My White/Orwell Tribute for EBSQ's February Online Exhibit: 'Opposites'

"Animal Web": oils upon a 10x12 handmade canvas using a re-purposed frame

Yesterday was the last day of the month of February, which meant the deadline for the EBSQ online exhibit, "Opposites".  I entered last night with this little piece, a tribute to two much beloved pig story authors, EB White, and George Orwell.  I've entitled it, "Animal Web", and it is my interpretation of the theme, 'Opposites'....

EB White and George Orwell, With Their Pigs.

The following is my entry's artist statement over at EBSQ:

"Animal Web: A Tribute To Authors,

EB White and George Orwell":

My entry for the February 2017 EBSQ online "Opposites" exhibit features a whimsical little fantasy piece painted in loving tribute to two of my favorite authors:  EB White, of 'Charlotte's Web', and George Orwell, of "Animal Farm".  Both authors were talented, highly esteemed, caucasion, of similar age (born only a few years apart), and writers of fiction. Both wrote sweeping, captivating tales regarding farms -- specifically featuring complex and endearing characters who happened to be pigs.  However, the similarities between the two men and their fiction likely mostly ends there -- and not only because one was American and the other British.  Both used their porcine protagonists to weaves two very different tales indeed.  EB White's beloved "Charlotte's Web" narrates the story of unity, cooperation, and friendship -- plus what I always personally interpreted as strong, optimistic message as to the value of Nature, and of animals, and of anti-cruelty in general.  And all within the sweet setting of a peacefully idyllic, mid-century farmstead.   George Orwell's "Animal Farm", however, though also set against the backdrop of a picturesque farmstead, spins a very opposing narrative.  Orwell used his setting and plot to outline an allegorical and cautionary story about the rise of Soviet communism and of the brutal dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.  His pigs are far from sweet, passive characters -- they are highly manipulative creatures who get up to some very nasty things.  The intimidate and oppress their fellow farm-mates ("All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others").  They threaten and cajole, assail and even engage in violence -- a much darker yarn for sure.   "Charlotte's Web" and "Animal Farm", two classic and much beloved modern-day fables about intrepid pigs living on farms, that really couldn't be more 'opposite'....

(Note:  In the spirit of creative re-use, this painting support was hand-fashioned using a re-purposed old 10x12 wood frame. I like to upcycle previously used second-hand materials that might otherwise make their way to the landfill into my creative process in lieu of new purchases whenever applicable)....

This is my 2nd in a series of tributes to George Orwell.  You can find my previous piece here...

Side View

This painting will soon be making it's way across the country as a fun project commissioned by a White and Orwell fan.  Very thankful for lots of freelance work at present, with more to write about soon....

UPDATE~UPDATE



Happy to say my little "Animal Web" tribute painting here won 'Member's Mention" (2nd Place) in the EBSQ 'Opposites' online  -- thanks so much to my voters...! 

.

'Masquerade', My Entry For the January Nibblefest Theme, "Costume Cat"

 It's Nibblefest Art Contest week.

January's theme is 'Costume Cat':

 

My entry:

 Portrait of Marie Antoinette (with a cat mask), oil on 5x14 wooden plaque

~Click for auction link ~

My dear lucky daughter recently returned home from a fantastic trip overseas, with stopovers in several European cities.  One of the highlights was a stay in Paris, France -- complete with a visit to Versailles.....

My daughter in the Hall of Mirrors, at Versailles. So opulent! 

The many stories and pictures that my daughter shared of her travels re-awakened an ongoing fascination I have in French history.  And so, as usually happens when an interest of mine gets triggered like this, I have found myself turning to Youtube and Amazon Prime for documentaries and programs about Versailles and the French Revolution to fire up and take in as I worked on various projects.

What a captivating era of history.  So many extremes.  Rich and poor.  Light and dark.  Happy and Sad.  The customs. The manners.  The politics. The fashions. The hairstyles. The lifestyles.  Incredible opulence, and most of it so very over the top....!

I was ruminating upon all of this when it came time to figure out a subject for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest theme of "Costume Cat". 

"Masquerade", painted in oils on a 5x14 wood plaque with beveled corners

It's not the first time I've painted a French Rococo-inspired portrait.  A few years back I was commissioned by our local ballet company to paint a large, 8' foot tall wooden cut-out of The Nutcracker's "Mother Ginger" (AKA: Marie Antoinette) for them to use at a fancy gala event they were hosting at the time (as I wrote about in this previous post).... 

8 Foot Tall "Mother Ginger", a popular Nutcracker Ballet character

She was so large I had to work on her on my front veranda.  I'm glad my old-house porch has a roof....:

"Mother Ginger" (AKA Marie Antoinette) in progress. Rather a saucy pose, I know....!

I do love the size contrast between these two rather similar pieces -- it would have been fun to photograph them together.

The Queen in Happier Days

My auction description...:

"Masquerade"

This is my entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for January being 'Costume Cat'.  Painted in oils upon a 5"x 14" wooden plaque with interesting beveled corners, this piece features a portrait of Marie Antoinette, holding a cat mask -- a unique original that is signed and ready to hang.  Perfect for your 'Shabby Chic' interior!   (Note to the winning bidder: As per the nature of oil paints, this piece may need just a little wee extra time (up to a week) to fully cure/dry before being safely shipped to its new home).   

When fishing about for subject matter for this month's Nibblefest theme of 'Costume Cat', I was inspired my daughter's recent trip to Europe, which included a visit to Versailles.   Harboring a long fascination of all things Baroque and Rococo, upon seeing my daughter's traveling photos and hearing her tales, I found that old interested rekindled.  And so we have here the Queen herself, Marie Antoinette, depicted in happier days before the revolution fervor of her time swept her up into history.....


 Here's hoping you enjoy my Nibblefest entry this month as much as I did painting it...!  

To see all the fabulous "Costume Cat" Nibblefest entries this month, click here.

Krampus??? Nay, KramPUSS for Dec's Nibblefest Art Contest "KRAMPUS" Theme!

New artwork!

Painted in oils upon a 10x7 2nd-hand wood plaque, "KramPUSS"

~ Click for auction link ~

The theme for the month's Nibblefest Art Contest is "Krampus"

(click to read this month's Nibblefest blog post).  

Vintage Austrian Krampus Greeting Card

And so did I paint a Krampus...???  

No indeed, what we have here is Krampus' even more rare and elusive cousin, the KramPUSS.

 

Gruss Von KramPUSS!  (Greetings from KramPUSS)

The following is my auction description:

"KramPUSS"

This is my entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for December being 'Krampus'.  Painted in oils upon a 10"x 7" scallop-edged wood plaque, this unique and festive original is signed and ready to hang (Note to the winning bidder: As per the nature of oil paints, this piece may need just a little wee extra time (up to a week) to fully cure/dry before being safely shipped to its new home).    

Who is familiar with that fearsome Christmas creature of European tradition, The Krampus...?  

 

More or less Saint Nick's dark sidekick, the legendary Krampus makes his appearance to all the naughty children during the Yuletide season, according to Germanic folklore.  In vintage greeting cards The Krampus is pictured as a rather demonic-looking fellow, complete with horns, a long tongue and often even a switch in his hand -- all to keep those misbehaving youngsters in line.  And indeed, while the legend of Krampus isn't all that widely known outside the Alpine regions of Europe...., even LESS is known of the very secretive and elusive creature, "KramPUSS".  

As you can see, KramPUSS may not be quite as frightful as his cousin, Krampus, yet he still portrays several of the same iconic hallmark features.  And he wishes a Merry Christmas to all...!



 Here's hoping you enjoy my Nibblefest entry this month as much as I did painting it...!

 .....................

Naughty Kittens, Beware The KramPUSS

To view all the fabulous "Krampus"-themed Nibblefest entries, click here....

......UPDATE~UPDATE~UPDATE....


Happy to say my little "KramPUSS" won the Big Chomp award in December's Nibblefest Art Contest 
-- a big shout out of thanks to all my lovely bidders...!

 

New Henry David Thoreau Tribute for Oct's Nibblefest Art Contest "PUMPKINS" Theme

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin

and have it all to myself, 

than to be crowded on a velvet cushion...."

~Henry David Thoreau

7.5 x 9.5, "Thoreau, Pumpkin Sitter", painted in oils for Oct's Nibblefest Art Contest

~ Click for Auction Link ~

Several months have come and gone since I last entered the Nibblefest Art Contest.  I never intentionally blow it off, and for so long -- but often time does just get the best of me, as it did this long (though it actually seemed so short!) and mega-busy summer.  No matter, it's always there for me to come back to whenever I can...., which I finally did this month with its "Pumpkins" theme.  What better way to celebrate 'Pumpkins' than with these wise words by the venerable Mr. Henry David Thoreau?  As a person who tries to practice Voluntary Simplicity whenever I can in my own life, I can so relate to this quote.  Thus we have here my little personal homage, as always painted in loving (if slightly irreverent) tribute:

Side View

I had the perfect plaque for this, one that I dug deep out of storage -- an aged one, of slightly weathered wood.  I had to scrape off some faded, generic print that was hopelessly stuck to it, sanding it down to a smooth finish.  The slightly rough condition  seemed most fitting for this project -- I wanted a folksy feel -- plus in the spirit of Simplicity I tried to use minimal paint and really let the grain show through....

 This is actually my 2nd in a series of tributes to Thoreau.

  Longtime readers might recall this portrait I painted from a few years back, for Nibblefest's "Forest Creatures" theme in August of 2014:

Portrait of H.D.Thoreau, August 2014

 It's been nearly exactly two years since that one so I figured the time was nigh for another visit to that fascinating face.   

So much expression in those expansive eyes....:

Mr. Henry David Thoreau

 RIP, Mr. Henry D.

"Thoreau, Pumpkin Sitter"

(To see ALL the lovely "Pumpkin"-themed entries in this month's Nibblefest Art Contest, 

CLICK HERE....).

UPDATE~UPDATE:

Third Place Tie

My Thoreau tribute tied for Third Place in this month's Nibblefest Art Contest!
A big shout out of thanks to all my lovely bidders....!

"Stars-n-Jars", my entry for April's 'Things in Jars' Nibblefest Theme

New artwork...!

"Stars-n-Jars": A trio of 4x6 oil paintings in tribute to to three legendary female Country Music icons

"Stars-n-Jars: 

Dolly, Loretta and Tammy"

(***Click for auction link***)

Goodness gracious (great balls of fire), this past month really flew by.  Flew!  It's Nibblefest Art Contest week here again already, with yet another stimulating theme to contemplate.  April's theme...? 
"Things in Jars".

So how serendipitous is it that I just happened to have three small 'mason-jar' shaped wooden plaques in my stash...???   I picked these little guys up last year at a second hand shop for practically pennies.  I thought they were cute enough, and had the potential to be interesting -- but with no particular plans for them, they've been sitting around taking up space.  Upon hearing of April's theme however, I just knew I *HAD* to somehow use them to enter this month, come hell or high water.   It was meant to be!

It did still take a little while for me to come up an idea as to what my actual "things", for "Things in Jars", were to be exactly.  I ruminated for quite some time.  I needed three 'things' that related to each other.  And which would somehow be suitable painted upon a mason-jar.  It took awhile, but once I had the whisper of a concept in my head, I decided to just run with it.  Thus we have here what ended up to be a little 3-way portrait series, painting in loving tribute to a trio of female Country Music legends, my chosen STARS(-n-Jars...!).

Dolly...!

Loretta...!

Tammy...!

The following is my auction description....:

...........

"Stars-n-Jars"

(Dolly Parton * Loretta Lynn * Tammy Wynette)

My entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for April being "Things in Jars", features a fun trio of wee portraits painted in loving tribute to three classic Stars of Country Music:  

Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette. 

Painted in oils upon three 4" x 6" found 'mason jar'-shaped wooden plaques, this set of 3 original pieces are all signed and ready to hang as a grouping.

(*NOTE:  This is for a 3-Day Auction)

I've long been looking forward to this particular theme!  Some time ago, I picked up three wee, 'mason jar'-shaped wood plaques at a 2nd hand shop. Clueless as to how I might use them at the time, I was intrigued nevertheless and so brought them home.  Imagine how delighted I was to later find out "Things in Jars" was an upcoming theme...!  

So fine, I now knew exactly what I would be painting ON..., while still stumped as to what my exactly subject matter should BE. I kicked around a few concepts, when "Stars-in-Jars" randomly came to mind.  Hmmm, perhaps a fun trio of celebrity portraits?  But which celebrities exactly???  That's when it hit me: What Stars could possibly be more fitting featured upon "Mason Jars", than Dolly, Loretta and Tammy -- three beloved classic country music Divas, all of whom rising from extraordinarily humble, hard-scrabble beginnings to become beloved, world-renown talents, thanks to their amazing singing/songwriting and musicianship. This small set of "Stars-n-Jars" is my own tribute to these legendary women.

  

"Stars-n-Jars"

  .............

So ok, here's the thing.  While I can't say I've ever personally been a huge fan of the country music genre (particularly the contemporary stuff)...?   I did grow up in the 70's listening to the country-western classics, thanks to my dad.  His radio was (and still is) permanently tuned to the local country-western station.  He just loved it.  Always a project of some kind going on in the garage or basement, I have strong memories growing up of the music playing while he was working on his hobbies, with him whistling cheerily along.  There was also the weekly Saturday night "Hee-Haw" watching ritual (who remembers that old program...?), that went on for years and years in my youth.  Like everyone else, we had only the one TV back then -- and at 6:00 p.m. every Saturday night my dad claimed it for his own.  Without fail.  He would always pop corn on the stovetop for the occasion.   And of course I was bored enough from the little else to do back then than to just watch "Hee-Haw" too.  But as much as I told myself that I didn't like it, or protested about having to listen to the Country station on car trips, those old melodies got seared into my brain -- exposure that ended up giving me a real soft spot for the Country Music classics, in spite of myself, lol....  

And so, yes, while there may be a certain small element of 'tongue in cheek' within my entry here, please know that I really do have deep respect for these accomplished women -- Dolly, Loretta and Tammy.  I've read Loretta Lynn's autobiographical book, "Coal Miner's Daughter", and have seen the film several times, documentaries, as well as having read the histories of Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette through the years.  All three of these ladies were challenged from such hardscrabble backgrounds -- isloation, inadequate education, poverty (and thus I believe a canning jar to be a quite reasonable symbol of such shared humble beginnings!  (In fact Loretta Lynn was an expert canner as a young wife and mother before her career took off, having won numerous Country Fair blue ribbons)).  And yet, thanks to their amazing musical talents, all three overcame tremendous obstacles (including but no limited to, at least in the case of Loretta and Tammy, teen motherhood and troubled relationships) to rise to such astonishing heights of fame -- especially remarkable given the male-dominance of their industry back in the '60's and '70's.  But, they were all trail blazers -- doing their own thing while going on to set a standard for the role of women within their genre.  And it's not simply that they all had such strong, beautiful singing voices -- which of course they did.  But they also wrote most of their own material -- the melodies and the lyrics, hundreds of albums between them.  That takes a truly special talent.  And they all had it, in spades (with Dolly and Loretta still having it...!).

Lastly, I just want to make mention that these are oil paintings, my first since studying art in college.  I have always adored oil painting, but simply found acrylic paint to be more practical these many years since, for a variety of reasons.  And I do still like acrylics, and will probably still find occasion to use them.   However, having recently invested in oil paints, and having so much fun re-acquainting myself with them, I think it's a safe bet to say you can expect many more oil paintings from me in the future....

(To see ALL the lovely "Things in Jars"-themed entries in this month's Nibblefest Art Contest, click here....).

 

"Animal Farm Gothic", my entry for March's 'Farm Animals' Nibblefest Theme

Nibblefest, again (finally!).

"Animal Farm Gothic", acrylics on 8 x 10 found wooden plaque

"Animal Farm Gothic" 

(click to see my entry/auction here (ends 2/27))

Oh, Nibblefest Art Contest.  That lovely-and-lively, fun-and-friendly art competition which rolls around ever so faithfully each and every single month.  Did you think I'd forgotten about you...?

No indeed.  Happy to report I'm back in the Nibblefest saddle again this month after a wee hiatus while I was off and busy doing other things.  And now here we are in March. 

Having sat out several contests in a row, I unfortunately missed out on some really neat themes I would have otherwise been quite inspired by, like "Creatures of the Night" and "Fruits and Veggies".  So when I found myself with time to finally put something together THIS month, I crossed my fingers for what I hoped would be a really juicy, inspiring Theme...., 

....only to find March's theme to be 'Farm Animals'. 

Well...? I certainly love farms, and I of course I adore animals.  But I still admit my very first reaction to this was... bleh.

 That is, until one second later I flip-flopped the words giving me "Animal Farm"...,  and then it was off to the races, yee haw!

 I recall reading 'Animal Farm' way back in middle school English.  We also watched the animated film in class.  I'm positive most of the political allegory of the story, Orwell's telling of the rise of Communism after the Russian Revolution, likely went WAY over my head at the time, though I remember I did find the tale of the trials and tribulations of these assorted squabbling, intrepid farm critters interesting.  It wasn't until high school however, when I read the book, "1984", that I found myself really sucked into Orwell's Dystopian writing (with"1984" still being my favorite of Orwell's tomes, and in fact among favorite books in general.  Note that I did do a small tribute to '1984' years ago as part of the 2012 '29 Faces' Art Challenge -- hope to do another, more thorough dedication again one of these days, when the stars align!).   However 'Animal Farm' is fascinating too, and so I set out to do a little fangirl tribute....

Thus I had my concept, which I knew would incorporate a portrait of the handsome author in some manner.., but what next?  I'm sure I could have argued my way into making a straight-forward, simple portrait of George fit the theme -- but I wanted to do more than that.  Yet how to visually reference his book "Animal Farm" in a way to be instantly recognizable....?

 With what has to be probably the most iconic farmers art history, that's how:  Grant Wood's gorgeous 1935 classic, "American Gothic".  It's only been parodied bazillions of times already, so why not another.....?  I do love my 'mash-ups' after all...!

And so here we have the venerable author, George Orwell, posed a la "American Gothic" iconic fame, along with a main character of his story, the pig named Napoleon.  In his political allegory, "Animal Farm", the ambitious and power-hungry Napoleon is a stand-in for the tyrannical Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin.  To portray Napoleon from the book, I featured him here in full Empire regalia (though he doesn't actually wear such in the book), to refer to exactly which pig character of the several in 'Animal Farm' I am representing....  

    

Of course, it can't very well be a loving spoof of the painting "American Gothic", without including the famous, American Gothic-style window of the house Grant Wood's farmers stand before, from which indeed the painting got its name (and which I've actually visited in person, in Eldon, Iowa).   With George and Napoleoan standing in front of a house of American Gothic-style architecture making little sense however, instead I took liberties (lots and lots of liberties) and turned the structure into the windmill which features so prominently in the book (the Windmill being Orwell's symbolizing for the massive infrastructure projects the Communists embarked upon after the Russian Revolution, which the animals of the farm take to building and re-building.). 

The following is my auction description.....:

........

"Animal Farm Gothic"

"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL / BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS....."  

My entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme for March being "Farm Animals", features a wee portrait in loving tribute to the British author, George Orwell, and his famous 1945 book of political allegory, "Animal Farm" (...in addition to the classic USA painter, Grant Wood, of "American Gothic" fame).

Painted in acrylics upon a 8.25" x 9.5" found wooden plaque, this original piece is signed and ready to hang.

(*NOTE:  This is for a 3-Day Auction, ending 3/27)

It didn't take long at all to come up with a concept for this month's theme.  A mere flip-flopping of the words "Farm Animals" instantly gave me "Animal Farm" and I was off and running.  I first read George Orwell back in high school and have been a fan ever since, so I was very happy indeed to have occasion to pay him my own little personal tribute.  Thus we have here a portrait of the writer along with a main character of his classic "Animal Farm" tale, the commanding and power-hungry pig named Napoleon. They stand in front of a windmill, which features prominently in the storyline.  (And of course, because I love my little artistic 'mash-ups', guess I just couldn't resist tossing in an additional loving, if cheeky, reference to what has to be one of the most iconic farmers in art history (...and with sincerest apologies to artist, Grant Wood, of the 1935 masterpiece, "American Gothic"!) )

Here's hoping you enjoy my little tribute as much as I did painting it...! 

.....

   

(To see ALL the lovely "Farm Animal"-themed entries in this month's Nibblefest Art Contest, click here....).

**UPDATE - UPDATE**

"Animal Farm Gothic" ended up winning this month's 
Nibblefest 'Big Chomp' Award...!
 

A big shout out of thanks to my lovely bidders...!




 

My Entry, 'Percy Shelley: On a Faded Violet,' For EBSQ "State Flowers" Show

"Percy Shelley:

On a Faded Violet"

"Percy Shelley: On a Faded Violet" acrylics on 9 x 6 Oval Plaque

Another show, another entry.  This time, it was the August '15, EBSQ 'State Flowers' exhibit.  EBSQ, the online art community I've long been a member of, once hosted several themed shows each month.  But starting in January '15, this was reduced to a single monthly theme.  August's theme was 'State and National Flowers' -- a throwback to when there was a different flower theme every month, which EBSQ hosted for a decade and which was popular with botanical and still-life artists.  I'm neither of those per se, so if I was going to participate last month, I was going to have to make this single August EBSQ theme work for me....

Side View

The following is my artist statement....:

This painting,"Percy Shelley: On a Faded Violet", is my entry for the EBSQ August 2015 "State Flowers" exhibit.

I've lived in two states in my lifetime, Illinois and Wisconsin.  It just so happens that the official flower for both states... is the Violet.  Even though show participants could have painted any flower associated with any state for this exhibit regardless where they live, I took this wee coincidence as a sign that I had best paint a violet in some fashion or another....

And so naturally, as those familiar with my work know I am want to do (because I am an admitted geekish book-nerd), I looked for inspiration amongst one of my favorite sources:  Classic Western Poetry.  Thanks to the help of a good friend, I found it in this little poem, written as it was in 1818 by one of England's most renowned poets of the Romantic era, Percy Bysshe Shelley...:


On a Faded Violet,
by Percy Bysshe Shelley


The odour from the flower is gone

Which like the kisses breather on me;

The colour from the flower is flown

Which glowed of thee and only thee!


A shrivelled, lifeless, vacant form,

It lies on my abandoned breast;

And mocks the heart, which yet is warm

With cold and silent rest.


I weep -- my tears revive it not;

I sigh -- it breathes no more on me:

Its must and uncomplaining lot

Is such as mine should be.


............ 

Being as that Mr. Shelley is best known for his lengthy, verbose Epic Poetry, this wee rhyme might be considered down-right succinct in comparison.  Short yet sweet (or bittersweet in this case), I was moved by the romance and poignancy of Shelley's few, carefully chosen lines (all the more so in light of Shelley's own highly unconventional and complicated personal life....!).  As such I chose to paint a portrait in tribute to this master poet, with a sad, drooping blossom perched dispiritedly upon his collar, and deep melancholy in his eyes.  Though the flower may be faded, I made up for its lack of color by painting the background a brilliant violet hue (one of my favorite colors which sadly I don't often find myself occasion to use), while adding in script the first line of the poem around the edge of the painting.

This piece, "Percy Shelley: "On a Faded Violet...", is my latest in a long series of painted odes in personal tribute to my favorite literary authors and poets....

...................

***Edit~Edit~Edit***

This piece is actually the 2nd in a wee series of tributes to the Shelley's, my first being a fanciful portrait of Percy's wife, 

Mary Shelley....:

"The Monster's Bath", my little painted tribute to both Mary Shelley, and Mary Cassatt

As regular readers might recall, this one was painted for the October 2014 Nibblefest Art Contest theme, "Monsters" (and was a tribute to TWO historical Mary's I much admire:  

Mary Shelley, and Mary Cassatt).  

And so, having 'done' Mary S., I guess it seemed timely to, in turn, 'do' Percy S. ...:

My entry, "Percy Shelley: On a Faded Violet"

To see my entry as all as the EBSQ "State and National Flowers" entries in the show, click here (mine being on the 2nd page)....