Michelle Obama on canvas - Still Striking!

So everyone has a little bit of 'Obama fever' these days - and rightly so!

Elizabeth Peyton, the portraiture artist who's currently showing her pieces at the uber-cool 'New Museum' on the Bowery, NYC, revealed her penchant for the future First Family with this painting of the Mrs. and little Sasha, attentively listening to Daddy President at the Democratic National Convention in Aug. 2008.

I checked out the exhibition last night and was drawn in by the simplicity of her pieces and the life that radiated from each interpretation of a friend or famous person like the late artist Frida Kahlo, or punk rocker Sid Vicious.

Illustrating a masterful economy, Peyton managed to create easily recognizable images with as few strokes as possible. Using oil primarily on wood, the pieces resembled glass stains, drawing the observer right into each image. A whimsical and yet mature set; why not check it out if you're in the area?

L.M.N. Harris