Thurston The Magician-Art

It's hard for me to say who is my favorite magician. I go through phases where different ones are more appealing. Howard Thurston is certainly near the top. He was an amazing individual and frankly, even more amazing to me after having read the recent biography that Jim Steinmeyer wrote.

The picture above was done in 2000 and is actually taken from an earlier painting that I did of Thurston presenting the Sawing in Half. I liked the face so much I recreated it for this painting. Later, I decided to try it one more time, slightly differently and that third painting is in a private collection today. The photo above though has the unique distinction of being signed 'Dean Alan'. This was done before I started signing DAC to the artwork.

This next piece was done in 2009 I believe. It's painted with acrylics on canvas. The size is 16x20. The painting appeared in the August 2010 edition of the Kidabra Journal. It is currently in my collection, though it is available for sale.

This last piece is a drawing I did of Thurston. It goes back to my high school days, many moons ago. It ink on paper and approximately 10x12 I think. It's not available for sale.

Acrylic David Copperfield

David Copperfield, acrylic

David Copperfield has gone from being a magician & illusionist to a legendary performer. He has set so many records over the years, not just magic records but show business records it's not funny. Among them: He has won 21 Emmy Awards, most tickets sold by a solo performer, highest broadway gross in a week, and highest annual earnings for a magician. He has also been in the top 50 highest paid entertainers since the early 1990s, and several of those years in the top 10. So to say, 'he is the man' is sort of an understatement. His biggest record, is probably not one he likes and that is having the most number of magicians rip him off, many even stealing his performing style and presentations. I know some of them, sadly. But David, continues to evolve and grow and offer a show unlike anyone else.

The painting is of Copperfield in the 1990s. If you look closely you can make out a tad bit of a mullet. Perhaps one day I'll paint another Copperfield, probably in a different style though. If you look below however, you'll see a Copperfield that I drew back in the early days. I think he had only done one or two TV specials at this point. It's pen and ink and I had almost forgotten about it.

 

Well turns out this post was quite topical. The Society of American Magicians has awarded David Copperfield with the first time ever 'King of Magic' Award. Long Live the King.