Macbeth

[Debra Jones]

I am trying to get a body of work to submit to the local Library for a month long show.

Affiliating myself with the theater group, I have a definite Much Ado coming up in a couple of months and JUST hung my Macbeth. 27 actors. The doubled the witches and did cut some semi-supernumeraries.

This set I took to a local framer and had them all matted in 16x20 black with foam core back and shrink sealed.

Last Friday I hit a rehearsal but no costume or make up (they decided to do a GOTH production... ... but nobody co-operated) So the first group had the most males and the 7witches..

First group is Macbeth with Banquo coming home from the war, Duncan and his two sons, the doctor and a gentlewoman watching Lady Mac go mad and the two murderers.

[Debra Jones]

The first set were five, but this last of them were all 7 witches. They were sort of just faces, hoping I might get more inspiration for make up. BUT on Tuesday night, I got to come to dress with lights. I realized I needed a good five more so they stayed this way!

The first of the second set was a lot of figuring out relationships so I could do groups. My favorite was the matching of the Porter and a servant. I called it The Help. Then I did the family of MacDuff and started loosening up using direct charcoal. (DOPE, I was too cheap to go with real charcoal paper and it was living heck to try to smudge on the 11x17 bond I was using, so I gave up.) It was more stylish and a lot faster. Then Banquo again as a ghost behind his boy which I titled Fatherless

[Debra Jones]

And of course, that lady with her filthy fingers... I called her **** Spot (apparently, the censor would not have let that go in Gone With The Wind either!!!) and the remaining noblemen I really dashed together in 45 minutes and called them the lords!

Tonight I got them all on the wall and am selling 11x17 laser copies, signed for $15, $5 for me, $10 to the theater and to the actors for $10, no profit to the house. The pieces are hung with actual prices. I have an ally who will remove them and hang them again tomorrow.

Tonight was preview and tomorrow is opening. Only one critic that I knew of.

I am a former thespian and I must say, I was watching some really tense rehearsals and could care less!! I used to freak when I thought of how much could go wrong on stage, now I have sadly (or happily) become a real life audience. It was odd.

[Patricia Joyce]

Debra,
These thespian portraits are thrilling to me. You have really found a unique niche'. I really enjoyed looking at these and reading of your experience.

good luck, hope you outsell yourself!!

[Debra Jones]

It was a sort of act of desperation.

I have a pool of models at the open studio, but they are pretty much the same ones. I figured branching out into faces that have enough of an ego to love to be looked at and are doing a character, so they don't care how perfect they end up would give me a lot of options.

Taking a "given" pool of faces made for a good exercise in working with a range of types and by forcing myself to do all of them, I challenge myself to put unusual groupings and come up with exciting solutions in rendering.

The actual impetus for this, was an exercise for boardroom or corporate portraits. Commercial feel but likenesses for annual reports or contemporary decorating.

AND it is all based on my own snapshots. I do have the advantage of attempting to get the better shots, but if I am given a hand full of Polaroids, I am sort of working in guerrilla conditions making me ready for anything!

[Julie Deane]

Debra -

These are great! Wishing you lots of success....

[Marcus Lim]

Hi Debra, i felt like i was watching the theatre the whole time, as you described each artwork. I especially was moved by those pieces which you started to loosen up, like HELP!
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movement here!