Denver -- Artist Shepard Fairey says that he looks for subjects that are "authentic" -- and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama proved an inspiration on that count. So he created the "Hope" political portrait that, more than any, has become the icon of the Democratic presidential candidate. We sat with him last night [August 2008] at the Manifest Hope Gallery, site of the "Unconventional Convention," and talked about his role in the making of a political icon. Hundreds thronged Mayor Gavin Newsom's gathering celebrating art and artists inspired by Obama. The gift to party-goers: a poster of Fairey's now-familar image of...