My mother suggested that grandmother was inspired to do an angry clown portrait, by 50s comedian/actor Red Skelton (who started painting clowns when he retired from film and TV). I always suspected my grandfather was the model for this one, but who knows.

According to my mom, grandmother said, “Everyone else always does happy clowns, I want to do a mad clown!”

I remember it hanging in Grandma and Grandpa’s house; I never liked it much because the clown looks angry. Not just angry but snarly…with mean eyes. As a kid, I thought clowns had no business being mean with hateful eyes. 😦

Lee Franclemont, ‘Oh yeah? Sez who!?’, 1969, pastel on paper. Photo credit Kelise Franclemont. Private collection.