll.”

Good guys may also be everyday people doing everyday things to sustain, nourish, and enrich lives:
  …the parent, the educator, the public servant
  …the physician, the scientist, the entertainer

They are all Good Guys.