[John Reidy]

Mike,

I am compelled by your posted painting to respond. I, too, think a lot of thought went into the design of this piece before any paint touched a canvas.

For me it is a strong and succesful marriage of design and emotion. The first thing that strikes me is the design made up of many triangles laid out throughout the painting to create a beautiful design. Then adding to that the pose of the individual. He comes across as such a strong personality that he captures my attention.

The subject's stare causes my eye to keep coming back to the face thereby sending me on a subliminal journey around the painting. His face, to me, is an important part of the composition. It acts as the catalyst.

I feel that the pose is contrived a bit, especially the stool or chair. It appears to be at a wrong angle.But I respect this manipulation because for me it reinforces the design. And the deliberate lack of detail of the stool helps my eye flow better.

Thank you for posting this. It is inspiring.

And since this piece was painted by another and a current SOG member, my apologies to you, Jerry, if I misunderstand your intentions. But I can't help but think if you were to read this you might laugh at my completely uneducated reaction.