For years I have been interested in the idea of identity, masks, personas, doppelgängers, the nom de plume. My project to define and depict my alter-ego began in 1996 when I discovered that Marcel Duchamp created Rrose Sélavy and signed many of his seminal works in her name. That sparked the thought that I too should have a pseudonym and should art and enact an ongoing series of works authored by my new character. Wanting him to be funny, full of good humor, I donned the nose and glasses of Groucho Marx and began.
Each year for 25 years I am painting 4 portraits 22" x 30" and I am making a 3-5 minute video of his antics. Upon the completion of my project I intend to have 100 portraits and just over an hour of video footage.
It has definitely been a mixed media endeavor. Some years a theme has been developed, other years it has been a hodgepodge of exploration.
From 1996:
From 2003:
From 2013:
