Don Keenan
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Painting a subject without their knowing it, a surprise portrait, is always fraught with danger… and in the case of Don Keenan, doubly so. A larger than life character, electrifying, the trial lawyer community with his “Reptile Theory” of practice, a TV personality, renowned children’s advocate, often to be found unshaved wearing shorts, T-shirt, and always those sunglasses. An ex-marine of Irish blood and creator of the Kids Foundation and Bono aficionado. All this and more went into this painting. It was with relief that I saw it was warmly and enthusiastically received at its unveiling in Houston. Kudos to the courage of the man brave enough to commission this painting!
Don Keenan
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Keenan, Don. 16" x 20". 2015. Collection of Keenan Law Firm. Atlanta, GA. Portrait on canvas. Commissioned by HMR Funding, Dean Chase.
Lone Holdout Juror. 24" x 40". 2014. Collection of Tom Girardi. Girardi Keese. Los Angeles, CA.
A jury of twelve 'angry men' (male, middle-aged, white, and middle-class) are entrusted with the power to send a teenaged Puerto Rican boy to the electric chair for killing his father with a switchblade knife. Locked in a small, claustrophobic jury room on a stifling hot summer day, they deliberate the 'facts' in a seemingly open-and-shut murder trial case. One brave dissenting juror votes 'not guilty' at the start of the deliberations because of his reasonable doubt and slowly one by one the other jurors reconsider and review the shaky case (and eyewitness testimony) against the defendant. Heated discussions engender changing opinions and reveal deep seated personal issues and prejudices until finally an unanimous verdict of not guilty is delivered.