Muhammed Ali

A portrait collage I completed of Muhammed Ali. In this charcoal drawing, I drew it on an 11x14 sheet of charcoal paper. The background was darkened with a light coat of charcoal stick, and then I went over that layer with acrylic paint. I faded the charcoal into the acrylic to really try and heighten the sense of what's going on. I didn't want each drawing connecting, so I decided to fade them in. Ali's first fight was with Sonny Liston, and for their rematch, he knocked Liston to the canvas and stood over him, shouting for him to get up. The photographer, Neil Leifer, who snapped this photograph probably had no idea how famous the photograph would be. I decided to recreate this photograph at the bottom of the drawing, and complete the top with his last notable fight with George Foreman. Prints are available on a high gloss paper for $20.00, so just email me at johnpriceart@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase one..

Drapery Study

This is a study I was doing of drapery in charcoal. I think there's a difference in how light is shown in clothing, and I took the drapes and tacked them to a corkboard, and went from there. I shined an incandescent light right above it on the right hand side and well ... you get the point.

Samson

Here is the completed image of Samson. It's a graphite 11x14 realistically rendered abstract drawing of the Old Testament judge. Artwork, years ago, used to tell stories and that's something I wanted to try and depict here. But, what's going on in this? What's up with all the flies, or hornets or bugs? The bugs are honeybees, and the brain has been transformed into a honeycomb. Two of the first sins that Samson committed was when he went through a vineyard, and after killing a lion, he returned to it later on to find honeybees in the rotting carcass. Under Nazarite Law - which Samson was - they were forbidden to touch anything of the vine, or eat of the vine, and they were forbidden to touch a carcass.

As I thought of Samson, I wondered if these things ever haunted him. In this scene here, we see Samson deep in thought. He shows no fear, for he's been in battle many times. The hair of his head is no longer long, and he's in captivity by the Philistines. Here he sits, just before his eyes are put out, and I wonder if those two things, the vineyard and the honeycomb, haunted him. That was the beginning, and from that time, he began to go down the wrong road.

For the opening of the face, I went to the Southside Surgical Specialist Clinic in Petersburg, VA to Dr. Nicolata's office (one of the finest doctors in my opinion) and they provided me with some medical illustrations to go off of. I had to really use my imagination to try and make it look like the skin was pulled back and make it as realistic as possible. I had a medical student at VCU - Virginia Commonwealth University - look at my work once I finished and she let me know that the only thing I had off on the opening to the mouth was one vein that needed to be pushed over slightly.

Anyway, that's the drawing, and the story behind it.

Marilyn Monroe

Here is a drawing I just completed of Marilyn Monroe. The drawing is about 11x15 (why that size, I don't know) in charcoal. If anybody wants prints, just email me. You can also check me out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/johnPriceArt

Dawson

This is a portrait of Dawson, who passed away from SIDS. I really felt compelled to draw him for his parents because it seemed as though he was here in a flash. Life ... it's so precious, and this child's life though short here, stayed on my mind, and I felt the need to draw him. At the bottom of the drawing is the bible verse from Isaiah chapter 49:16 that reads, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands". The drawing is 11x14 in graphite.

David

This is a charcoal drawing of Michaelanglo's 'David' that I've just completed. I have always admired his artwork, and John Rush, a well noted illustrator told me to really study Michaelangelo's work. The statue of David is known all over the world, and I couldn't help but try and capture this iconic image.

Eli Manning