Pondering Bishop (Miller)

by Godfrey Ellis – Dec 2019 acrylic 11×14

I quietly took several secret photos of Bishop Miller on my iPhone during an early morning bishopric meeting one Sunday.  I pretended to be looking something up on the phone. I loved this one because he looked as if he was contemplating some important issue – he looked so “bishop-y.”  The photo had strong shadows on one side of the face and that was new for me.  It was definitely a different style than anything I had done to date.  Merry called it “impressionistic” while I just thought it was more “loose and relaxed.” When I surprised him with my gift, he was overwhelmed by it.  He kept saying “I’m so honored, I’m so honored!”  This is one of my favorite paintings.

Merry preferred a different digital photo of him because the other one had him smiling (which he does a lot). I preferred this photo because it captured his solemnity and the dignity of his office. Below he is holding the small portrait, which he ended up giving to his mother.

Most paintings go through an “awkward stage.” Some people call it the “ugly phase.” It is the point at which the artist wants to give up and throw the painting in the trash as a total failure. Fortunately, most paintings pass through this phase and come together, sometimes very nicely. This painting is one of my favorite because it has a more “painterly” a looser feel than some of the other, more finicky ones I’ve done. Anyway, here is the only photo I have. The suit is finished but the face is solidly in the awkward stage!