WSU President Charles A. Wight

WSU President Charles A. Wight | 40”x 52” | Oil on Canvas
 
What an honor it was to paint the official portrait of another Weber State University President. President Wight did not want the traditional dark furniture background academia has tended toward. As a result we pushed the other direction going to a white background painted with the warmer creamier Flake white rather than the sometimes too white Titanium. The facial and hand likenesses are right on. The various shades of purple and fabric texture in the robe have a nice mix of reddish and bluish tones, highlighted with gold and a touch of orange. I borrowed the chair from The Eccles Community Arts Center in Ogden and changed the color of the upholstery in the painting.

The delightful surprise is the Wildcat. As I began work on the painting the idea occurred to me to add a Wildcat... a Weber State Wildcat. Rather than just doing it and surprising President Wight, and the University, I made several mock-ups and ran them past President Wight and his wife. Happily they liked the idea very much, and, as you can see a Wildcat now lays peacefully at
President Wight’s feet.
 
Here President Wight in purple robes and cap with a ribboned medallion hanging around his neck, sits in an upholstered chair which has tooled dark wood arms & legs. They are turned left at a 3/4 angle with President Wight turning his head back to face the viewer. President Wight has his left leg crossed over his right leg at the knee. His left arm is resting on the chair arm while his right hand rests near his left knee. The Wildcat lay’s with it’s head lifted in the lower right corner of the painting, casual, comfortable, and yet alert.
 
"You should have the Art you Love."