Oilgraph on wooden panel // 24” x 36”

(Zebah and Zalmunna mock Gideon's son)

As the story goes, Gideon in his final triumph over the Midianites returns home with the two Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna. "And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna"

So basically, the captured men were mocking both Gideon and his son to his face.

This piece took a long time to come together. Gideon and Jether (Chris Hackett and Wesley Beard) were photographed two years prior and the two kings were my friends Billy and Alex who just happened to be around the day I was ready to shoot the other part.

Blending the two were tricky. Four different images on backgrounds that didn't match, so the blending was all done with traditional acrylic paint.

The final painting was as it always was; a reduction of oil paint over the entire piece as other colors were added over a ten minute performance.

Created live in Theory Labs April 27, 2014