No. 301: A Gift For Gram

NO. 301: Kalea's Big Ben, pencil, July 2015.

No. 301, "Kalea's Big Ben," is among my Top Five favorite pieces. It's original, detailed and massive.

The work is based on a photo that my co-worker Kalea Hall of Struthers took during her visit this summer to England. It's a unique angle, looking up at the clock tower. Go ahead and search Big Ben images online, and you'll see that the view is different.

Photo by Kalea Hall

Her trip to London and particularly Manchester was more than a sight-seeing tour, however: She brought home her "Gram."

You may remember Kalea and her own story from No. 230, "Girl on Her Mountain," from December 2013:

She's big on complicated assignments.  See it here:  http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2013/12/no-230-girl-on-her-mountain.html

The tower is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower,  renamed as such to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II (prior to being renamed in 2012 it was known simply as "Clock Tower.") The tower holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world.

This Big Ben tale is so sweet that I thought it best, once again, to have it told by Kalea:

"I wanted my Gram to wake up every morning and have a piece of her country with her at all times."

Photo by Joe Gorman, "The Legend from The Streets"

"I've wanted to go to England from the time I was a child. I grew up surrounded by the country's culture. My grandmother, Eunice Hall, a native of Manchester, also referred to as a Mancunian, made certain I knew how to be a proper English girl.
I learned the love of tea and biscuits. I inherited the "Johnny Bull" attitude. I  gained a respect for the queen.

"And I also discovered how difficult it was for my Gram to leave her home. She left in her early 20s to go to America with my grandfather. She got here and thought: "What have I done?"
She missed her culture and family, but she didn't look back.
She soon accepted America as her home and today she will tell you it's the best country in the world. But that doesn't mean she has forgotten her roots or her family.

"So, when the time came for her to go back for what could be her last trip "home," I knew I had to go.
She was going primarily to be there for her cancer-stricken brother -- my Uncle Brian.
Before I knew it I had a plane ticket and I had a friend to come with me to go get Gram to bring her back home in July.
Gram spent three months there having the time of her life. I was there for about two weeks.

Eunice Hall in Manchester

"I had to do some exploring and took off to London for two days with my trusty travel friend, Carson.
We didn't mess around and did as much as we could in two days.
Big Ben was on the top of the list.
Why?
Because it's the symbol of London - at least to me. This beautiful piece of architecture almost seems unrealistic until it's in front of you.
It has survived so much and thrived as a symbol of a leading country.

"I wanted my Gram to wake up every morning and have a piece of her country with her at all times.
And maybe by just looking at it she will be able to hear the bells chime, feel the cool English breeze and taste a true cup of tea.
Thank you, Gram, for teaching me to love my country and roots.
TARA.
Tara means goodbye or cheerio in English."

The drawing took about three weeks and, at first, was a cartoonish series of squiggly black lines on the white paper background. I had warned Kalea not to expect an architecturally perfect illustration.
Also, her photo had cut the top off of the clock tower, so I had to look at other pictures to imagine what it would look like from such an angle.

Eventually all of the sides were done and the smaller buildings sketched in. I then used a series of pencils with different leads (hard to soft) to add the light and dark shading. The end result was an almost three-dimensional rendering that highlights the Gothic structure.

No. 300: Crown of Thorns

No. 300, "Crown of Thorns," June-July 2015

 

I view drawing No. 300 as a significant milestone, and I wanted it to bake peoples' heads.
It had to be something that no one would expect from me or, possibly, some could even accept.
The choice was made in June: Is there any figure more debated than Jesus Christ?

I'm not particularly religious, and this is not meant to ignite any sort of argument. I only go to church for funerals. My Methodist membership expired about 30 years ago. The Catholics I live with never managed to sell that scene to me. But I've read the book, and large chunks of it stuck.  Perhaps it's out of a sense of wonder, perhaps it's fear.
Every now and then I eke out a prayer and have a conversation with a silent force. That's enough for me.

Nearly complete, but before I softened his face.

What I did not want to illustrate was a glowing, perfect man. There are a lot of airbrushed Jesus types out there.
I wanted to show a guy at the end of his rope, tore down.  Not glamorous.
I especially wanted the face to look drained -- yet hopeful. Or is it a look of anticipation?
There are many representations of Jesus from which to choose characteristics and I took from many: The face, hair, thorns, ragged cloth and wounds are a compilation of "waiting on the cross" images.

I also did not really intend to create a "Personal Jesus," a picture for some home shrine.
My original, sincere plan was to donate this drawing to a church or organization. I thought it would look nice in a vestibule or study room. I repeatedly asked any churches or members interested to reach out to me to make arrangements, and none did.
Maybe this Jesus looks a little too spooky for little children.

Robe in the works

Interestingly, in making my choice back in June for No. 300, I had a conversation with a work colleague and we both agreed that Jesus would be an interesting and meaningful choice.
Then she became a former colleague and moved on to brighter pictures.
By September I had begun posting online photos of a watercolor horse painting (No. 304, "Burton") that I intend to sell. And the former colleague contacted me from Pennsylvania.

"Whatever happened with your No. 300?" she asked. So I explained and she wondered if I'd sell it.
I'd hung the picture in my studio and Jesus had watched me pay bills for a few months, over a difficult summer. After a little while I said yes.
She now has her seventh Tom Wills Production. She thinks it's beautiful and I am thrilled.
He does indeed work in mysterious ways.

Below is how the drawing emerged across two months.  

June ...

July ...

Our Story So Far (Wordless)