Portrait of John Roberts

This is a portrait of John Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Born in 1955, he was nominated by George H. W. Bush and confirmed in 2005 by a vote of 78 to 22 by senators representing 64% of the population of the US (DC excluded). My goal was to capture some of his personality. John Roberts, as Chief Justice, runs the show. While I painted this, I listened to him speak, and he really has a nice sense of humor. As a jurist he is known for being on the textual, conservative side. As he said in his confirmation hearings, "[I]t's my job to call balls and strikes, and not to pitch or bat." It's a small painting, but it feels right. The original is 10" x 7", gouache on paper.