The very last part is the portrait in the foreground. I did a few things to make it pop and stand out from the rest of the mural, which was done in a flat illustrative style. The portrait is done with a painterly style and a warmer color palette, which makes it feel closer. The figure ‘breaks the fourth wall’, creating a bridge between the viewer and the rest of the mural by leaning on the frame and looking out into the viewer’s space.
In the portrait Henri is in his late teens, his age when he lived in Cozad and spent summers along the river. The only reference photos I had available were grainy black and whites taken when he was a mature man so there was a lot of extrapolation.
I saved the figure for last because I felt the least confident about it. I fretted and worried about how it would turn out. After all, painting a portrait of a famous artist who happens to be renowned for his brilliance in portraiture seemed foolhardy if not downright cocky. I assured myself that no one expected a masterpiece, and that is was just one part of the whole mural. I had to have faith in myself, in my muses, and in the process.
My daughter came to visit me from Colorado and helped me to figure this part out. I don’t paint people very often, and she is really good at creating figures that feel natural, flowing and expressive. So she helped to create the position of the figure, and to block out the areas of the face that made him look younger. Once we had that structure in place I took it from there and used color and brushstrokes to flesh him out.
After several days, I was finally satisfied. Although I had originally planned it to only be a small piece of the overall composition, it became a focal point. The portrait itself tells so much about the story of the mural, and I was content. It all came together after all.