The Dark Stranger, a Working Narrative:

In order for me to keep a narrative going for this series, I have come up with a description of the central figure and keep these things in mind while painting.

He's basically good, but nobody knows it because he's constantly suspect. This suspicion is what drives him to stay alone and avoid others. He prefers night to day and while he likes to view activity from a distance, he would never be part of it. He can usually be found just on the edge of darkness, just where the light has almost ended. His posture is insecure, defensive, wistful but sometimes full of quiet angst. He's nonchalant, but carefully on guard. He's willing to talk to others, but they must approach him. He never makes first contact or the first move. He is easily entertained and can spend large amounts of time simply watching the moon or the clouds that pass in front of it as easily as watching a good band from the back of a room. Nobody knows much about him, mostly rumour. He might be good-looking, except nobody has gotten that good a look at him, and if anyone has seen him, he was disregarded and forgotten. His clothes are somewhat loose and non-descript.

In his background there is some tragedy which keeps him in a state of melancholy. He's not exactly depressed, but it would be hard to make him laugh. That is not to say that he has never laughed. He talks very little, other than to order dinner or give a taxi driver a street number. Thought it would be easy to assume that he was prone to trouble or had a troubled past, nothing could be further from the truth. Although it's hidden from most, he's actually quite friendly but it takes an extremely long time to gain his trust and even longer for his friendship.

He rarely runs into a fight becasue he has a preternatural sense for danger's arrival and is usually gone before any situation gets tense. He's learned long ago how to read a room and see the invisible dynamics between others and the possibilities that could arise. It has saved him many times.

He spends most of his time outdoors but often stays in when he's grown tired of watching humanity. In those times, if he does venture out, it's in areas where people don't tend to congregate or even visit alone. He's a loner in the true sense of the word. It is his ability to have cogent inward thoughts and his total security with himself that give him the mental wherewithal to be alone for days at a time and suffer no ill affects. Where others might grow lonely and wistful, he thrives in quiet space.

The only thing he's bent on is his search, the biggest part of which is his understanding what the search is for. He'll know it when he finds it and therein lies the problem and the solution.