Wise Woman

The Mexican tale of a wise woman is the inspiration for my piece: she drew a bird on a cell wall (while she was wrongly imprisoned), climbed on the "bird," and then flew away. :)

With Primitive Portraits in Mind

I am intrigued by naive/ primitive portraits and their (often) pensive expressions against dark backgrounds. With that in mind, I painted my piece on a 8 by 10 inch panel today, with folk art being my starting point.  : )

Illustration Friday: Save our Planet

I recently heard an interesting biological observation: up to 100 species go extinct on our planet daily. This is mainly due to tropical deforestation but also affects other geographical areas. Here is my offering to all the wonderful creatures of the ocean, an 8.5 by 12 inch linocut.

Peevish Toad

Toad is irritable and here is the story. One day Toad spots Snake riding his horse. Snake isn't the most graceful of riders; after all, he is a snake, and he can't sit up straight for long or use two hands. So Toad gives Snake some hints. He even demonstrates personally just how to ride like an expert. After quite a show, Snake gets back on his horse. But Snake shows no improvement. At this point, Toad loses it. He curses and gripes, "What a stupid snake you are! If you can't ride as I have shown you, you might as well not ride at all!" But Snake trots off, oblivious to Toad's tirade, murmuring to himself, "That may be, but the point is, I am the owner of this horse, not you." This African folk tale is the inspiration for my piece "Peevish Toad," an 8 by 8 inch linocut.

Gajendra the Elephant

Here is Gajendra the elephant. He is not only in a heavy body; he is in a heavy situation. The crocodile on the bottom right, being a creature of the water, is gradually overpowering Gajendra. Realizing his weak position, Gajendra offers eloquent prayers, and a lotus flower, to Lord Vishnu. This wonderful story is recorded in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the ancient text filled with melodious Sanskrit poetry and hymns. "Gajendra the Elephant" is an 11 by 11 inch linocut, printed on 80 lb Strathmore paper. Have a great week!

Morning Symphony

Morning Symphony

This week's "Illustration Friday" topic is "Garden." My linocut "Morning Symphony" reminds me of treks up the Drakensburg and the expansive, never-ending gardens of those African mountains. This print is 11 x 17 inches and is available at my Etsy store. Thank you for stopping by!