“Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.”
~unknown ( proverb)

I think this is the very first “portrait” I painted. I wanted to practice doing a challenging face and as I searched through face after face online, in magazines, on signs, everywhere... I finally spotted it. It was a man on an old cd cover. I don’t remember the album name or musician at all and I should have taken note of it but knew that he represented someone who had been thru a lot in his life.
The man’s expression and eyes intrigued me. The album cover was actually black and white and I took the liberty to add color. I painted the bright yellow under him to represent the true person that the heavy coat of life had covered him with, hidden from view.

I often look at this and wonder what could have made him so tired and weary looking? Would a smile have made his day? Would a meal have satisfied his hunger? Was he lonely? Did his family know where he was? Why was his brow furrowed and why was his gaze sad? Did he have many stories to tell or did he have memory of none?
He reminds me now of the book and movie... "Same Different as Me".
We truly are different but we truly are the same.
Watercolor