Casey Weldon
I Tried Hard to Have a Father, but...
Edition Size: 10
13x17 Giclee on 330gsm 100% Archival Cotton Paper
This piece is one part of a diptych, from his recent exhibition, "In Other Words" at Trifecta Gallery.
When an eye-catching work is blessed with a deliberately intriguing (or even ambiguous) title, the enjoyment of the work is enhanced. Duchamp proved as much with several of his paintings. Now we have Casey Weldon who, after taking a key lyric from a celebrated Nirvana song, has fashioned a subtle, haunting visual that touches lightly upon a weighty subject. A boy is viewing or perhaps thinking about the man who occupies the most important position in his life. But this adult is characterized (literally) in his eyes as an outline; not necessarily cartoonish in the negative sense of that word, but lacking the substance and color that all sons desire to see in their first role model.
Note also certain key elements found in the youth's face. His brow seems slightly furrowed and there's a tense not quite frowning/not quite smiling quality to his expression- a patient bemusement, perhaps, or a sad (and unexpected) sense of disappointment.
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