My latest painting, Cary (2018), is a tribute to one of the most famous and most wealthy Hollywood actors, Cary Grant.
His talent took him from rags to riches but it was his charm that left an indelible mark on the world. Although he came from humble beginnings, at the time of his death in 1986, he was worth almost 80 million dollars.
Cary was born in England and identified as being Jewish. He grew up believing his mother had abandoned him.
In reality, his father had had her committed to a mental hospital. Ultimately, they were reunited, but not until he was in his 30s. While Cary Grant was a talented actor and worked across a number of genres, his personal life was more complicated.
Inner turmoil
He was married five times, mostly in brief unions. At age 62, he became a father for the first time.
For the remainder of his life, he doted on his daughter. Cary was notoriously private and never once gave an interview.
I wanted my painting to capture his essence. His dark and brooding appearance was what had prompted Hitchcock to cast him as the lead in four of his films.
He was reserved but engimatic and the camera loved him. Initially, I chose to paint, Cary (2018), because of his good looks. Yet, it was his resilience in the face of adversity that inspired me.
I painted him in profile and partially in silhouette, using a limited palette. I used an uncomplicated composition to offset the depth of the shadow. This created a dramatic and powerful effect. Furthermore, as I had done in Bogart (2017), I featured a lit cigarette.
Cary (2018) is a fitting tribute to a legendary actor. It shows the depth and personality of a man so revered in his life time and allows his memory to live on for the next generation.