Abbreviated Portrait No. Four: Lu C

Poteet on Lucille Ball: I don't know why I am compelled to choose specific people for the portraits, but Lucy was certainly one of them. It was during the process of painting her abbreviated portrait that I realized that most people share the same distilled imagery and colors, etc. for specific
people. I couldn't see anything but red and white polka dots, which is interesting in and of itself, because I never saw her except on black and white television. My sister said exactly the same thing when I asked her the first image that popped into her mind when she thought of Lucy. How do
these shapes and colors become implanted in our brains? Who knows, but it is extraordinary! The red and white polka dots are more indicative of her personality than her looks, but I realized that they really are the same...if it was not for her wonderful personality, we wouldn't see the polka dots at all.

For viewers, the painting is easily recognizable as Lucille Ball. There are subtle references to her dress in the light triangular strokes just below the large curl of orange in the center of the painting.