Anubis is signed

Looking through reference material, I came across a series of photos taken in Cape May New Jersey and immediately  thought "scale of justice." The scale is associated with Anubis. The idea of a guardian protector of the dead, who by weighing the heart, determined a soul worthy of Heaven or Hell, originated with the Egyptians and was later adopted by the Greeks, who named the God Anubis. In this image, two helmet-shaped, Horseshoe Crabs, deemed to be living fossils and estimated to be 450 million years old are held at arm's length by the beautiful yet indifferent young woman, who hides her slight amusement behind dark glasses. The white dress reminds us that our fate is yet to be determined.

Anubis is painted /drawn with Prismacolor pencil French Grays 10%-90%, black Verithin and some solvents.  It measures roughly 39.5x 36".  The photograph shows up blue at the bottom.  This is some kind of reflection that I haven't figured out how to omit.  Stay tuned.....

My newest effort: Anubis

Something I'm working on... Anubis. So far 32"x24" on Crescent Rag mat board with Prismacolor french grays. My ref photos taken in Cape May NJ. I have always been fascinated by Horse Shoe Crabs.  They used to litter East Coast beaches, where I spent many happy summers as a kid.  Creepy and a little like Darth Vader's helmet, they are ancient. We are a mere aggravation on their long, long, time line. The idea of this figure as Anubis, (you might want to look this up- the god Anubis, often depicted as the scale of justice, decides who gets into heaven or hell,) has been percolating in my head for three years. A disadvantage of a back-burner, (forgive the cooking metaphors- I didn't eat breakfast,) a slow cooked idea, can go many different directions. It can be simple and to the point like a good crusty bread, multilayered like marinara, or tricky like pie crust. Then I get it started on a new piece of board and see possibilities start poking holes and burning the edges of my plans.

Accepted into Manifest Gallery Drawn Exhibition! Opening Friday April 17th 6:00-9:00. Be There!

Please allow me to toot my horn! "Departing" is accepted into the Manifest Gallery DRAWN exhibit. 36 pieces form 27 artists chosen out of 1188 entries by 394 artists. Opening reception April 17th. This is a big deal for me.  Manifest Gallery is an amazing non profit organization that shows and promotes very current work through its publications as well as exhibitions. Acceptance into DRAWN makes me feel relevant. And believe me when I tell you, it has been a long windy road to arrive at this point!!

Latest Work

This latest drawing -painting uses all my technical tricks to tell a story.  You will notice the rich color and texture of the red coat in contrast with the barely there background. It is 27"x20" colored pencil on rag mat board.  I haven't decided on the title.  For now I'm calling it "On The Bridge" It was conceived while visiting The Brooklyn Bridge last November. I came upon this scene and found it interesting.  The bridge itself is an amazing place to visit- all those cables slicing patterns through the New york sky.  But it was the gush of human traffic over the bridge, people from all over the world, some commuting, some tourists, some on foot, some on bikes, I found most fascinating. In this scene you have the juxtaposition of three self absorbed young girls taking a group shot with a smart phone, while a serious young woman photographs scenery with her SLR and zoom lens. The progression of technology- what is gained what is lost?  The three girls capture  three faces, together in the place, in the moment, while the more mature woman takes photos of what is beyond.

In addition, I like the humor in this scene. You have me taking a reference photo of a young woman taking a photo in front of three younger women taking a group selfie, all of us standing on the same bridge seeing completely different things!

 

Pigeon Trinity #3

This is the third pigeon image for a triptych.  The question will be how to frame.  I originally planned on three small images matted together: two horizontal and one vertical- the horizontals will have the same mat opening size. The piece would be one long horizontal.  An other way to approach this would be to frame separately to be hung on the wall in a cluster.  This would enable me to crop this image differently if I choose. I realize the subject and the images are dark. And I'm not 100% sure this will work,  but I will try anyway. Once I have them matted together I will post it so you can see.

Christmas rush!

I just finished two small paintings for a lovely client who wished to create the perfect gifts for her two children:  table top original portraits of their two dogs. Each child chose a puppy fourteen years ago. They are now gray in the muzzle and a little slower, but otherwise healthy. The children, both in college, miss their pups. I spent a few hours one afternoon, photographing and getting to know the dogs, while also learning about the family and the mom. The photographs and expressions were chosen by her. We wished to capture each dog's personality in a tiny 5x7 head shot. This is not an easy task. In fact, a lot can be lost in one small tick of the pencil. I struggled with these. There was concern that the dog Ed, looking at the viewer and pleading to be petted, might appear to be giving dominant eye contact.  Thanks to my husband's suggestion, a  touch of dark to the eyebrow made the difference in the perceived expression. The other dog, Lucy held a strange pose which finally necessitated the inclusion of parts of her foreleg; otherwise her head would have seemed tipped over.

I decided to use colored linen mat as the surface to give these a painterly feel. Lucy, who is mostly black, is painted on a dark blue mat and Ed, who has a lot of browns and reds, is on a red mat. Using  colored mat board, even if  completely covered with pigment, is similar to an under paint wash and provides tone.

When my client finally saw the finished pieces she was completely satisfied. This is a blessing, because I never know what a client will think until they have the art in hand. Now I can relax for a bit and paint something new, something BIGGER.

Thomas may be too chubby to hitch a ride on a witch's broom, but he will fly first class to Germany.

This has been such an exciting few weeks!  I've just sold "Fly BY" to an amazing woman from Germany who works with cancer patients.  She intends to hang this on the wall of her office, to share with her patients.  How wonderful to know that my imagery might give someone a needed reason to smile. This is the second item she has bought from me, which makes it all the more fun.  She seems to like my fantasy cats, proving that its okay for me to step off the well worn path into the weeds and paint what I like. I don't have to worry about confusing my audience with an occasional change of approach.  I paint all kinds of subjects, from landscapes to facetious young women, some realistic, some fantastic and as long as I stick to the story, people continue to enjoy my work and I don't get bored. And trust me, this girl thrives on challenge!

Ancient Apple- a portal.

This is an ancient apple tree that arches over a path to the sea. A much appreciated comment, by an amazing cp artist, Julie Podstolski, described the scene as Narnia. That's all she said, "Narnia." Somehow she got my intent. It is said that there is a strong spirit residing in this gnarly sentry. A study for a larger piece I plan for the future, it comes from one of many reference shots taken this summer, on the Maine property of dear friends.  It is painted with Prismacolor and Luminance pencils on linen mat board.