September 2009: Framer Tim Holton of Holton Frames phoned me to tell the story of Emile Klein. This young man, a recent graduate of the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, has decided to travel the U.S. on his bike, ride to every state in America, and paint a series of seven portraits in each state. Tim suggested Klein paint my portrait for the magazine as part of the project. He put me in touch with Emile, who just happened to be in Oakland visiting his father. When we realized we would not be able to connect for over a year in person (Emile has been granted a one-year continuation scholarship at Angel Academy), we quickly coordinated a time to meet and paint while he was close by. A few days later, Emile arrived at my home outside of San Francisco with studio easel in hand (we insist on an in-person setting instead of paintings from photographs).
Time being a constraint (which is usually the problem), Emile decided to sketch me for likeness, take some color notes, and return to the studio to finish the painting.
Within about four hours Emile had finished enough of the sketch and color notes to use for a reference. Within a week he returned with the finished portrait, which is to appear in the November-December issue of Fine Art Connoisseur.
Emile is a perfectionist. His excellent training focused him on creating an exact likeness, which of course is rooted in drawing. Though we chatted for part of our session, mostly about art, painting techniques, life in Italy, and the strengths and weaknesses of the different schools in Florence, Emile was also disciplined enough to ask me to sit quietly at certain passages of his drawing.
This is a very poetic, intelligent, well-read young man, who is unlike most people his age. Instead of being obsessed with pop culture, his obsession is on being a great painter, art historian, and one who will carry lost techniques and arts forward to a new generation with his own spin. He takes his work very seriously and is a very impressive and focused painter.
I was stunned to see the completed portrait, mostly because the background was very nontraditional while the figure itself was fairy traditional in nature. It struck me as a blue fire (symbolic, you ask? I'll ask Emile!) and had a touch of a Diego Rivera feel to it. It is academic in execution, and yet playful. He even captured the essence of my favorite sweater, which was handmade by Adirondack artist Charles Atwood King, who — after making so many of these for the Rhoads family — decided to take up painting instead.