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lunatica

(53,410 posts)
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 07:22 PM Oct 2019

This is a picture I painted of President Obama before he turned gray

Last edited Sun Oct 13, 2019, 09:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I want to make a very large one of 3 ft x 3 ft or larger some day.

It’s only two colors, black and white, which symbolizes, among other things, his mixed race parentage. I wanted to do something that represented a racially united country. Little did I know!

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This is a picture I painted of President Obama before he turned gray (Original Post) lunatica Oct 2019 OP
Gosh, that's wonderful. AJT Oct 2019 #1
Very nice! K&R. nt tblue37 Oct 2019 #2
Excellent! dchill Oct 2019 #3
you captured his spirit! KT2000 Oct 2019 #4
Thanks! lunatica Oct 2019 #5
It's really a great piece!! Keep up your art Thekaspervote Oct 2019 #6
Now that I'm retired my life lunatica Oct 2019 #8
Very good! LyndaG Oct 2019 #7
Wow! backtoblue Oct 2019 #9
I love it when he laughs lunatica Oct 2019 #10
WOW!! Most impressive! Duppers Oct 2019 #11
Yes. I used various photos lunatica Oct 2019 #12
OMG, you have so much talent. MLAA Oct 2019 #13
No, I'm not a professional lunatica Oct 2019 #15
So glad you are now in a position to pursue your art! MLAA Oct 2019 #22
I have about 65 years of experience. lunatica Oct 2019 #25
I did have a recent breakthrough.... MLAA Oct 2019 #29
In my experience that happens even if you don't paint for a while lunatica Oct 2019 #31
So funny you should say that about not painting for a while... MLAA Oct 2019 #32
That's exactly it. lunatica Oct 2019 #34
Gorgeous! Chicagogrl1 Oct 2019 #14
It's beautiful! madaboutharry Oct 2019 #16
Thanks! lunatica Oct 2019 #17
I would. madaboutharry Oct 2019 #18
That's really nice of you! lunatica Oct 2019 #21
I'll pm you tomorrow. madaboutharry Oct 2019 #23
Great! lunatica Oct 2019 #24
That's fabulous...mail him a copy!❤ Karadeniz Oct 2019 #19
Nice. I love black and white art. mountain grammy Oct 2019 #20
You capture the greatest president of all time very well. Doodley Oct 2019 #26
Nice work, lunatica. Pity about the ageism Ghost Dog Oct 2019 #27
LOL! lunatica Oct 2019 #28
I'm quite a bit older than he is. lunatica Oct 2019 #35
Going gray fast does seem to be part of that job! Ghost Dog Oct 2019 #36
Very Nice! JimGinPA Oct 2019 #30
I love it! Maraya1969 Oct 2019 #33
Wow.. you're Good, lunatica! Cha Oct 2019 #37
Hi! lunatica Oct 2019 #38
It's beautiful lillypaddle Oct 2019 #39
That is fantastic, lunatica. sheshe2 Oct 2019 #40
Thanks! lunatica Oct 2019 #41
He is the best President in my lifetime. sheshe2 Oct 2019 #42
That is stunning! n/t Soph0571 Oct 2019 #43
That picture shows his personality*** MRDAWG Oct 2019 #44
Obama never "turned too gray." Nitram Oct 2019 #45
You're right. lunatica Oct 2019 #46
Thanks, Lunatica. Your explanation makes complete sense. Nitram Oct 2019 #47
Very nicely done! bif Oct 2019 #48
k&r Demovictory9 Oct 2019 #49

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
5. Thanks!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 07:36 PM
Oct 2019

I made it as minimally detailed as possible so just him would show. I didn’t want to give it any details other than the necessary ones to recognize him. I also wanted to render the man alone with no indication of office.

Duppers

(28,094 posts)
11. WOW!! Most impressive!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 08:11 PM
Oct 2019

When I think of him in my mind's eye, he is smiling like this.

Did you use a photo as a model? Anyway, it's PERFECT.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
12. Yes. I used various photos
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 08:19 PM
Oct 2019

And the funny part is that his hair went gray really fast and I kept having to update the picture until I finally decided I would never finish it if I kept doing it that way!

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
13. OMG, you have so much talent.
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 08:50 PM
Oct 2019

Are you a professional artist? You really captured his wonderful, joyful, kind spirit!

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
15. No, I'm not a professional
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:11 PM
Oct 2019

I have had a few requests for my art, but due to various life reasons I was unable to pursue a career in art. Right now I just want to finally dedicate myself to my art since I retired about a year ago.

This piece was done in President Obama’s first term.

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
22. So glad you are now in a position to pursue your art!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:41 PM
Oct 2019

I retired a few years ago and started taking painting lessons and now am painting all my friend’s pets. But I am not in your class at all. You go for it, you have what it takes!

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
25. I have about 65 years of experience.
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:58 PM
Oct 2019

If you’ve improved in a handful of years, imagine how you’d be painting in a few decades! That’s the way art is. The more you do it the better you get. This is a fact.

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
29. I did have a recent breakthrough....
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 11:11 PM
Oct 2019

After a couple years of plodding along overnight one day I started painting better and much, much faster 🙂. It is so enjoyable.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
31. In my experience that happens even if you don't paint for a while
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 11:47 PM
Oct 2019

As long as you think and see like an artist. And you can do that by just looking at nature or art.

I just recently had a breakthrough myself. It would surprise me except it’s happened so many times in my life.

It’s possible our subconscious is artistic and works undercover and every once in a while it pushes it into our conscious mind.

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
32. So funny you should say that about not painting for a while...
Fri Oct 11, 2019, 12:23 AM
Oct 2019

My breakthrough came after not being able to paint for 8 months because I temporarily went back to work in NYC and didn’t have the time or the space in a downtown apartment. However I thought about painting frequently and of course saw beautiful art while there!

Chicagogrl1

(411 posts)
14. Gorgeous!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:00 PM
Oct 2019

Our only saving grace is that the younger generation doesn’t see or care @ color, at least most of them. Can’t wait til all the old racists pass away!

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
17. Thanks!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:17 PM
Oct 2019

Really? I have it in my photobucket account which has print services in various styles and sizes. I can get it as a photo or as a poster or on canvas in a large variety of sizes.

madaboutharry

(40,153 posts)
18. I would.
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 09:22 PM
Oct 2019

I would hang it my wall. I think it’s beautiful. You captured his spirit, his optimism, his belief in basic goodness.

 

Ghost Dog

(16,881 posts)
27. Nice work, lunatica. Pity about the ageism
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:04 PM
Oct 2019

(I speak as one gray-haired these last many years), though.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
28. LOL!
Thu Oct 10, 2019, 10:20 PM
Oct 2019

It wasn’t ageism on my part. It was that every time I thought I was finished he would get a ton more of gray hair. I tried to keep up because I wanted it to be contemporary but I finally had to give up and restore most of the original hair color.

The funny thing is it must have really been bothering me because I had a dream where I saw him and Michelle sitting in an outdoor café and I walked up to him and told him that he was messing up my painting of him because I couldn’t keep up with his hair turning gray. It was meant to be a joke, of course and they both laughed. But before I left I gave him a kiss on the top of his head. That dream is still very vivid.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
35. I'm quite a bit older than he is.
Fri Oct 11, 2019, 01:56 AM
Oct 2019

I’m 71 and gray myself. I see now why my remark seem ageist.

I love gray hair.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
41. Thanks!
Fri Oct 11, 2019, 05:27 PM
Oct 2019

At the age of 71 I can finally get back to my art. Before retiring I didn’t do much for a few decades. But in Obama’s first term I wanted to paint him and Michelle because I love them both.

I figured people might enjoy seeing an artist’s rendition of one of our greatest Presidents right now. Especially right now!

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
46. You're right.
Sun Oct 13, 2019, 09:52 PM
Oct 2019

I didn’t write that the way I wanted it to come out, so I took the word ‘too’ out.

I painted it in his first term but his hair started to turn gray so I went back and added the little bit of gray, but he kept getting more and more gray and I tried to keep up. Then I had the dream I talk about and I realized that I was letting it influence me too much. So I decided to just leave a little gray and say it was finished.

I hope my explanation makes sense. It isn’t ageism. I’m 71 and gray myself.

bif

(22,560 posts)
48. Very nicely done!
Tue Oct 15, 2019, 08:16 AM
Oct 2019

I wish I had half the talent you have. With just a few lines, you totally captured his look and spirit!

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