Anonymous weighs in...

This, as you are probably aware, is the current state of "Helicopter Ben":



About which somebody named Anonymous comments:

Eyes are strong but needs more beard.

Hmmm, interesting. Me? I couldn't disagree more. I kind of like the ambiguity of just where the beard starts and where it ends. The resource image is this:



And, yes, there's probably a bit more beard/skin definition here, particularly on his left cheek, than in the painting. But look at his right cheek. Who knows where that beard stops and starts. Furthermore, one of the things I like about Big Ben is how his beard is white on the top and dark (er) on the bottom. I like how it give the impression of welling up from the collar into the light.

Through tarmac, to the sun again, for you Moody Blues fans.



You may remember the power with which John McCain's head welled up from the darkness. This may be my all-time favorite neck.


Back to Bernanke, here's the close-up:



In this case, the darkness is depicted more as green than black. The operative notion being that the abyss from which, in this case, the face of Ben Bernanke is welling up is a financial one. Which can be taken two ways: a) as a statement of optimism (Out of the darkness and into the light? or Through tarmac, to the sun again?), or b) to suggest that the underlayment of the Wall Street experience (which, as it should, remains one of greed, and the sinister machinations [including, but not limited to, lying, stealing and cheating] designed to translate greed into money) is disguised by his bright and shiny forehead. His clear, attentive gaze. That dome of a head full of academic theories about inflation and deflation, money supply, the theory of efficient markets and all those other things we've heard so much about, for good or for bad.

These are complicated questions.

Me? I like the beard. That said, it may still change significantly. I reserve that right. But I like it.

Regarding the eyes, I'm not so convinced.



I like a bit more stuff going on. A bit of green perhaps. No one knows, as they say, what it's like to be the ... sad man behind (in this case, either brown or green) eyes... I do, however, like how that white covered up the yellow we were talking about earlier.

I was just listening to "Baba O'Riley" the other day.

Who's next?
Yeah, that's right.
No. Who's next?
I just said that's right.
No. I mean, who are you going to paint next?
Oh. Shiela Baer jumps to mind, although I can't find a good picture.

I don't paint enough women.
Do you think the average person gives a shit about Sheila Baer?
Probably not.