Tribute to The Animal House
22"x28" Fine Art Print signed and numbered by the Artist. Rolled
48"x38" Fine Art Print on canvas signed and numberedby the Artist.
71"x53" Fine Art Print on canvas signed and numbered by the Artist.
The idea for the Animal House painting started as a commission for Ohio family Ed & Ginny Bitter. I first saw the movie when I was in high school and loved it. It was probably the perfect movie at the perfect time, because I was at that age where I loved juvenile humor. I thought about how to present the film and its ensemble cast and decided to paint them in the classic Baroque style. The focal point of the oil-on-canvas painting is John "Bluto" Blutarsky, the character played by John Belushi, who was riding an unparalleled crest of fame when the movie came out. It’s Belushi’s movie and he is the prominent character in the painting. All of the film’s main characters are depicted in the painting, along with some of the funniest gags, like the horse, the mayor’s daughter in a shopping cart and the ‘little black bag’ that keeps cropping up in scenes. I hadn’t noticed the black bag before, but after Ed (Bitler) told me about it, I re-watched the movie and decided it had to be in the painting.”