Soviet ReUnion

60" x 54"

Oil on Panel

2014

Part of my Dictator series, this is a particularly well known piece of mine. In fact, I am known in my hometown as That Putin Guy. 

I gave a talk at a local school and many students recognized celebrities I'd painted but not Putin, who had been in the news quite a lot at the time. It was then that I decided to put this painting on the front porch so Putin could watch thousands of cars pass each day, staring placidly out at them in silence. 

That guy loves Putin, or maybe it is satire? The painting went back up on the eve of the 2016 election and again after the invasion of Ukraine. It travelled across the street from a pro-Trump rally where supporters both heckled me, proclaimed their own admiration of the subject matter, or said he was a menace. 

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, I hosted a one day tomato toss event, where participants threw overripe heirloom tomatoes harvested from a local farm I work at in the summer months. A true performance piece, this piece evolves as time passes through the hour glass of life. As Putin continues to command the attention of the world, his decisions affect us all as he stares blankly back from his high tower.