Remember When We Were Together Portrait of Darryl V. Singleton by Meri Adelman
From Darryl’s mother Trina Singleton: Darryl V. Singleton Sept 14, 1991 - Sept 13, 2016 Darryl was our first born son. I always say, “he made us a family.” As a child growing up, Darryl was friendly, outgoing and kind. He touched many lives in a positive way during his short life. We will treasure our memories of his smile, his laugh, his compassion for others. Our family hopes that the Sousl Shot project helps us to remember the way Darryl lived, not the way that he died.
From the artist Meri Adelman: I drew Darryl's parents and Darryl from a photo, many photos. After making ten paintings from a photo, I chose three: One with his eyes closed, which is how I drew his father, the background shows the intertwining streets where his life ended; the second I liked for its presence and the third indicates the importance of his tattoos in the background.
From the curator:I was lucky enough to be with Meri for the first meeting with Trina, Darryl’s mother. And lucky enough to be an active witness to Meri’s process as she created these amazing portraits. If you saw the first exhibition of Souls Shot: Portraits of Victims of Gun Violence, the exhibition that started the project on its extended mission, you saw not three but a dozen of Meri’s images of Darryl. They formed a collage quilt and took up a whole wall. Isn’t this how a life fills the hearts of those who care? So many angles, so many colors, so much detail, so many symbols. Meri also made drawings of each of Darryl’s parents in charcoal. Superimposed on top were ink drawings of Darryl on clear acetate. The effect of these two portraits is sublime. She also incorporated the drawing board that she had used to make the pellon portraits (pellon is a non-woven, porous, cloth interfacing) into yet another portrait of Darryl. The board had the shape of all the previous portraits on it because of the porous nature of the pellon and the colors bleeding through onto the board. She made an ink drawing of Darryl on clear acetate and placed it over the board. Another deeply moving tribute.
Remember When We Were Together Portrait of Darryl V. Singleton by Meri Adelman watercolor, ink and gouache on Pellon 20” x 28” 2017
