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there to keep the entertainer from falling off the stool on which he was perched. Platon indicated the country music singer-songwriter might have been stoned. The son of an architect, Platon called himself a Modernist. He is also extremely dyslexic and unable to do many of the things others easily accomplish. For him, "Less is more … simpler is better." Photography became the vehicle that enabled him to find his place in the world. In addition to his other works, Platon has pub- lished two books, Platon's Republic, in 2004, and Power, a collection of portraits of more than 100 world leaders, in 2011. His works are also on display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa. PAINTING THE PORTRAITIST At the end of every Ringling Town Hall Series program, the speaker is presented with a portrait or other form of likeness crafted by a student at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Platon was obviously very pleased with the portrait painted by Victor Maury, Class of 2015, who is majoring in illustration. He praised the work and asked Maury what process he had used. While Maury said he "likes the feel and texture of oil," time constraints led him to choose a digital painting on canvas. The College requests portfolios from stu- dents interested in doing the portraits, Maury explained. From that group six or seven are chosen, to whom background information on each of the speakers is given. The students then indicate the individuals they would like to paint. Maury noted that usually there is an interest in all the speakers. The assignments are given out in December, along with several photographs of the person each student is to portray. Maury said he com- bined the examples he received to produce a painting that was "informed by the photos," but not a copy. He is a fantasy artist who does freelance work designing book covers and card games. It is something he enjoys and may continue after graduation, he added. Maury was born in Toulouse, France, where he lived for seven years. Home is now Austin, TX. In addition to art, he enjoys travel, hik- ing, tabletop gaming and, perhaps typical of a college student, napping — while dream- ing of the imaginary people and places he creates. % For the best viewing experience on a computer click the icon in the menubar to zoom to fullscreen mode. QUICK TIP Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 89