perceptions, the painting

The painting was commissioned by the Cultural Arts Gallery of IUPUI. It was presented in October 1998. The painting has two distinct characteristics. The subject of the painting is a man in a wheelchair. A poem, perceptions of payne, in Braille acts as the surface of the painting.

Most importantly, I wanted to paint a picture of my dad. I've not seen many paintings of people in electric scooters or wheelchairs. The painting took approximately 24 hours to complete. He sat about three hours for me. I worked from photographs for the rest of the time.

The second unique aspect of the painting is its canvas. I've always felt bad that blind people can't get any feelings or perceptions of my paintings. Here is one solution. I wrote a poem and used it as the surface of the painting. The poem was printed in Braille and glued to a masonite base. It was my hope that blind people would be able to receive something from the painting. I've provided a copy of the poem near the picture.

As far as what the painting or the poem means, I don't know. I just let them speak for themselves.