Tony's Eyes

Acrylic on canvas.

48x24"

I grew up as a bit of a comic book nerd. I read more about the lore of the characters and the universe more than the full stories. I loved Spider-Man and to be honest never cam across an Iron-man comic that grabbed me. I couldn't relate to a rich guy who covers himself in the high gadgets and guns, but when I saw Iron-man in 2008 it was hard not to. Robert Downey Jr essentially born for the role of tony Stark. And the world agreed, rightfully so. While there's many moments in superhero movies that stand out, the sacrifice Tony makes at the end of Avengers was one that always stood out to me. Here we have this supposedly selfish brat of a man who has a reputation of only thinking of himself, attempting to turn a new leaf no matter how painful. Giving himself literally impossible standards to meet in order to feel like he's made a difference, albeit an extreme example, is something I think everyone can relate to in some fashion. I find I relate a lot to Downey's Tony Stark in way that he strives for perfection knowing damn well we live in an imperfect world. I find this image to be one of completion and gratitude. Doing something for the sake of it needing to be done is what heroes do.