I refer to this painting as the ‘Hero’ painting because the initial inspiration for this work comes from the comic heroes. I was interested in how heroes are portrayed in popular culture and how this differs from actual heroes in real life. Most people that demonstrate courage and honor in their lives do not have ripped abs or arms the size of tree trunks. The most courageous person I ever met was a 16 year old boy who was thin as a rail and never complained once even though he was at the end of his life. I have stripped the costume from the figure in the painting, but have kept the musculature intact, which is the trademark for heroism in this genre. The model for the piece was a friend of mine, and on an unrelated note he is the only person I have known who could hold and drink from a pitcher of beer like it was a beer mug, but still look as if everything was in proportion – he was a big guy.
