Cartoons are fun!! I recently had the pleasure of doing a cartoon for a NASA lander that is planned for the Mars moon, Phobos. The scientific paper described four stages in the progress for the lander, so four cartoons were needed to demonstrate the stages.
A series of washes of color were applied to create depth and contrast between the sky in the background and the canopy of tree limbs.
The canvas measures six feet by eight feet, and involved using several techniques to produce the hazy background of the countryside behind the village and leading up into the snow-capped mountains. The focal point is the village and the water in the foreground, which is in contrast to the impression of humidity and soft appearance of the hills in the distance.
Charcoal on Paper - Posted February 6, 2010
"Nicolai 1980" and "Italian" are part of a series of portraits done in charcoal on paper in the early 1980's. While charcoal is not as durable as oils or acrylics as a medium, it is faster and more flexible for rapid use when dealing with contrasts prior to transferring a portrait to canvas.
MASQUES - Posted September 12, 2009
This is a commentary on World War II:
While the world watched and shielded the horrors of war from their faces, they became increasingly shocked at the misdeeds of the world's dictators. Masques is a commentary on how societies masked their true feelings until they could no longer be contained, and they rose up to unite and fight.
MOON GLIDER posted September 7, 2009
What ground-dwelling species has not looked to the sky and wished to fly? Moon Glider was done in oil pastel diluted with lighter fluid during an outing on the boat with my husband, Jacques. The early morning hours had not hidden the moon, fading into the dawning light, and a seagull took flight and began gliding on unseen air waves over our heads. It was the ultimate feeling of peacefulness and joy that we experienced while silently watching the dawn turn into day. The only sounds were those of birds calling to each other in the distance as the gentle waves lapped against our anchored boat.
Plato's Nude in a Cave
After spending many years studying philosophy, I was intrigued by Plato's thoughts how how we discern what is real and what is not. One of his teachings talks about the perceptions of an individual if they were limited to a cave all of their lives, and how they would analyze the world. As an artist, this gave me lots of things to think about, so while in art class, I decided to draw a nude in a cave (tongue in cheek expression over Plato's views.) You the viewer may perceive this drawing in many different ways with many explanations.
