During the three months of the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Trial, I spent a lot of time in the media room at the federal courthouse. I spent a lot of time with members of the media. At first, I felt a bit like an outsider. I'm not technically "media" after all. I am an artist. My normal, everyday creative life doesn't take me to a newsroom or to a courthouse or anything like that. Heck, I don't even go to an office. Every week or two, I try to pop into the Brutus Monroe Studio Store where I work as one of their illustrators, but mostly I'm on my own, working in my rainbow crocs and sweatpants.
As the months went on, many of us became friends. At the very least, we uplifted and supported each other, and tried to help each other when we could. We felt like we were in the trenches together, I think. It was a really tough trial. I left on the last day, knowing I would really truly miss the people I had spent my days with for three months. (Not even just the media, but people I sat with in the courtroom as well as members of the courthouse staff.)
One day, I started sketching individual members of the media during my downtime in our assigned media overflow room. Local, national, individual bloggers: I tried to get as many of them as I could. But I didn't get EVERYONE. It depended on when I had time to do their sketch versus when they were in the media room at the same time as me.
After the trial, I took photos of each individual sketch, then uploaded them into Photoshop, and compiled a big, composite artwork that reflected my view from where I often sat at one of the far ends of the room. Everyone at work, everyone focused. Everyone doing their best to cover the trial in a sensitive yet thorough way. I really wanted to capture the camaraderie, and I think I was successful.
You can get a copy of this print here in my Etsy shop -- two size options available, while supplies last. I originally sized the artwork as an 11" x 17" poster size, but I also have it listed as a 4" x 6" for those with less space.
Other artwork/prints from the trial will NOT be uploaded to my Etsy shop. To purchase a print of one of those, please send me an email through the link on my contact page.
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