Tina Turner, Feral
Tina Turner, Medusa
I watched a Tina Turner biography on the tube, and realized what an impact she has been in my life. I saw her perform twice, in the mid 70's. It was at a low point of her fame when she played small venues. Richard, who is now my ex and still my friend, and I saw her at the elegant Blue Room of the old Roosevelt Hotel. Seated at tables, sipping vintage wine, the audience listened politely to her snarling trumpet voice. Now I ask you, with all due consideration: What kind of robots listen to Tina Turner politely? I was the only person who stood up and danced merrily.
A few weeks later, Richard, friend Bob Stout and I saw her at a dark club in Metairie. She was an explosion of female power. The sound waves coming from her were arrows solid matter. Her presence, her movement was monumental. There was dancing in the aisles.
Shooting out from Tina were waves of palpable energy which pulsated through my mind and body and endowed me with super powers. She was an inspiration for my inner feral, which awaits even now, decades later, downstairs from my usually polite personality, for a situation which calls for snarling and striking.
As Tina sang, "You better be good to me".
These two pictures are large digital files produced in Photoshop. I created an acrylic on 16"x24", Arches paper version of the "Tina Turner, Feral" picture. Next I plan to paint the Medusa picture on paper. I exaggerated her snarl, the asymmetry of her mouth. Her eyes came out wise and kind. Working with her amazing and beautiful features for several weeks was an additional power infusion to my being.
Close Ups of Tina Turner
