This is a painting that I did that was inspired by Dwayne Johnson, The Rock.
I started this painting about a month ago. I wanted to do a portrait of a person who had a lot of nobility and character, a person who inspires others to be more. I also wanted to paint a face that would prove to be a challenge from an artistic point of view.WHY THE ROCK
I chose the Rock because his story of success and overcoming adversity is so amazing. He seems to be a person who lives life to the fullest because it is hard to find a picture of him without a beautiful smile. He is wealthy financially, but it seems the true richness is something he finds within and brings with him wherever he goes.
RESOURCE IMAGE
I found a picture of him with his iconic intense eyes. It was a rare one in which he is not smiling, I prefer to do pictures without smiles because I like to look for more in a person's face and try to find their depths and complexities. This picture does have a kind of smile but not overly broad. I liked the focused look he had in the photo I chose.
THE ROCK IS A REAL LIFE HERO
I think it is so amazing how the Rock gives back. He started a charity called the Rock Foundation. It is for children who have disabilities, The foundation seeks to enrich, enable, and empower the lives of these children. Their statement of purpose is, "We serve a variety of children ranging from infancy to twenty-two years of age. Our goal is to make every child smile." He supports a bunch of other charities. There is more than I can list here. These are the things that make Dwane Johnson a hero. (beware of scams when donating to charities- please check them out first.) Here is a link that I think is one for donating to the DJ Rock foundation, and they have some reviews.
ABOUT HEROES
In our world today, we need heroes who we can admire and look up to. But we must never forget they are human like we are and they will fall from grace. When they do it is our turn to become the hero and give them forgiveness and support, those are the moments when we can repay them for the inspiration they were to us and become a hope for them.
Dwane Johnson is quoted as saying,
- Be humble, stay hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room.”
- Success isn’t overnight. It’s when every day you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up.
- One of the most important things you can accomplish is just being yourself.
ABOUT THE ART
I wanted the picture to have a lot of colors and still be moody with a sense of passion and purpose. I built this painting up in layers of color in acrylic,. I began with a "scrumbling" technique where I smear the color all over the canvas quickly. At first, it was too dark, so I kept building up the lights. His skin tone is very rich with reds, sienna and umber colors, but I began with orange to give warmth to the image then painted the darker tones over it. The features and expression were a constant struggle for me. I want the picture to be like The Rock but not so much that others would be able to personally identify with him. I want the picture to say, "Here is an example of what you can achieve." I wanted to make the painting like The Rock but a little not like Thr Rock at the same time.
The challenges were the shaved head and the stubble beard, both were features I am not used to doing. I really wanted to get the eyes right, but I had to embellish them to make them not so dark or angry-ish. The lips are hard since he is giving a half smile that is harder than a frown or full smile because the elastic nature of the mouth is moving from the fullest shape to the thinnest shape.
I am very proud of this painting and hope it finds a home where people will be inspired by him.
The title of this painting is "CAN'T WE DO SOME GOOD TOGETHER?"
Use the PayPal button below if you want to purchase this original painting.
$500.00 It will be in a black frame. US shipping will be free, all others contact me for a quote before purchase.
You can purchase art prints of this painting at my Socety6 Store, CLICK HERE.
You can purchase a framed reproduction of this painting at my Society6 Store. CLICK HERE.
You can purchase a canvas print of this painting CLICK HERE.
You can purchase an iphone case with this image. CLICK HERE.
Thank you.
