One of the things that drives me as an artist is the desire to save the lives of interesting people, most of whom don't happen to be famous. These people are everywhere, if you look for them. They are creative, articulate and charming. They are often thought of as colorful characters who dress and speak in eccentric ways. Some are poor and on society's fringes because they are different enough that it's difficult for them to fit in with the rest of us.
Joseph Kinney is one of those people. When I first met him, I was impressed with his great height, his Rastafarian hat and curls. The tie-dyed shirt and patchwork vest made him look like an original Hippy. He walked with a big stick in a slow, dignified manner- like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. He talked like a spiritual seeker with a certain wisdom from having had a rough life. Joseph seemed to me like a person who was meant to live briefly and brightly. A strong urge kept bugging me to document this man. I didn't want to wait until it was too late. At first, my idea was to do a portrait painting. But I knew that wouldn't be sufficient to capture his spirit. So I did a video interview with him in October, 2016 at the Dinosaur Tattoo Studio in Waukegan, IL. Here is a link to to the memorial video I made about Joseph on youtu.be/IBfv59FxgdI
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An injury to my drawing arm (the left) spurred me to become good at digital drawing. It is a lot neater than painting and I can actually sit down while doing it. A recent experiment with playing with an image of a recently completed acrylic painting led to this. I love it. Now that I can paint in the traditional way again, I'm going to still do it. I've got lots of art supplies and a bunch of blank canvases to fill! The digital apps have energized my enthusiasm for drawing again and I am going to continue to create with them. The second new thing is that I have shortened my website name from www.leisascorbettartstudio.com Both websites are online. The new name is shorter, less clunky, and easier to remember.
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AuthorLeisa Corbett is a painter and digital artist who loves to capture interesting people & save their lives ArchivesCategories |