The CBS Evening News had a good segment on Simmie Knox, the artist who painted Bill Clinton's portrait. It is linked above.
And our local Washington, DC news channel devoted more time to the story, local artist makes good.
Knox is 68 years old, made his career as a teacher. Only in retirement has he been able to devote himself fully to painting. His studio is a converted garage behind his Silver Spring home. Knox has a website here, where you find portraits of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Thurgood Marshall, as well as Bill Cosby, and others who have sat for him. He also participates in the weblog Stroke of Genius, dedicated to portraiture.
It is significant that the Clintons chose an artist working in a traditional style--a 1996 profile appeared in The World and I magazine, an affiliate of the conservative Washington Times--to paint their official portraits, rather than one of the "NEA Four." A personal decision, yes, but also an aesthetic and political one.
