August Night Clown
49" in height to top of post;
Photos by Kendrick Moholt
This piece is from a sketch I did while littering hundreds of pages with clown images during my "Clown Period". Some might say my “clown period” has been my only period, period, but I’ll leave it to others to make that determination. The title more or less describes the mood of this piece, as well as the style of clown that I reference, the "august clown". I'm not so interested in the antics of the clown, but
rather the character that lies beneath the make-up. I believe that is the source of fear for those who fear clowns. My intrigue became an obsession after watching a rodeo clown having a beer, after the bull riding event. In that moment, he was not much for goofing off, but rather a study in seriousness or intensity. His job is important and it commands real respect from the participants. That disconnect between the make-up and the actual job of the clown fascinates me. I imagine that the great Emmet Kelly, after the show was over, was someone to be reckoned with, not unlike I expect Jack Nicholson might be something other than a bundle of laughs behind the curtain. Just because your act is comedy doesn’t mean you aren’t serious business.