Beethoven Portrait

Originally painted for KANU, Lawrence, KS Public Radio program cover.

When I painted Beethoven, I listened to his symphonies the entire time I created his portrait.  It helped give that piece the stormy quality that I feel while listening to his compositions. 

Oh, and he died before photographs came about so I began my search for a model with similar facial features.  I told my roommate in college I needed to find a guy with a German nose, a cleft chin, a square jaw, deep-set eyes, and predominant cheekbones. 

That's when it hit me.  Beethoven was going to be a self-portrait.  We grabbed a shop light and lit me up with dramatic effect.  I made the typical Beethoven scowl and hit the studio.  When I neared the end of the painting, I laid the photos of the other painting of him out and tweaked the facial features back to be more like him and less like me.