The Patriot

Long ago a fellow named Les sat for a workshop group in Arizona, run by one of my mentors, Bill Whitaker. Les was retired and lived on various incomes including modelling fees. By the time we met he had been modelling for a number of years. As often happens, the model and painters talk about a range of subjects and get to know one another. Turned out that Les was a veteran of World War II despite being considerably younger than many of his fellow vets. He had been draft age when he entered the service then rose quickly (as many did) to sergeant in the Army Air Force. At some point he became a "Flying Sergeant," a program of enlisted men trained to fly all kinds of missions during the war. As it happened, Les became the pilot in command of a B-24 bomber before he was 21.

"The Patriot," oil on panel, 20x16

This portrait is a studio work, done from several oil studies completed in person. Although Les was the sitter, I changed his shirt and emphasized certain features over others because this is intended as a "tronie" or a painting that depicts an expression (like horror, etc) or a type of person. Here, the etched lines, determined jaw, distant gaze and flag-colored shirt were all intended to evoke the kind of fellow who has fought in all of our wars.