Inauguration Day Drawing
A couple of days ago I ran across a 1962 photo of John Lewis and other demonstrators praying at a peaceful protest at a swimming pool in Cairo, Illinois. The figures’ poses, the composition of the image, and the solemnity of the moment made a strong impression on me, so I decided to translate the photo into a charcoal drawing. My first thought was to make it a very fast, very sketchy, smudgy charcoal drawing, but, as usual, I got caught up in the figures and faces. I started the drawing a couple of days ago. I finished it as I watched President Biden’s inauguration on an iPad.
Cairo Prayer • charcoal and white chalk on Canson gray paper • 18 x 24
