The Digger

Oil on dibond aluminum panel. Inspiration: This is a portrait of a well-known figure in our coastal community. I love to paint portraits of local people. He contributes an invaluable service by hand-digging, mostly trenches, really almost any kind of dig where a human-touch is required or when someone can't afford to hire a crew to run machinery. Digging is a talent that he's proud of. It's not done by many in this country anymore. When digging, he gets in a zone and likes the challenge of it. He'll walk off a dig and assess the soil: Is it tough or easy, are there roots or pipes beneath? He makes a guess on how long it will take to dig a certain length, and estimates a time to complete it then tries to beat his own estimate. He sees his ability to dig as his life gift that he can share with others to make a lot of people happy.
The color of his shirt reminds him of his dad because his father would wear this color when he worked for the division of forestry. The trusty Razorback shovels are his tool of choice. He goes through several a year, rounding them down beyond anything I've ever seen. The daisies have a special secret meaning to him.
His life advice to us? Be proud of your gifts, tell others about them and enjoy sharing them with others.