Sometimes a gift just walks through the door

I posted a painting recently, and Cheri Pray Earl then suggested that I paint a picture that draws on T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." At first the line, "I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled," came to mind. But on re-reading the poem, I decided to go with the line, "Do I dare to eat a peach?" It is so overladen with meaning and innuendo that I must constrain myself. Curious readers may revisit he poem. After at least a dozen versions, I have settled on this painting. Thank you, Cheri. I dedicate this to you.

Photo shoots: going with the flow

Photo shoot on Saturday. Good model, a lot of fun. Laughing. Exhausting. How can you plan these things? I don't know, I don't try. Painting is going to be fun.

Here are four of my favs. You can see more on my web site:
http://tomplummerphotography.com/p200217412

Leap of Faith

 

Forty years ago, I read Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. Kierkegaard expounds on the story of Abraham and Isaac, the commandment of the Lord to Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham proceeds to fulfill the commandment but is stopped in the last moment by an angel. Kierkegaard then defines faith as the "leap," knowing that the leap can only end in disaster, but believing that it will somehow, through faith, end otherwise.

Max Factored

Mercedes and Rachel had a suitcase full of tricks when they came to model. I'm calling this one Max Factored. It may be my favorite:

Cheers to Mercedes and Rachel.

Sibling Rivalry

Mercedes and Rachel, sisters with obvious affection, obliged me with a photo shoot. When I asked them if they ever fought as kids, Rachel grabbed Mercedes' hair and yanked it. My camera was running, and that led to this painting. They're still friends.

 

Go into the Arts

Taken from Sherry's Facebook. I like this quote:

"If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” 

Kurt Vonnegut, Man without a Country 

Pastorale