Tyrone

Tyrone is nearing completion. All that remains is his pants and hood lining. This was one of the most challenging painting of the series. Not because of painting technique but because of his narrative and having to stare into his eyes. Of all the men in the series he is probably the most “invisible.”

I learned Tyrone’s story as I was assisting him with an online job application. He never had an email account or worked with computers and was trying to apply for jobs as a dishwasher. As we were setting up his email account I discovered he did not own a smartphone either. He will never read this blog page.

Tyrone grew up in Chicago. He dropped out of school in the seventh grade. He shared with me that he was arrested and went to prison for a gun possession. He has a felony conviction on his record. The lack of an education and a criminal record has prevented him from accessing many of the things we take for granted.

As I bring Tyrone into view it is easy to reflect on how one wrong choice can take a person down his path. This could have been me.

When the viewer looks very close into his bloodshot eyes, they will see their self reflected back.