Rising Star

Over a period of several years my family and I became acquainted with a young man who worked at our favorite family  camp during the summer months.  The idea for this painting emerged over those years as we got to know our friend, nick-named "Rising Star."  One of his jobs was to walk the horses from their stalls to the riding stables just before sunrise.

Rising Star was big - strong and robust -  with an almost operatic singing voice.  It was an illustration in contrasts to see and hear him sing and then to observe him quietly going through his morning chores with the horses.  What struck me was his genuine artistic sensitivity combined with raw physical strength, two opposing qualities coexisting in a single person.