Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"T'is some visitor", I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door'-
Only this, and nothing more...."
~Opening lines from the Edgar Allan Poe classic, "The Raven"
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| My Nibblefest Art Contest entry and Poe tribute, painted on a 6.5 x 8.6 recycled vintage wood plaque. |
CLICK FOR AUCTION LINK
What is it about Edgar Allan Poe that fascinates us so....?
"The Raven", that famous poem written by this most venerable and mysterious of American authors, was originally published all the way back in 1845. Yet here we are, nearly 170 years later, and still something about his works of darkly flowing, gothic-y writing continues to draw us in, with the passage of time having done little to dampen our enthusiasm for his literary genius (my personal fave of his still being "The Cask of Amontillado").....
It is Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC) week, and this is my entry. The theme for November is "Two or More Animals Mixed Together". I tossed around a several ideas for this theme, all of which were passable, though nothing especially....compelling (Medusa??? Did that. Minotaur??? Sighhhh). Anyone reading this blog knows how much more fun it is for me when I seize upon a concept that I can REALLY sink my teeth in to (and because I'm so artistically fickle, there is never any telling what exactly that's going to be). It wasn't until I was riding my bike home last week in the snow (yes, the snow! Early for us) that an idea of a Poe/Raven hybrid came to mind, as a tribute to his epic poem, "The Raven". I was so excited about the concept that I came up with two quickie sketches straight away:
I tossed around both orientations, going back and forth between the two, and even asking the opinion of some buddies (ya'll know who you are ;-) ). In the end, as you can see I went 'landscape', because of the 2nd hand plaque I'd picked out for this project. As we know, I hoard the old, unwanted frames and wall hanging plaques and such that I find used hither and yon, giving them new life in my art projects, and re-purposing as I see fit. This particular wood plaque is vintage, and had been covered with a poster of a painting of waterfowl on a lake (which I scraped off and sanded and gesso-ed over). I love its gently curving sides -- plus, it's very lightweight....:
It is also good that I came upon this concept because I've had some recent requests for another Poe tribute piece (ya'll know who you are ;-) ), having done one before (and hey, the picture of it above in my masthead!). But that was a few years back now, and so the timing felt right for another....
The following is my auction description:
My entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for November being "Two or More Creatures Mixed Together", features a tribute portrait of the esteemed American author and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. Painted in acrylics on a recycled, 6.5" x 8.5" vintage wooden plaque, this original is signed and ready to hang. (**To note: Due to the timing of things, all Nibblefest auctions this month will end on Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.), so you might want to keep that in mind when bidding....!)
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Allow me to introduce "Ravenpoe" (kind of like "Ivanhoe", but not...). A corvid/Edgar Allan Poe hybrid, he perches high upon a tree branch, soaking up the moonlight while contemplating the maudlin and the macabre. Painted as loving ode to E. A. Poe's much beloved, classic poem, "The Raven", I'm hoping you enjoy this piece as much as I did painting it....!
What is it about Edgar Allan Poe that fascinates us so....?
"The Raven", that famous poem written by this most venerable and mysterious of American authors, was originally published all the way back in 1845. Yet here we are, nearly 170 years later, and still something about his works of darkly flowing, gothic-y writing continues to draw us in, with the passage of time having done little to dampen our enthusiasm for his literary genius (my personal fave of his still being "The Cask of Amontillado").....
It is Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC) week, and this is my entry. The theme for November is "Two or More Animals Mixed Together". I tossed around a several ideas for this theme, all of which were passable, though nothing especially....compelling (Medusa??? Did that. Minotaur??? Sighhhh). Anyone reading this blog knows how much more fun it is for me when I seize upon a concept that I can REALLY sink my teeth in to (and because I'm so artistically fickle, there is never any telling what exactly that's going to be). It wasn't until I was riding my bike home last week in the snow (yes, the snow! Early for us) that an idea of a Poe/Raven hybrid came to mind, as a tribute to his epic poem, "The Raven". I was so excited about the concept that I came up with two quickie sketches straight away:
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| Poe/Raven Hybrid: Vertical (or "Portrait') Orientation |
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| Poe/Raven Hybrid: Horizontal (Or 'Landscape') Orientation |
I tossed around both orientations, going back and forth between the two, and even asking the opinion of some buddies (ya'll know who you are ;-) ). In the end, as you can see I went 'landscape', because of the 2nd hand plaque I'd picked out for this project. As we know, I hoard the old, unwanted frames and wall hanging plaques and such that I find used hither and yon, giving them new life in my art projects, and re-purposing as I see fit. This particular wood plaque is vintage, and had been covered with a poster of a painting of waterfowl on a lake (which I scraped off and sanded and gesso-ed over). I love its gently curving sides -- plus, it's very lightweight....:
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| Side View of "Nevermore", showing off its curvaceous, painted sides |
It is also good that I came upon this concept because I've had some recent requests for another Poe tribute piece (ya'll know who you are ;-) ), having done one before (and hey, the picture of it above in my masthead!). But that was a few years back now, and so the timing felt right for another....
The following is my auction description:
My entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for November being "Two or More Creatures Mixed Together", features a tribute portrait of the esteemed American author and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. Painted in acrylics on a recycled, 6.5" x 8.5" vintage wooden plaque, this original is signed and ready to hang. (**To note: Due to the timing of things, all Nibblefest auctions this month will end on Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.), so you might want to keep that in mind when bidding....!)
----
Allow me to introduce "Ravenpoe" (kind of like "Ivanhoe", but not...). A corvid/Edgar Allan Poe hybrid, he perches high upon a tree branch, soaking up the moonlight while contemplating the maudlin and the macabre. Painted as loving ode to E. A. Poe's much beloved, classic poem, "The Raven", I'm hoping you enjoy this piece as much as I did painting it....!
..........................
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| "Nevermore" |
To see all of this month's lovely Nibblefest Art Contest entries, click here.....
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****UPDATE, UPDATE:*****
Pleased and happy to say my 'Ravenpoe' won Third Place in last month's contest! A big thank you to all my lovely bidders...!
4 comments:
Wonderful Patience, I also love the top sketch too. :)
Thanks so much Jenny! Indeed, I had trouble deciding between the two -- went back and forth quite a few times. As such I think I may just have to paint the other one too at some point -- just to get it out of my system, lol ;-) And thanks again!
I love Poe,I painted him during September for 29 faces and he was a really fun subject-your hybrid is fantastic!Love everything about him!:)
He does make a wonderful subject. That face! It's actually quite heartbreaking in its way really. In the photos of him, he loos so aged and haggard. It's hard to believe he was only 40 when he died! So young. Granted, 40 back then was a different age than today, what with life expectancy decidedly shorter back then. But it's still sort of shocking to look at those pics and realize he was probably only in his 30's at the time they were taken. A testament to his difficult life, ill health, addictions, among other things. Well in any case, thanks so much for the comment, Lyd -- it's a pleasure to hear from you.....
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