Portrait of Judge George Tolen, Jr.

This is a sanguine Conté crayon portrait of my Stepfather, the man who raised me from twelve to adulthood. He passed away several years ago, so I used a photograph to make sure the proportions, the facial distances, were correct, but relied mainly on memory for the details. His was a face full of character: deep worry lines creasing his forehead from children and professional responsibilities, laugh lines from laughter, crowsfeet around the eyes from a love of the outdoors. I miss him greatly, and wish he had lived long enough to see me turn my life around.