“The Savior”
It’s been a while since the last post in the series, and I’m back and ready to work. During the month-long break, I had a commission that will be released this month. I had a great holiday season with my family, and I went on the most emotional roller coaster journey in December. We’ll dive into that fiasco in the next installment of the series. Y’all… just prepare yourselves...
I met Ken at “The Woods” campground for their leather contest. He was a judge in the contest, and when they announced him as “Fire Daddy Ken,” my brain was saying, “Is he a real first responder?” I was informed that he was, and then I thought, “He’s a good subject.” Not only because he looks gorgeous with his white hair and beard, but because he’s done a service to the community—either saving people or giving back. He would, and is, another addition to my series of leather men. Throughout that evening, the contest was great to watch, and I started to think about making a painting. More on that in the future.
At the end of the contest, I wanted to meet Ken. Something was pulling me toward him. It was like an instinct telling me I needed to seek him out. Not the first time, we all know this. That night, I was with a friend, and to be completely honest, I didn’t think I would ask him that night. So, as I was walking back to my car with my friend, we ran into Ken, who knew my friend. It was like someone was watching over me and allowed me to ask him. Now, mind you, it was about one in the morning at The Woods, and I’m blind as a bat at night. I literally couldn’t see my hand in front of me; it was so dark. As Ken hugged my friend, I turned on my phone’s flashlight and saw him. My mouth dropped to the floor. After picking it up… I immediately freaked out. After calming down, I asked him to be a part of the series. He agreed, and then we went our separate ways. Now, a reminder, this was in late September, I want to say, and I had one more portrait lined up, which would bring me halfway to my goal of fifteen. Eventually, we scheduled a time for the interview and photoshoot, and I selected a week before Thanksgiving, November 23. For that interview, I drove down to Washington, D.C. I had never driven that far before; it was almost a four-hour drive. I get to the meeting place, and Ken isn’t there...
Now, before people start messaging Ken about this situation, I’ll clarify: I didn’t message him a couple of days earlier, so in a way, it’s my fault. I should have messaged him that week to confirm if the date was still okay. He was pantry running for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday for families, so he was doing a good service to the community. I couldn’t be mad at him for that at all, and I rescheduled the whole interview and photoshoot at Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest Weekend (MAL).
Now, let’s move ahead to MAL. There’s a whole lot more that happened in December, which will be discussed in the next blog post, but now’s not the right time. I went back down to Washington, D.C., stayed at the Hilton Inn with a couple of friends, and attended the Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest at the Hyatt Hotel. I had never been there before, and I was overwhelmed by how many leather men and women were at one event. For everyone to know here: Pat is a very shy person and had jobs to do. Throughout my trip down, I corresponded with Ken, and everything was working well. I dropped off my clothes and travel necessities, grabbed my brown leather bag (which had my camera and notebook full of different painting ideas), and it also had my interview questions for Ken. I got into the Hyatt and darted directly to the elevators. I had Ken’s room number, and I was super excited. I tried to suppress my emotions—I had waited a month to finally do this.
Interview
The Reference
I sat down at the desk in his room and started the interview. As Ken talked about his life, I fell in love with his southern accent. I found it fascinating how he was guided into the fire company at the young age of fourteen. After getting into trouble with a couple of friends, he’s been in and out of numerous fire companies for forty years. At the time of writing this, he is fully retired. He was also nearing the end of his title journey, so it was super exciting to see him in the final days of his title year. I asked various questions about what I had discussed above, plus more.
There is one question I do regret asking Ken: “What was one of the worst calls/jobs you’ve had?” I got two stories from him, and they broke my heart. I was sitting there, trying not to cry, but I knew I had to continue. I know this might seem like I’m some demonic being asking someone who has seen so much to relive their traumatic experiences, but that wasn’t my intention. I wanted to understand what was truly important to him, and I found out that his true passion was saving people and loving those who weren’t accepted for who they were. That’s why Ken’s portrait is titled “The Savior…”
The Photoshoot
The Source
After the interview, I talked to Ken about his outfit, and I wanted him to wear his firefighter pants and helmet. Those were key elements for this portrait. I also asked about him holding an axe, which sadly didn’t work out. However, I did have a camera and some decent lighting in his hotel room, and I was able to get my photo. He also let me feel his manly chest, which was lovely. After that, I had to run—I had other photoshoots to attend that weekend. More on those soon.
The Process
After MAL, I made the source, and I’m not going to lie, I was rusty. After falling off the bike, you just have to pick yourself back up and power through it. So, I did stumble a bit with his eyes looking off, and a couple of other problems arose. But I powered through them, and I think it looks awesome. I’m really proud of pushing myself further into this series and powering through the tough times that transpired in December. It was such a defining moment in my life, and it will make me a better artist going forward.
The Finished Portrait
“The Savior”
11x14 Bristol Paper, Faber Castell Matte Black Graphite Pencils, Faber Castell Graphite Pencils, Ohuho 320 Marker Set, Prisma Color 150 Color Pencil Set, White Posca Pen, Zebra Brush Fine Pen
This portrait will always remind me of my first Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest. I had such a great time meeting new people from all over the world, and I also had a fantastic time not only with Ken’s photoshoot but with three others as well. I now have plenty of content to start working on, and I hope you stay strapped in for this ride. It’s going to be a fun one.
