After the Siege (an allegorical self-portrait)

To live on planet earth is to do battle in one form or another. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be an artist and to do battle on the field of esthetics. Being a maker of art is one of the few occupations that strive to make life a richer, more beautiful experience for everyone. The conflicts and struggles that result from the desire to produce visual art of the highest quality and to maintain personal integrity all along that rocky path are legion.

For 41 years I’ve made my living as an artist. There have been times of prosperity and times when the cupboards were bare and the bill collectors were beating down the studio doors. From gallerists to designers to art directors, the people involved in the business of art are some of the most wonderful, strangest and most difficult people in existence. However, the biggest wars I’ve fought have been internally, with my own nature as adversary. Suffice it to say, there are many times I feel just like the night in the painting looks. But...

The knight is still very much young and alive. His horse is worn out but still powerful. The amour is dented and rusty but still functional. The guy is beat up pretty bad and the fortress of ignorance and indifference still stands. But he’s not done. He’ll be back. Seasons don’t last forever. Spring is just around the corner. When the flowers bloom and the trees bud anew, he’ll lay siege to the castle yet again.

This painting is dedicated to my younger brother: Michael Joseph Whytock – (1955-2021). He was also a warrior and an artist. He loved his family and worked his whole life providing for them as a nurturing father, husband and brother. I miss him.