“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story kid” — Enoch Malachi Thompson.
From the day Steve Buscemi strolled into my life, holding a radio station hostage… he quickly became one of my favorites. Whether he was ensuring the product was copacetic in Kings of New York, pulling unwarranted hits in The Sopranos, playing records in his Ghost World garage… gold. And along comes Boardwalk Empire…
Choosing the right source image was critical… it was a decision I made with a little lot of help from my friends.
After shooting dozens of episodes, I was down to these options… at first, Nucky One took a commanding lead… but eventually, the overwhelming favorite was Nucky Two. And off to the races we go.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x280f0s
If you’d like to see this canvas come together in 90 seconds, please take a look at this video… soundtrack courtesy of the Tin Pan Band.
As a crooked politician, philanderer and murderer, Nucky Thompson (or Johnson if you are into history) — this painting practically collaged itself.
Under painting… always a critical step. Warm.
Kicking into the deep shadows first… something I’m fond of doing. These are the facial anchor points… nail them first, and the likeness arrives on the early train from Philly.
For whatever reason, I approached this painting confident I’d nail the facial tones and planes on the first try… this is practically unheard of for yours truly.
I’m drawn to fiery colors when depicting antiheroes… the loveable crooks and killers. This selected composition has a certain chiaroscuro about it…. this, I did not fight.
Building, building, building. It was at this stage Nucky sold during a studio visit.
Here is where the picture began to feel cohesive… working the lighter tones in…
The brightest brights… adding the white to Nucky’s tux shirt… and the highlights in his hair. Many people suggested I paint this Nucky based on the importance of his hairline to the character… they were 100% on the money.
Nearly there… does the abstract room behind him mirror a cross?
And I give you — Nucky Thompson. A fabulous show with a legendary EP team including Terence Winter, Martin Scorsese, Mark Wahlberg, Tim Van Patten, Howard Korder and Stephen Levinson.
And a parting shot of Nucky with Uma in the studio.
3 comments
Comments are closed.