Cleve Jones 1993

Nancy Andrews made this photograph of Cleve Jones, but when it was made I am not entirely sure. I imagine Nancy crouching and circling, hunting for the right angle. Her eye finds a composition of contrasts, a face, and a foot, the softness of skin and the ruggedness of a boot. A portrait with a twist, and a Singer sewing machine as an honored guest. I wonder what Nancy and Cleve were chatting about during the shoot? Was he sewing at that machine when she arrived? Is that why his work boots are up on the table? I bet Nancy felt like she was creating something special, freezing a moment of Cleve at work and at rest. The chiaroscuro of tones, the balance of dark and light, speaks to a kind of truth, a captured conversation between two friends, two artists maybe. It reminds me of how painters like Alice Neel or David Hockney captured their subjects, with an honesty that feels both intimate and revealing. I wonder what the story is behind those boots and the sewing machine?