“Buzzard and Bones”
This is the most creative time of the year for me. The air is crisper, the light brighter, Halloween decorations appear in yards, cooler nights and the lawn carpeted in leaves, are all indications that winter is headed our way. What better time to feature nature’s garbage man, the Black Vulture, ready to peck at the grisly remains of a deer, while the the last vestige of summer, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, rests briefly on the tip of a rib bone?
The process:
On my way to the park, I avoided a Black Vulture who was in the middle of the street pecking at the remains of a possum. My camera was in the car, so why not? I turned around and parked in someone’s drive way. People stopped their cars to watch the crazy woman in the middle of the road photographing a vulture with its revolting meal.
Drawing a vulture was a given. The idea of adding bones, always an interesting thing to draw and classic still-life material, came after visiting a nature center that had a table full of various woodland finds, including the rack of deer ribs depicted. I thought the ribs were an interesting pattern and would contrast nicely agains the stark black shape of the bird.
Vulture and bones imply death and thus an obvious Halloween theme. A balanced composition contains contrasting light and dark. A compelling composition needs a story. A good story contains good, evil, life, death, black, white and all the shades in between. The added butterfly symbolizes rebirth with an ironic twist. By the time our little creature has reached this stage, it is looking straight into the barrel of its demise and so becomes an allegory of the struggle from life to death.
My garden was loaded with butterflies this summer and my camera not far behind. I chose to use the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail with its black bars against bright yellow for two reasons. First, it was bold enough to make an impact against the rest of the mostly monochromatic composition and second, because it was so cheerful and common that it leant a little twinkle to the piece. After all, when faced with the inevitable, humor is the only remedy.
“Buzzard and Bones” is available for sale, $2600.00 with archival framing. Art Dimensions 16 x 22”
Contact Row House Gallery, Milford OH, 513-831-7230