Visiting some galleries in late 2012 with his Wife Marla, a gentleman by the name of Robert Oringer who never considered himself an art guy/collector, had an epiphany moment. He saw some collage art and it got him thinking about the crazy collection of NY Post issues he had amassed over decades— piles of NY Posts meticulously protected and stored away without any objective in mind. So he went to Google and began to search the Net for collage artists, one perhaps to convert his collection into art when he stumbled upon another Post fanatic… yours truly.

Without contacting me, Robert flew to NYC for my Kick Ass Actors opening with his lovely wife Marla, and acquired Hunter S. Depp.

One month later, Erin and I were in Montreal visiting our new friends, taking in the city as well as an Isles-Habs game (primo seats). Since then, Robert has become something of a mentor… brainstorming about business and art. One of these sessions began with a discussion about a New York Times article entitled, “How Walter White Found His Inner Sociopath“, which gave way to the notion of an anti-hero series.

Cue Walter White. Upon further exploration and another discussion stoked by a Forbes piece, the idea of painting anti-heroes took on a secondary layer: ambition befallen by greed. This was the ultimate connection, and with fortunate timing in proximity to Robert’s Birthday, this painting was commissioned by Marla — and it was off to the races.

Here is the process video, soundtrack courtesy of MH the Verb… don’t miss his major album drop on February 11, 2014 — The Balloon Guide is going to be amazing (album cover by yours truly.)

The headlines destined to be Walter’s face, trimmed, and unglued. I don’t often go into the specific meaning behind the collage materials, but for Walter, I’ll share a few. ‘Sister Act‘, The sub-plot of the sisters is a major focal point of the series… pulled from Petraeus scandal… appearances are deceiving… Walt under a cloak of normality. ‘Shot to Death‘: Reprint of the NY Post Kennedy assassination cover, describes Walter’s death… both Kennedy and Walter lead dual lives. ‘Bye Bye Bernie’: perhaps one of the most important headlines in the piece, makes the real life connection between greed in a man, Madoff, taking over and destroying countless lives around him. Added bonus? The headline was ripped from one of Robert’s personal NY Post’s for the painting.

A hat comes to life from text and imagery… here are a few details: ‘Brother Carnage‘ referencing Walters’ relationship with Hank; ‘9-to-5 Job‘ — the world Walt left behind; ‘Print and Shoot‘ — a dubious headline featuring a 3-d printed gun… the use of science and technology for ill. The O’Keefe skull is a heavy reference to the Southwest and impending expiration of life. John Wayne strutting into the sunset… the cowboy status Walt attained with his infamous train heist. Stag at Sharkey’s, Walt was a stag in the meth game. And Nixon? That’s a Hunter S. Depp connection.

The clippings left behind.

Fully collaged with a deep orange background. The devil whispers in White’s left frame, while ghastly creation demonstrates the beast of a man Walter becomes, colliding with Jasper John’s Flag… the American System failed him, a school teacher who couldn’t pay his medical bills, and helped drive him into illegal enterprise, in the right.

The painting was to feel cool, with penetrating desert light slamming against Walt’s face… this, of course, called for a warm underpainting.

I don’t often allow myself to delve so deeply into any portion of the canvas at once, but I became enthralled by the hat and went to town. The brush strokes where the light strikes are smooth and blended, whereas those in the dark are more erratic, as to create a a felt-like texture.

The eyes… capturing a dead stare over chaotic imagery was imperative.

Painting in the light… having spent no small amount of time in Vegas, I strove to capture how that particular light feels.

Cascading blues… the feel of limitless sky reaching the heavens in a near pixelated manner; doubly apropos, as I snapped the source image from a Breaking Bad frame, paused on my television.

Into the shadows with a deep tone.

The color blue plays a major role in the show, and thus, I alternated reddish blue and red hues for the dark side of Walter’s face. Oh, and before I forget, a big thank you shout to Jeremy Penn for the great title idea for Walter.

Really beginning to come together. The highlights are pastel… when contrasted with pure hue, a floating effect sets in… I first discovered this here.

Darkest tones, landed. Walter’s chin music forms something of a Spiral Jetty, thank you very much Robert Smithson.

Ah, and with the raspberry tone, Walter comes together. Incidentally, I always found the ‘p’ in the word raspberry to be ignored almost universally in pronunciation.

The shadows required a third blue-green tone, so it was added… a highlight tone of near pure cadmium red helped create more visual weight. And, I added an ochre wash to the jacket. It’s close now.

 And here is Walter White — “I Am The One Who Knocks” — 40″X40″, Acrylic and Collage on Canvas. Thank you Marla for the commission, and Happy Birthday Robert… remember to always stay grounded!