Age of Aquarius

This piece started with a random pull from a bin: a The 5th Dimension 8-track. I didn’t have a plan beyond wanting to paint one of the faces behind the music, so I chose LaMonte McLemore and worked straight onto the cartridge with acrylic and ink.

I didn’t know much about him while painting. It was just a quiet, focused session—drawing, layering, figuring it out as I went. Later, I learned that the day I painted this portrait was two days before he passed away at 91. The timing caught me off guard in a way that’s hard to explain.

It’s still the same object it was when I started: a worn 8-track, a hand-painted portrait, a small collision of music and chance. But knowing what I know now, it carries a little more weight.

Rest in peace. Truly one of one original artwork.