Portrait of Marshall Applewhite, also known as Do, the leader of the religious cult Heaven's Gate, who organized a massive suicide that claimed 39 lives in 1997. Tommy Cheng's precise crafting of Applewhite's face, the wrinkles and troubled eyes, effortlessly capture the maddened state of this man.

Tommy Cheng is a contemporary outsider and folk artist who lives and paints in Washington Heights. His unique style of portraiture has attracted gallery shows in New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Paris. Cheng's portraits are inspired by pop culture and celebrities. With its wide open eyes, deceivingly expressive faces, and modernly flat construction a Cheng portrait is instantly identifiable.

Artist: Tommy Cheng

Material: Paint on plywood

TC-#44