Of all the studio work in the past few months, this painting required the most attention. It needed to be nursed into being, and I observed myself with strictness and severity. 

Meisterschüler is, for me, a lot of things rolled into one. It is a personal think-piece (a nod to further research), and an inside joke between me and my idol: sincerity and sarcasm combined. It also embodies the desires and fears I have regarding the current state of painting. The ceremony that accompanies death fascinates me, but the representation of such ceremony through the nostalgic lens of photography is even more interesting. Despite the subject matter, this is a living, breathing image when I'm standing in front of it, optically complex and almost confident.

Meisterschüler Oil on Canvas 36" x 60"