Traveling Thursdays: Griffith Park & James Dean

James Dean cries out “I’ve got the bullets!” after a young Sal Mineo is shot in “Rebel Without a Cause.” I did this painting back in the 90s, and although the publicity shot that I used as reference material lacks the heartbreaking hysteria of the real scene, I still used it. Memorably enough, I was able to hear one of the original cast members who played a gang member explain Dean’s motivation for this scene as he was looking at my painting in (of all places) Fairmount, Indiana (Dean’s hometown).

Recently, for the first time since before its refurbishment, I visited Griffith Observatory.







The James Dean bust is one of my favorite parts of the area to visit. Sculpted by the late Kenneth Kendall, I believe it is a masterpiece.

















You can see the statue in the previous photos in the background of this still for “Rebel Without A Cause.”



See more of my paintings at my online art gallery. For more Griffith Observatory photos, visit my main website.

James Dean medley

More from my vault....when I lived in Indiana, I did a number of James Dean paintings. This first one from “Giant” sold to a lady who went to school with James Dean in Fairmount. Selling that painting encouraged me to start exhibiting and selling my work. The rest is history. Here are two other paintings I did of Dean; my camera equipment at the time was a cheap point and shoot Vivitar, so you’ll have to trust me when I say the real things are better in person.





See more of my art at my main website.

James Dean: Comedy & Tragedy

Here’s a set of two portraits I was commissioned to do of James Dean, doing his take on the classic Comedy & Tragedy symbols. This was a fairly easy one to do, and I was pleased with the results. Dean is one of my favorite subjects; he was comfortable in front of the camera, and his photos show a wide variety of emotions; you can read so much into what is going on behind his eyes; makes for a better portrait.



See more of my art at my main website.