The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Late Gentleman from North Carolina


Several times I've started the sentence "I don't wish to speak ill of the dead, but..." and then been at a loss as to how to continue. So I'll just say, Here's a sketch and a painting of Jesse Helms I did about 14 years ago for Mother Jones. I like the sketch more than the painting, which is egg-tempera & oil on board, a Renaissance technique I was trying to learn. It seemed perversly fitting to do a Cro-Magnon man in Renaissance Man style. I also started one in the style of a religious icon, with (dutch) gold leaf and everything, but I never finished it. But now I don't feel the need to, so I guess I've moved on.


This is scanned off a magazine tearsheet, but it's pretty close to the original. I gave the original to my friend Nick, whose uncle once ran against Helms, because it gave me the creeps.

10 comments:

JoshM said...

Wow. When this page first loaded I thought I was looking at a conceptual sketch of an alien for the upcoming X-Files movie ... just a second before I recognized it as Helms.

Not to speak ill of the dead ...

Stacy Curtis said...

Richard, is there any style you can't do?
That painting is so great!

nolanart said...

Beautiful sketch! If such a thing can be said, considering the subject.

I also loved the Doug Marlette sketch of Helms found here...

http://www.politicker.com/jesse-helms-and-doug-marlette

nolanart said...

Sorry about the incomplete link...

-doug-marlette

Boomer Bill said...

Nice likeness - sketch and painting. You caught all his depth, wisdom and warmth.

Rob Tornoe said...

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Kid Shay said...

If you have nothing nice to say...draw a caricature.

Seriously good drawing. Now post something else so I don't have to look at it any more. It gives me the willies.

scratchy said...

Ack! I have the heebie jeebies

richardcthompson said...

Yikes, me too. Time for something new...

here today, gone tomorrow said...

*shudder!*