Joe Average - 8 December 2022

It is a recurring theme in the portraits of Egon Schiele. The subject's fingers are painted or drawn long in all kinds of open, twisted and strange symbolic gestures. Schiele's hands and fingers are dislocated and unnatural. Often they are larger than the natural ones.

Wikipedia

Today I had the pleasant visit of Vancouver Artist Joe Average. As predicted by my friend (and his friend) John Lekich, Average was impeccably dressed. I did not ask Average about his pearl necklace. But Lekich informed me it was originally owned by a friend who had died some years ago.

Fuji Instant Film peel

 

We had a complete Argentine repast which consisted of my version of the medias lunas (croissant), dulce de membrillo y queso (quince jelly with cheese) and best of all mate cocido, Argentine Navy style. 

While I was in the Argentine Navy we were given mate cocido in the morning with hard bread. The yerba mate leaves and twigs were boiled overnight with lots of sugar and milk. The concoction resembled swamp water minus the crocodiles.

Few are able to stomach mate or mate cocido. Average told me he was adventurous to try new stuff and told me about the mate’s forest smell and taste.

We went into my studio and I shot one Fuji Instant print and a few  portraits with my Fuji X-E3. When we were finished I asked him if there was anything he might volunteer to do in a pose. He told me how he admired Schiele’s hand gestures (something new for me). Notice the little finger on his right hand.

Because of technology in this century I was able to size the picture he wanted and give him a lovely print within minutes. After scanning the Fujiroid (my name for the now discontinued Fuji Instant Film)  I gave him the original. I have still to give him a scan of the peel. The scan has to be done right after shooting it as the image fades.

Joe Average’s visit was a pleasure for me as it was for Niño who had an instant liking for the man.