Winter Guardians

"Winter Guardians"

acrylic and silver leaf on birch panel

18 x 24 inches, plus frame

2012

$1,300.00

(SOLD)

For Bold Hype Gallery's "Far Away, So Close" show

This painting was an intense experience for me; I haven't had time enough with all my projects to work on a large painting like this since before my solo show in August, and even then I was racing to create several large pieces in a very short amount of time.

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For this piece, I wanted to create a scene about my most favorite of seasons; winter.

There is a barn owl, albino doe and raven, and two arctic foxes and two white wolves.  They are flanking a snowflake-like acanthus pentagram, which is silver leafed and painted with white details.

There are also icicles hanging from the pentagram, snow falling in the background, and some pink roses and pine cones and branches.

The concept deals with my fascination of the opposition between nature and christianity.  Throughout history, christians viewed nature as of the Devil; pagans and witches of all kinds seen as heathens.  I myself see the Devil not as a god that should be worshipped literally, but as a symbol of all that which I hate about the life-hating religions, including christianity.

Thusly, I seek to paint the beauty and majesty of animals and nature.

Before christianity, there were beautiful old ways that seem to become buried and forgotten.  

I wanted these animals, which may be seen as spirits, to be the ones who guard the old ways and make sure that some part of the magic of nature cannot be forgotten or destroyed by christianity.

These Guardians are as old as the seasons; as the winter itself, and cannot be destroyed.

***

I had an extraordinarily difficult time photographing this painting because of the white highlights on the silver leaf, and the lights and darks I painted onto the birch.  Hopefully I will have a chance to get a better picture of the painting at some point.

I'm hoping to make three other paintings dealing with spring, summer and fall over the next year.

Here's the flyer for the show, I'll be in NYC for the opening!

So excited to be with such a great group of artists, at such an amazing gallery.  This is actually my first time showing in the city, so it will be a fun experience.