continued. . .

Happiness is elusive, and is in fact, something that is never fully arrived at; it is a continuous journey, filled with many other emotions along the way, as in any piece of great theatre. The little girl is also a metaphor for me and so many others, who were born perfect, but along the way, as life happened, became "broken" or compartmentalized. The idea of putting the pieces back together as the director of our own lives is thrilling to me, not just as an artistic exercise but as a man, raising my own children and a husband. We are interconnected, part of a miraculous whole. Meanwhile, this is all going on at times in a very public way, as if on a stage. We are all but "poor players, who strut and fret our moment on the stage," sharing ourselves, as artists, as we harness our life experiences in the creation and fulfillment of our work.

Also, it is inspired by my Charleston colleague Nathan Durfee, who's genius work I admire and who painted something recently in a similar vein. Enjoy, "Happiness."

Narrative and Genre Paintings

NETI 

More non-commission portraits

Commission a portrait by Robert Maniscalco