ARTIST MICHAEL DEAS Most of you might not know the name, but if you are a movie fan you will have seen his work numerous times. Michael Deas is the artist who has painted the Columbia Pictures logo, which has been in use by the company since 1992. I got a chance to interview him about the creation of this iconic image. At that time Columbia was undergoing considerable reorganization, so the redesign was handled outside the studio, by The Mednick Group, a Los Angeles-based design firm. It’s a slow process, one that would probably bore most of your readers. I start with a wooden panel, which is carefully primed and sanded. Then I begin drawing out the image very carefully, in pencil, using a full range of grays — it’s essentially a 19th-century technique called grisaillle. Over that I gradually begin applying thin layers of color. It takes forever. Of course, the most crucial issue was finding exactly the right model. I interviewed several, but meeting Jenny Joseph was providential; she’s a generous, gracious and timelessly beautiful lady. She had never modeled before, and never has since. She was marvelous to work with.

WWL