Obamaham © Tré Inc. 2012
This is a close-up of my graphite drawing now on display for POLITICS As UN-USUAL at the Touchstone Gallery in Washington D.C. You will also find it featured in the Arts section of today’s Washington Post.
Obamaham Featured In The Washington Post 01-13-13
A little background: So many firsts, this pencil and I. Before my childhood photography adventures, I first began drawing when I was almost 2. I was just old enough to walk and hold a pencil. My first exhibited art piece was a graphite drawing at age 8. My first art business—launched at age 10—was commissioned graphite portraits.
This piece was originally named Fruition, inspired by my respect for both Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President of The United States) and Barack Obama (the 44th President of The United States). Since there are not many good photographs or videos of Honest Abe, I peeked at M. Price’s portrait of him as a reference before drawing. It wasn’t until I began that I started to realize all the similarities of the two men. By comparison, both share not only a great command of the English language, but beyond that, they have similar features. Dark and kind eyes, deep-set mouth lines, high cheek bones, strong brows, and prominent ears. Before my paper, I stood with graphite in hand at the cross-road where The Age of Progress meets the Age of Technology, where turning a Right or Left both leads you to the White House. This is where I wondered:
What type of man would Lincoln be if he were alive today? How much of us is fashioned by the era we live in?
I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom concerning Abe: “President Lincoln knew that in these United States, no dream could ever be beyond our reach when we affirm that individual liberty is served, not negated, by seeking the common good.” —President Obama on the Emancipation Proclamation, which Lincoln issued over 150 years ago.
Regardless of the kind man he became, Lincoln was one of the great men who molded the USA into what it is today, a country with Barack Obama as President. That is what I call fruition.
