Home
Available from Denman Studios
Available from Astoria Fine Art
Available at Special Events
Available from Greenwich Workshop
Limited Edition Reproductions
Archive of Previous Work
About the Artist
Contact
Galleries
Purchasing Information
Commission Policy
News & Events
Newsletter & Mailing List
Facebook
Links
|
<Back to Thumbnails
|
|
"Our Bunny of the Morning Sun"
28 x 24"
Acrylic on Cradled Birch, 2011
Desert Cottontail
$7,200
SOLD
How to buy
|
|
Despite my love of birds, I’m beginning to think that rabbits may be my “spirit animal,” for those inclined toward Native American folklore. I’ve had several experiences over the last few years when one of these artfully wary creatures, who ordinarily make themselves known only by a fleeting sighting of their tail ends as they run out of sight, has posed for me in a way that was so placid it felt like a spiritual encounter. This is the third bunny I’ve painted in a similarly iconic context, presenting it as a religious object, an altarpiece in the church of nature. Though my experience with this particular bunny was in Joshua Tree National Park, I was inspired by the early morning desert light I experienced on a camping trip in Anza-Borego Desert Park a year later and a bit farther south. I remember being enthralled by the dawn light grazing the floor of the desert, painting stones a near florescent orange and pink against cool blue and violet shadows a moment before the entire desert was lit up as if by the wash of some enormous brush. It was this effect that inspired the stippled background texture and gave me the idea of keeping the cottontail in shadow and allowing the light to bloom around it like a halo. It is also noteworthy that, though the background is as abstract as it is minimal, I have allowed no stylization to enter into my portrayal of the animal subject. This diligent study of texture and detail is my nod to Albrect Durer, a painter of primarily religious scenes whose famous “A Young Hare” is perhaps one of the most well-loved examples of pre 20th Century western wildlife art painting.
|
|