Spirit of 76

A black and white portrait of a man sitting with the bible in his hands and an American flag behind him and to his right. A second man is looking through the window behind the man whose portrait is being taken.

Paul R. DeRigne was an art teacher, abstract painter, and photographer who enhanced his images by tinting and darkroom techniques. DeRigne taught art at St. Thomas High School and later, as dean of fine arts, supervised instruction in art, music, theater and art history.

The 2000 movie Pollock, a biographical film about the abstract painter Jackson Pollock, was a revelation to DeRigne and inspired his works. Abstract painter, Wassily Kandinsky, was also a great inspiration to him as was Jerry Ulsman, a photographer who set the standard for composite pictures.

He earned his living selling his photographic creations, which he achieved by mixing negatives and hand-tinting the pictures. "A lot of his work was humorous, but a lot was spiritual, a shot of somebody would seem to miraculously have an angel or crucifix. Paul was a person full of life. There was nothing he wouldn't try."