El Ray – 14 x 18 in. – Egg Tempera on Panel
El ray is a painting of my father. He is touching a photo of me. While it may appear to be a commentary on a nostalgic feelings he has for me, it is quite the opposite. His turning away from the image as though to look at something else is my way of communicating “forgotteness”. All my life I never had a daddy I only had a father. I don’t recall being hugged, shown affection or any kind of direction that a father should give. Now as a father myself I feel sad that I did not have those things and how I long in many ways for a father figure in my life. The title is a play on his name El Ray, the king. In spanish the word king would be spelled rey but for those in the know they would get the play on words. I titled it El Ray because of his almost royal looking posture and hat along with his chair. But more because he ruled our home with an iron fist as though he was the king and everyone had to do what he said no matter what we thought. As a king is the center of his kingdom so he feels he is the center of the world.