The year was 1925, the heart of the roaring twenties. New Yorker protagonist Eustace Tilley (below) had little on his mind other than butterflies and jazz ensembles. That was then. Today, poor old Eustace is out of sorts. The headlines illustrate doom and gloom. Strange new breeds of Three Term Changing Butterflies demand attention… he feels guilty. A rich man in a sea of social decline, afraid of terrorism, wondering who wants to kill him and his way of life.
His monocle is all he has left, that, and his top-hat. A mind riddled with questions, concerns and fear. Eustace Tilley, he is an American, a rich American, a New Yorker concerned about raising taxes and shortened Wall Street Bonuses. Eustace Tilley, a dying bread… fortunately he and everyone else will have health care, paid for by, yes, you guessed it – Eustace Tilley.
Similar to my recent self-portrait, this picture begins with a quick drawing to lay out the composition and subject matter.
What better way to capture the essence of New York, than to build the picture with headlines from a New York Paper?
Further building the structure, telling a story passively with the words we see on a daily basis.
Redrawing good old Eustace with a nice, vibrant blue while creating the outlines for The New Yorker masthead.
Splashing the first cycle of colors, beginning with red, orange and pink.
Working around the color wheel, two shades of green, yellow and another blue. At this stage, boundaries are being created within the form of Eustace.
Finally, the phase where everything begins to make sense – a dense outline created with a deep hue, created from Cadmium Red, Phthalo Blue and Hooker’s Green.
The addition of the Masthead text, and a refinement throughout the picture. What a rare butterfly.
And the final – my interpretation of a modern Eustace Tilley. After the stock market crashes, a pair of World Wars, 9/11, “Change”… what will you see through that monocle next, Eustace? This painting is 18″x24”, and was made with a combination of newspaper clippings and acrylic paint.
You do such wonderful work! Once again, a success.