So - it is time for Eric to be resurrected from the golden layer of brass that has covered his portrait these last few days. But how to go about it? I wonder. And then it crosses my mind: junk food! All over the world students get by on junk food - and Eric is no exception. Not only is he a student - he is an American student! And from what I can tell from the photos I got from Kristian and Jacob, junk food is as much part of his everyday diet as it is of theirs.

I quickly get in the car, and drive down to the local supermarket to pick up some truly American junk food. Even though I live in the countryside in one of the remotest parts of Denmark, I do not have any trouble finding it. Now, all I got to do is stick it to the painting!

I spray the brass metal leaf with vinegar, and then put up the marshmellows, the M&Ms, the Big Daddy sausages, the coke, the french fries, and the peanuts. I even use some spaghetti to make a stairway to Heaven - after all, Eric did nickname himself Elijah in his online game.

The final result will show after I wash the whole thing back off. I am pretty excited how it turns out. I will show it to you tomorrow - as soon as it is done!

I've really come to like Mark. I feel like I kind of know him. I guess it is because we are of the same generation, and grew up with the same ideals - respect, civil rights, and a certain fondness for the diversity of the world and its people. When I look at the photos from Panama City I can literally hear him laughing! A man of great knowledge, always keeping his eyes wide open to the cruelty and stupidity of people no matter where in the world you might meet them.

I prime the canvas with a bright orange to symbolize the fire in Mark's spirit, then choose a photo of him arguing at a coffee-table. It seems like the right setting for an extrovert like him. The clarity of the Panama City air suggests a light blue background to me, but suddenly I grow so terribly bored with it! I also used the light blue in my portrait of Eric - and besides, this is in no way the proper background for someone like Mark! He has a special love for other people, and as a psychologist he also knows the darkness of people's souls - including his own! I end up choosing a dark grey, almost black, to fill out the space behind his head. I put it there as a reminder of the high security prison that figures so prominently in his past.

The love that is so important to him is definitely a light green - infused with a dark green to add weight to the color, to make it more dense. And to illustrate the light quality of his talk - I choose Naples yellow. I simply love that colour - it is at once creamy and shy, yet always beaming! Flowing from his lips, I can see his arguments, his statements, his humor. They are beautifully shaped, sharp and round at the same time. And I'm sure his boyfriends appreciate them, too!

I also want the stairs leading to the Gallery Above in there somewhere. But not now. They must wait till after I have applied the brass to the painting. So for now, it is just: "Hi Mark! Thanks for being there to portray! I very much appreciate our conversations at the canvas, and us slowly but surely getting to know each other ..."

Silence does not mean inactivity. I have been fighting with the portrait of Eric for days now. I really wish I could just meet him!

I covered the first reddish brown layer of paint with a light blue - just as I had planned to do - and then tried to paint up the face. No luck there! I painted it over and over again, but kept scraping everything back off. In the end I was so fed up with my own incompetence that the knife cut straight through the canvas!

I had so many questions I wanted to ask Eric, and nowhere to look for the answers. Jacob and Kristian had long since left town, and were already well on their way to Florida. In my mind I was still back in Athens, and all I could see was the surface. As to what lay beneath - I could only guess. Was Eric and his religion really so happy and peaceful as they seemed? And if so - why? How would he go about overcoming personal problems? Would he sit down and play a song on his guitar? Or would he talk it over with his friends?

At last I made peace with Eric. The portrait is halfway finished now. It is a very plain and accurate depiction of Eric backgrounded by the Watkinsville church. Next step is to cover the whole thing with a fine layer of brass, and then use vinegar to help it oxidate. Hopefully all the stuff from underneath will reappear on the surface!


I have also begun the portrait of Mark. The first color is orange. That is all I got to say about it for now. And by the way, I guess that whole business about Eric is just beginner's trouble. After a few weeks everything should be smooth sailing. At least, that is what I hope for. An uninterrupted flow of inspiration. Let us see what happens.

I look through the photos that Jacob and Kristian sent me. I don't find the good portrait I'm looking for. I set up a slideshow on the computer, and watch them over and over again. What is the basic color? And the complementary opposite? It is very clear, very light, over there. Light blue as a basic color perhaps? It'll look good when I cover it with brass - and it makes an excellent contrast, too.

Eric is religious - a Baptist. The light blue and gold make an easy illustration of the divine influence on his life. I go on watching the slideshow - again and again. Does the arms of a Baptist cross have the same or different lengths? Must remember to ask.

I'm watching the photos of his home: brown and reddish brown colors on the couch, ochre in the kitchen, black TV. The divine influence isn't light all the way through - just look at the food! Jesus himself would be all fat and stumbling around if he ate like that every day!

I make up my mind: a mix between orange, caput mortuum (death's head), and English red - with a little white for the background. Just a thin layer, so it'll be dry when I wake up tomorrrow. I must hurry - I have a new American to portray next week.

My arm finds a rhythm of its own, and paints a big arch - it resembles the church from the photos. I put a cross in the middle together with a pattern of squares I pick up from the photo of Eric's couch. There's a lot of room to play around like this ... I think I'll use the photo of Eric in front of the steps leading to the University grounds. A flight of steps is a good religious symbol. Jacob's ladder and all that, you know. Did you get that, Jacob?

Well, enough for today. Must sleep now while the paint dries.