The future will always remain in the hands of those who can give tomorrow's generations valid reasons to live and hope.

Before the legend there was a man.  A man the Romans, no doubt, came to wish they had never enslaved; a man known to them as Spartacus. For the past few weeks I have been striving to make a connection with that man by peering back into the shadows of time and crafting impressions from what I have seen there.  Above is a true portrait of the figure who eventually stepped forth and spent the past several nights in my studio. To get back to an authentic impression of Spartacus means somehow seeing through centuries of legend and distorted history as well as images and perceptions generated by contemporary media, including the very series which inspired me to set out on this creative journey. In letting go of the existing narratives surrounding Spartacus I needed an anchor that could serve to guide me towards some aspect of truth in my characterization.  A question I came to ask repeatedly was: "Show me a face that could make Rome tremble?"... especially at night, when it was imagined coming over the wall with thousands of others like it. I believe I have seen that face.  Have you? Now that Sura and Spartacus are together at the start of the portrait set we can move forward at a steady pace, gods permitting.  There are ten more formal portraits to complete. But first ... a big coffee!  ;-) I hope you are enjoying a creative weekend! Terry   The image below will take you to:     The Spartacus Portraits: Sura