The Making of "EP"

Written By: Brent Farrar

"EP" by Brent Farrar is the 2014 artwork for the Tupelo Elvis Fest poster

About a year ago, I was wrapping up the 2013 Elvis Festival poster. It’s origination came from the new statue in Fairpark, a replica from a 1956 Elvis concert in that very same location. The image for this poster came easy. It was my first year to do the art and I had actually taken the photo that I used many months prior.  I was happy with the final product.  I was relieved that it was over, but as the norm with my finished paintings, I can usually pick them apart with my own critiques.   

The 2014 image would be my second and last year to do the artwork for the Tupelo Elvis Festival because the Tupelo Downtown Main Street Association commissions artists for two year periods. I knew this year would be a challenge, because for me, as an artist, my subject matter is the most critical piece. I have to be “moved.” I cannot be forced to paint, nor can I force myself to do it. I mostly do it as a hobby, my full-time duties as husband, father, travel baseball coach, and “real-world” job kind of keep me busy.

I wanted to do something that had never been done in the 16 years prior. I wanted something to challenge myself, as well as something that would get the buzz going. What makes Elvis iconic? What makes him larger than life? Is it the music? Is it the hair? Is it the sideburns? For me, it’s a combination of all of it…it’s whatever it is that makes YOU think of him. For me, it was the shades! The big ol’ GOLD, larger than life, in your face, sunglasses. You know, the ones you can buy now with the sideburns attached to them! That was it, so the search was on.

The process goes like this:

·      find an image

·      obtain permission from the owner of the image

·      obtain permission from the Main Street Association

·      paint the image

·      and finally, get the blessing from the EPE, The Estate of Elvis Presley/The Elvis Presely Trust (no pressure at all on this one!)

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a lot of images of the big E with the shades, however, I was able to find one from a 1970’s recording session in Nashville. The next step was the approval of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association. Their primary objective was to ensure that the Elvis represented in the art was related back to Tupelo - the son that Mississippi produced.

I knew the image had to be Elvis and the glasses. There could not be another image, especially one that I could fully commit to. So, we discussed it a few times via e-mail, and then it hit me.

Keep it simple.

I knew there would be a blank space in the reflection of his glasses, so while doing my research, I had seen other artists paint various things in the glasses. How about the statue? It just seemed so natural, almost a logical progression from the 2013 image. I told the association about my idea and they loved it, so we moved forward.

Now, I seem to perform so much better under the pressure and duress of a deadline. Maybe it lets the creative juices flow a little better, maybe I have so much going on in life that it’s poor planning. Either way, I’m always up against this same deadline. I have only known for one year that I needed to paint this image. It was now December 25 and the unveiling was set for January 8 (Elvis’ birthday) and for obvious reasons, this date could not be moved.

So, on Saturday, Dec 28, I got out the watercolor paints and paper. It was the first time since the 2013 Elvis image. I made an entire day of it. Right in the middle of my kitchen, where baby bottles were being made and Christmas toys were being played with & overlooked - It’s the epicenter of our house. I call it poor design, but I think it’s called having a family of five! I know people that have studios, quiet time and other terms and spaces, but I just loaded the iPod up, and plugged in.

Now this image was different, it was a person’s face - not just any person, but ELVIS. Can you imagine how unhappy all of the Elvis fans would be if you painted a picture of Elvis and it didn’t look like Elvis? And if you know me, I don’t do faces, but for whatever reason, the paint literally flowed right on to the paper, and in all the right places. The sideburns, the hair, the lips, the glasses - it was all there. Over the next few days, I continued to tweak and refine the image, but the hard work was done.

The last thing to do was to give the piece an appropriate name. For that, I consulted a close college friend. I gave him this big elaborate explanation with reason and verbiage. His reply was, “Just call it EP,” and to that I said, “Well it is EP, right?”

During this process, I came across a great quote, “Elvis fans around the world…. We are connected because of one man.” My goal was simple, to create a piece that would speak to all of his fans. I wanted to capture everything in my head that makes me think of him: the shades, the sideburns, the hair - THE look. All of it poured onto the paper that day, along with my heart. The hardest thing about being commisioned to paint the Elvis Festival poster is seperating from your original art. “EP” was special, different than all of the other paintings I have ever done. But then again, wasn’t the real EP special and different than all the others too?

"EP" was unveiled January 8 and features an original watercolor painting done by Brent Farrar. (L-R: Brent Farrar, Mayor Jason Shelton and Debbie Brangenberg, Downtown Tupelo/Main Street Association Director)

Brent resides in Tupelo, MS with his wife, Jenny Cabiness Farrar. They have 3 children; Gatlin(13), Fischer(6) & Stella(4 mo). He attended Mississippi State University in 1998, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. During his senior year, Brent took watercolor painting as an elective. That class, led by Brent Funderburk, changed his life forever - leaving him with a love, and unearthed talent, for watercolor painting. Brent embraced this love and the result can be seen in his numerous works of original art. Follow him on Facebook at “Original Watercolors by Brent Farrar.”