Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, a writer, and an artist. His drawings in The Philosophers' Magazine caught my eye a few years ago, and when I discovered him online last spring I bought some of his 2013 illustrated calendars as gifts for friends, and asked if he could perhaps draw a caricature of me. The cost was reasonable and I was in no hurry. His sense of self-deprecating humor was also appealing (e.g., his comment, "I'm reluctant to take money up front because it removes my incentive to turn the work around quickly!").

So I sent Gareth links to various online photos of me ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], etc.) to get him started. Then we brainstormed together on themes that resonate with me — running, Shakespeare, philosophy, mindfulness meditation, tarot, writing, etc. His initial pencil sketch led to further discussions. A water bottle in one hand didn't work too well, so we considered a relay baton, a torch, and eventually a lamp (as in Diogenes looking for an honest man). That led us to a quill pen and inkwell, which after a bit more iteration led to the drawing here. The beard was perhaps the hardest part of this commission, Gareth commented. The big GPS/watch and the visor remain as icons of outdoor activity.

I like it!

(cf. Gareth Southwell on his main site Woodpig.co.uk, and at Philosophyonline.co.uk, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon.com, ...; cf. TPM at Philosophersnet.com, Philosophypress.co.uk, ...) - ^z - 2014-02-17