Portraits
The historian Mary Beard tells us that the first portrait ever made was inspired by loss - a desire to hold the person close. It has been my honor to make this portrait of Troy Smith in collaboration with his mother Renee Whitmore working with the Souls Shot Portrait Project. The first picture of Troy that Renee shared with me she said was her favorite because it was the first time she saw that he was becoming a man. It was heartbreaking. His head was slightly turned and tilted to the side and his arm was around his friend so his right shoulder was raised a bit. I decided that I would use that pose for the portrait. Making a sculpture is different than a painting because I needed to learn what Troy looked like from every angle – I needed to know what the shape his skull was and the form of his ears. I would text images of my progress to Renee and she would respond with hearts, encouragement and suggestions slowly nudging me to what I hope is a likeness and a work of beauty.
