Tag: Power Portraits 1965-1989

You’ll never forget Reveen

April 11, 2013 / Rob

Reveen, the Impossibilist died on April 8, and he seemed an apt addition to my Power Portraits series. What great power than the power of mind control? Reveen regularly appeared in Western Canada and his “The man they call Reveen!” commercials will ring on many people’s heads long after he has passed on.

My brother Michael has been saying all week, “We should have pressured Dad harder to take us!”

Reveen, the Impossibilist

Fun-A-Day extended

March 1, 2013 / Rob

Clown Rapture, Clown no. 22

If you’ve been following along for the past month, you’ve seen the progress that Christine and I have made with our Fun-A-Day projects. When we picked February as a good month to try creating art every day, it was one big bald spot on the calendar. By the end of the month, we had made a last minute trip to Ottawa to skate on the Rideau Canal, and hosted friends from NYC who decided to visit at the last minute. Time got pretty chewed up.

Despite that, Christine has completed 24 of her planned “28 Clowns Later”. She’ll likely be done the project by Monday. I’ll post again when she’s done.

Here are Christine Cosby’s 24 clowns: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swizzlestudio/sets/72157632657899117/

As for my “Power Portraits 1965-1989”, I found the time to complete just 16 drawings. That said, they are broader in both style and subjects than I initially intended. I will do more in March, but impending deadlines for two art exhibits may slow me down.

Here are Rob Elliott’s 16 Power Portraits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swizzlestudio/sets/72157632660887259/

Deng Xiaoping, Power Portrait no. 16

Power Portraits, the next seven

February 17, 2013 / Rob

The deeper I get into the Power Portraits 1965-1989 project, the greater the sense of turmoil. This week, I’ve portrayed “junk bond king” Michael Milken, Civil Rights activists and feminists Coretta Scott King and Betty Friedan, u-turning Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Vatican 2 architect Pope Paul VI, and cold warriors Leonid Brezhnev and Richard Nixon.

I’ve also thrown some new techniques into the mix, including angle brushes and ink washes.

See all the Power Portraits 1965-1989 in the Flickr gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swizzlestudio/sets/7215763266088725

Richard M. Nixon, confident in his legacy.

Pope Paul VI, architect of Vatican 2

Civil Rights leader, Coretta Scott King