Closet Series II
My wife Barbara told me, after the 17th painting in Closet Series l, “Enough is enough — why not move to something else?” I thought about it but did not want to stop painting clothing. I loved painting in the photo-realistic heroic (larger than life) style but also envied my mentor, Mary Louise Schrodt’s ability to paint in the Trompe L’oeil ( a French term meaning to fool the eye) style. So I decided to paint each portrait, not in the heroic style, but to paint it in its exact size. I painted each on prepared plywood and cut it out with a jigsaw so that it was the exact size and shape of the subject jacket. I painted the wooden hanger and took the metal part from a real wooden hanger and inserted it in the top of each painting. Hopefully, someone seeing this hanging on a hook on a wall, may think it is a real jacket hanging on a wall ( to fool the eye). Many of these paintings required wearing a high powered magnifying glass around my head to be able to paint the very fine detail.
I started this series in 1994 and completed it in 1998. After over five years of work I had completed 14 paintings. I loved every minute of it.
Gallery
‘Bathrobe Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 50×28, 1994. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Burberry’s Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 50×22, 1994. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Motorcycle Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 30×22, 1994. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Leather Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 32×27, 1995. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Tennis Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 30×22, 1995. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Trench Coat Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 50×28, 1995. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Rainy Day Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 44×32, 1996. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Formal Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 34×22, 1996. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Fishing Hang-Up”
Closet Series II. 33×21, 1996. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Black Slicker Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 36×23, 1997. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Soft Leather Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 34×24, 1997. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Blue Blazer Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 34×23, 1998. Oil on prepared wood.
“Black Leather Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 30×23, 1998. Oil on prepared wood.
‘Quilted Vest Hang-Up’
Closet Series II. 36×23, 1998. Oil on prepared wood.