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Artist working on Obama portrait
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Butler artist in residence Bill Dotson works on a portrait of PResident Obama at the Butler Institute of American Art
All 44 presidents will be included in the piece.
YOUNGSTOWN — It’s a time of firsts.
To mark the election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States, Bill Dotson has been named the first artist-in-residence of the Butler Institute of American Art.
Dotson, a Youngstown native, will be at the museum every day in February — Black History Month — as he works on a portrait of President Obama.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning at the Butler in an event that included Mayor Jay Williams and representatives from Rep. Tim Ryan’s office.
Dotson is known for his unusual ink-on-paper style. He glues a black ink pen to the end of a 7-inch stick and scribbles in a constant circular motion, the pen never leaving the paper. What emerges are amazingly accurate portraits that, from a distance, have the quality and verisimilitude of a retouched black-and-white photograph.
Dotson appears to be the only artist in the world who utilizes this technique, according to Lou Zona, executive director of the Butler.
Working with a store-bought pen (“It’s just an ordinary ink pen,” said Dotson. “You can get one for $1.79 at a drugstore”), the artist becomes a whirl of activity as he creates, the rapid motion of his implement on paper creating a sound like a windstorm.
Dotson will work on the 6-foot canvas at various locations in the museum, including behind a glass window inside the gift shop at the entrance. Tour groups and visitors can watch him work while the artist is able to concentrate in silence.
The finished product, “All the President’s Men,” will include a life-size portrait of Obama from about waist level, surrounded by much smaller portraits of the other 43 presidents in ovals that will be arranged around the piece.
That means Dotson has to average close to two portraits a day, but he was confident he’ll achieve that goal.
Periodic photo updates on his progress will appear on the Butler’s Web site (Butlerart.com), according to Butler spokesperson Kathy Earnhart.
Dotson, a graduate of The Rayen School, lives in Las Vegas but says his studio is wherever he happens to be.
“I am my studio,” he said.
Other examples of Dotson’s work were on display at the Butler on Wednesday, including a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. and another portrait of Obama. The artist was also working on a portrait of Bishop George Murry of Youngstown.
Mayor Williams brought a moment of levity to Wednesday’s event when he unveiled a portrait of ... himself.
Not wanting to appear narcissistic, the first black mayor of Youngstown was able to put it all in perspective for those in attendance.
“I had no idea of what we were going to unveil,” he said from the podium, explaining that he was told he was the subject of the artwork just a few minutes prior. “I was able to compose myself,” he said.
“The last thing any elected official wants to do is appear to be self-aggrandizing,” the mayor said. “I would have come up with a myriad of excuses [if I knew in advance].”
SEE ALSO: Black history Month at the Butler.