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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Created with soft pastels on museum-quality, heavyweight, acid-free sanded pastel
paper, this work depicts a young boy sitting on the edge of an overturned stool because
he is not yet big enough to sit on it upright. Sunlight from the side casts his shadow
across a mural of Muhammad Ali with the words “I Am the Greatest.” The boy looks
down at oversized gloves, where a butterfly has landed, symbolizing Ali’s phrase, “Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” This piece is deeply personal: my late father, also an
artist and admirer of Ali, and I had dreamed of painting together. After his passing, I
stamped his paint-covered fingertips onto my drawing paper and incorporated his
fingerprints, he green marks on Ali’s chest in the mural, into the design to preserve his
touch. The stool and gloves symbolize my aspiration to grow into the craft and character
of two fine gentlemen, my father and Ali, honoring both of their enduring influences.
Created with soft pastels on museum-quality, heavyweight, acid-free sanded pastel
paper, this work depicts a young boy sitting on the edge of an overturned stool because
he is not yet big enough to sit on it upright. Sunlight from the side casts his shadow
across a mural of Muhammad Ali with the words “I Am the Greatest.” The boy looks
down at oversized gloves, where a butterfly has landed, symbolizing Ali’s phrase, “Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” This piece is deeply personal: my late father, also an
artist and admirer of Ali, and I had dreamed of painting together. After his passing, I
stamped his paint-covered fingertips onto my drawing paper and incorporated his
fingerprints, he green marks on Ali’s chest in the mural, into the design to preserve his
touch. The stool and gloves symbolize my aspiration to grow into the craft and character
of two fine gentlemen, my father and Ali, honoring both of their enduring influences.