Daddio
Oil on linen 30″ x 40″
This painting of my beloved father has been the most difficult portrait of my career, not because of the composition and contents, but because I had a hell of a time getting the expression in his eyes. They convey to me a delicate sadness, the underside of his ebullient personality. Francis Hickey was a gentle man who had to quit high school, as many did, in the Depression in order to bring additional income into the Brooklyn household of seven children. He educated himself for as many years as he lived. His love and respect for the rhythm of words was passed to me by his recitation of narrative poetry and invented tales of his childhood’s misdeeds. He believed in the power of positive thinking. He had a devilish sense of humor. He lives inside of me. I have his navy blue eyes. Perhaps this is why his portrait was so difficult; it is a self portrait.