A portrait I made of Joan Quinn (appointed West Coast Editor of Interview Magazine by Andy Warhol, and fabulous Beverly Hills art collector) will be part of the upcoming exhibit titled ‘Mysterious Objects: Portraits of Joan Quinn’ at Santa Ana College, Sept 12th. Included in the exhibit are 60 artists who have also created Joan’s portrait such as David Hockney, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ian Falconer, Ed Moses, Bob Graham, Robert Mapplethorp, Don Bachardy, Mel Ramos. Great company and a thrill to be included. Coupled with the exhibit will be a beautiful catalogue. Thank you Joan!
You can also view my 2005 (two part) interview with Joan Quinn.
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
Craig Carlisle, “Portrait of Joan Quinn”, Graphite on Paper
Text included in the catalogue:
In 2005 Joan requested an interview for her show ‘Joan Quinn Profiles’ so I quickly jumped at the chance to work with such a reputable patron of the arts. At the time of the interview I was preparing to open a solo exhibit at George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles. Joan became a wonderful friend and helped to encourage my creativity.
Meeting Joan for the first time I was taken by her elegance and found comfort in her natural calmness. How to communicate this while remaining true to my signature style was quite simple with this drawing. Her vibrant personality became the focus for my portrait of Joan.
Drawing out the first sketch I captured in my mind what always stands out about Joan, her smile. At the time we met I was deep into my whimsical Teddy Bird paintings, each one having a large smile using a single line. This series being playful and able to capture the child within seemed perfect for Joan and her portrait.
I first drew the Teddy Bird head shape, placed the smile, then the fun began. As I made my way around the outlined head shape I began adding memorable features like her gentle eyes and fabulous hair which I found outstanding. The pearl necklace was drawn as a soft representation of her gracefulness. Small strokes became the final marks in this drawing, depicting Joan’s subtle attention to detail.
