I Paint DEAD PEOPLE. I'm a healthy 30-year-old who reads the obits. The obit section is the first place I turn to in the Chicago Sun Times. I like the stories. I always like a good tale. I don‘t think I fear death because of the obits. I’m still coming to grips. It depends on the day. I memorialize many of the newly deceased in 36â€x48†canvases – rendered in Kiwi shoe polish and house paint. I begin by outlining the face in the obit photo, then make a small sketch of the outlined image. I paint the 36â€x48†canvases with house paint from Home Depot – a premixed gray that someone else had returned. After the background paint dries, I pencil in the face from the sketch, then cover the lines with black Kiwi shoe polish. I display the work with small placards that include excerpts from the obituaries. My objective is to honor the lives of everyday men and women.
