PAINTING HISTORY “I met Steve through Sam Ring, my husband at the time, who was among Steve’s circle of friends and running buddies. I was painting a good deal then and Steve’s positive energy, sweetness and compelling presence inspired me to do a portrait of him. He was a hero to a great many people and I wanted to do a sort of iconic composite of his accomplishments that would lend some insight to his personality, as well as be visually interesting.
I remember him being somewhat troubled by the “hero” and “larger than life” connotation of the painting. I’ve come to understand that response much better than I did then.” —Linda Ring (Whitney)
ABOUT THE ARTIST Linda Ring (Whitney) worked in fine art, portraiture, and graphic arts from childhood to the mid-1980s, when she turned to theater as a scenic artist and set designer. Since 1990 she has been the artistic director of Harlequin Productions, an award winning professional non-profit theater company in Olympia, Washington. The company is recognized for its high production values and artistry and has had 2 productions selected for documentation by the Theater on Film and Tape Archives in the New York City Public Library for the Performing Arts. Linda has designed nearly fifty productions in the intervening years.
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THE SPIRIT IS A VERY POWERFUL THING Written by Linda Prefontaine, and included at the bottom of the reproduction It is very hard to describe. We are so used to the physical body that so many times we forget what truly is the heart and soul of an individual. It is his spirit. We spend so much time worrying about our appearance, our physical bodies, and yet that’s not what lasts for eternity. It is the spirit that lives forever. You are the perfect example of the power of the spirit. Your body perished in a moment. The world was no longer privileged to watch your artistry. but your spirit survived and continues to thrive, and grow, and you leave your mark on someone, somewhere, every day. Although your body was limited to time and space and boundaries, your spirit knows them not. From the West Coast to the East, from Canada to Mexico, Germany, France, Italy and places afar, you touched the souls of many.
