***Edit Feb 21, 2020:
It looks like Wikimedia Commons is drawing a hard line in the sand and have deleted all these files. There is a post about it here. I will be trying another tactic. More news soon.
I created an account at Wikimedia Commons, allowing me to upload images there. Here is my page. My plan is to upload graphics like these ones, as well as just regular photos. I'm a big supporter of the Commons in its various forms. Please see Flickr and Pexels for some of my contributions.
I wanted the version of Trump that I added to the Commons to be a little more ominous and a little more usable, so I ditched the clown nose, switched out the brick wall for a cinder block wall, and added a soft spotlight. Cinder block walls are just about as cheap and unattractive a building material as it gets, which makes it a better building material for Trump than brick. And nothing says fascism like a spotlight on a dirty, industrial wall. Finally, I kept the colour aqua for the same reason I used it the first time - I couldn't give him the respect to colour him red. Way too on the nose and too much what he would like. A variation on blue seemed appropriate given the Democrats' win(s), and aqua evokes a swimming pool, a symbol of the luxury he is so obsessed with.
The original photo of Trump that I used was taken by the prolific and generous Gage Skidmore. He even has a Wikipedia page. Many thanks to Mr. Skidmore for his work. He is a wonderful example of how great the Commons can be.
Hey Christopher -
Thanks much, as always. My tires are always a little firmer after your comments. I appreciate that.
I find 45's expression in the stenciled version to be arrogant, dismissive, and judgmental. But maybe that says more about me. ;-) What's interesting is the change from his expression in the original photo, which to me looks smug and self-congratulatory. Very much a soaking-up-the-adulation kind of look.
It was specifically this graphic that gave me the idea of making these stencils/stamps/whatever, and filling them with an image that comments on the subject. Having reasons for choices can be a good thing when making art - what do you fill in on the grant application? :-)
I have just run around to find my glasses. The last time I attempted to log in, it failed and my momentum was lost. Today was normal, but I was so elated, like a hacker, my brain said "I am in." Fingers ready, eyes focused and what inspired me to cyber bliss? The Clown and the wall. My first impression of your photo was that it had some dignity, which I don't usually give that man. It made me pause and think, assess my judgmental defect.
Then I read your rational and my humour returned. You managed to work in so many criteria, I was surprised you didn't connect the Berlin Wall into your comments (JK.) Another triumph.