Pen & Ink Stipple Portraits for The Los Angeles Times

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My Drawing for LACMA

A new exhibit; Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggio and His Legacy, opened this week at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA commissioned me to create my own pen & ink stipple interpretation of Ottavio Leoni's iconic portrait of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio to be used as a focal point in their installation. I was told at the outset that my drawing would be reproduced (by hand) on a wall 14 feet high. What a challenge - trying to keep this in mind as I rendered the portrait at my typically small comfort zone of about 6 inches. I can only imagine what these professional muralists thought when they first saw the image they'd be replicating...boy, I thought I had patience! And - I am told that they actually enjoyed the process and were pleased with the outcome. The exhibit will run through February 10th.