Forgive Me, Father...

"I stopped outside a church house
Where the citizens like to sit
They say they want the kingdom
But they don't want God in it."- U2 (via Johnny Cash)

Since I'm in between sketches, why not something from back in the day?
(which, from what I'm told, was a Wednesday-dunno if you knew that...)
Now before you burn me at the stake, allow me to explain the project.
I had just entered the first year of my Bachelor's degree in Illustration.
Our materials and techniques teacher, Morton Kaish, wanted us to
Take a black and white photograph and render it with graphite pencil so
closely, that you'd have a hard time telling apart the drawing from the photo.
Week Two's lesson had us taking the same photo and redrawing it-
focusing only on the eyes, nose, and mouth of the portrait.
Then for Week Three, we were to take a Xerox of the first photo and
mutilate it however way you wanted to achieve maximum graphic impact. O.K....
Now looking at this piece, there's no way you'd think it was produced
by an Irish American with 8 years of Catholic School and another four
at a Jesuit Military School! Jaysus, Mary, & Joseph!
I still to this day wonder why I picked a picture of a priest. I had
no idea what the end result of this project would be.
And the burnt priest collage with the rosary? Ay Dio Mio!
Please believe me when I say it was all done for dramatic effect
and in no way represents my feelings towards any organized religion.
I'm fairly agnostic myself these days....but that's another blog.....
Anywhoo, Long story longer....this actually hung in the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
(Sure it was for an employee art show, but how many artists can say that about one
of their works?)
Ribbit!