Meltdown | Oil on canvas | 18” x 24” | SOLD

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Meltdown

Oil on canvas, 18” x 24”, 1995 SOLD
meltdown
My intention with this piece was to express the feeling and meaning of this painting through the style, and for the brushstrokes to match the subject of the painting. The strong, primary palette reinforces the feeling of implosion. This work was inspired by my love of expressionism, especially artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Franz Marc, and Edvard Munch. I wanted to create a piece that was captured both beauty and chaos, a poetic moment of stillness amidst a swirling collision of forces.

This painting expresses intense emotions that I had experienced, as well as what I had witnessed loved ones go through, particularly the other young women around me. I hope that others may find this painting as cathartic and freeing as I felt painting it.

Lucifer: Dissention in Contemplation | Oil on canvas | 24” x 30” | $3000

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Lucifer: Dissention in Contemplation

Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”, 1995 $3000


This painting operates on many levels. It also evolved and took on more layers and details over time. It started off as more of a satire on the idea of Lucifer; I wanted to paint Satan as effeminate, purple and lavender, and holding a narcissus flower, alluding to his vanity, while he reclined on a cliff overlooking a grotto and contemplated dissenting from God. According to the legend, Lucifer was originally a beautiful angel, according to some, the most handsome, and in Greek myth was a bright star and guide. Lucifer means “the bright one”.

Over time though as I worked on it, the painting was less of a lark and became more serious, and more of a commentary on human action, folly, blame, and responsibility. The cherubs above represent forethought, and thought they play and frolic, they hold a garland of skulls, as warning to humans, to think ahead and of the results of their actions. They also try in vain to warn Lucifer, who is not even aware of their existence, who is not thinking ahead or of the consequences of his actions, but only of his fine self. The figures in the cliff rock represent people who are suffering and become entrenched in blame and do not take responsibility for their actions. They are caught up in their pain but push it down and say “the Devil made me do it” The rock represents how they are caught up in a cycle of blame and blame everything and everyone else, but in reality, did not “look before they leap” so to speak, and only when they let go of blame and despair will be able to truly embark on a healing process.

This painting, while itself evolved during the process, also is a comment on the changing nature of symbols. While Lucifer has his roots as a Greek god of light, he also originated from the Druid/Wiccan Green Man, a nature protector, and Greek and Mediterranean nature god Pan, who was a “satyr” – a goat from the waist down, had cloven feet, sported horns and a tail, and was sometimes, like Poseidon, depicted holding a trident, an ancient warrior’s weapon later misinterpreted as a pitchfork. Pan was a protector of nature, especially the forests, and should anyone disturb him or the forests while he rested, would let out an immense and powerful cry to send terror into their hearts and cause them to flee, and is also from where the word “panic” originates. The purple in the painting as I mentioned was in point of the ironically feminine nature of ‘the big bad’ but also holds a regal and mystical quality to it – all symbolic of feelings I wanted to swirl in this painting – power and loss of power, the unknown, the beyond. The top of the painting is more purple, but the color drains out to more of a greyish hue toward the bottom, as it reaches more despair and to more suffering depths, and the color is drained and flattened out of life.

I painted this while very in my “Michelangelo phase” and I still love painting images from the expressive face and the rigorous musculature of his figures. Some of the cherubs and beings in the rocks were after or inspired by other Renaissance artists’ paintings, including Botticelli and Raphael. Props go out to my cousin Jake Trammell, who posed as just a tot (well was a restless toddler can hold a pose), for the cherub to the far right of the painting – Jake is now in college and looking at this painting reminds me just how much time has passed!!! I can’t believe my little angel baby is all grown up.

Portrait of Renaissance Lady | Oil on canvas | 16” x 20” | Collection of the artist

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Portrait of Renaissance Lady

Oil on canvas, 16” x 20”, 1993 Collection of the artist
renaissance-lady
This was the first painting that I ever did, and was inspired by my love of Renaissance portraiture, especially the work of Da Vinci, Rafael, and Botticelli. I later saw the beautiful oil painting, Girl with Cherries, by Italian High Renaissance Painter Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, and was struck by how similar it was to my vision. I used a Pthalo green underpainting and glazed warm colors over it, to achieve the luminous quality of classical Renaissance technique. I wished to express power and wisdom through the lady’s eyes, and I believe my perseverance and determination in creating this painting, in the end, is reflected in her aspect and her stare.

Nana: Portrait of the Artist’s Great-Grandmother as a Little Girl | Oil on Canvas | 16” x 20” oval | $250

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Nana: Portrait of the Artist’s
Great-Grandmother as a Little Girl

Oil on Canvas, 16” x 20” oval, 2008 $250
nana
This painting was done from a photo of my great-grandmother, Louise Rosa, when she was a small child, about 2 years old, I believe. It is done in a sepia tone to give it a feeling of warmth and nostalgia, to reflect how I feel when I think about my nana. My great-grandmother was a warm, kind, jolly and caring woman who doted on me as a small child, and to whom I have been told I gave great laughter and delight. I like to think that her spirit has often been with me and watched over me, and guiding me even as I painted this portrait of her.

Archangel Uriel | Fresco | 11” x 14” | $1600

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Archangel Uriel

Fresco, 11” x 14”, 2000 $1600
archangel-uriel
This fresco is after the archangel Uriel as depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Virgin of the Rocks, which is my absolute favorite painting and highly influential on my art. I have been privileged enough to stand before both original versions of this painting – first in London at the National Gallery and three years later, I stood in the Louve in Paris and drew the head of the virgin from the first, edgier version of this painting.

I created this fresco in 2000, after returning from a year studying art and art history in the enchanting city of Florence, Italy. But it wasn’t until 2004, when I reading about the symbolism in da Vinci’s painting The Virgin of the Rocks that I discovered that this particular angel was a depiction of the archangel Uriel, who represents intellect, memory, forgiveness, and finding your path in life, particularly in terms of being of service to others. Several days later, my friend Kris, who had been trained in Doreen Virtue’s system of tarot card readings, was giving me a brief reading of only three cards. One of the cards I pulled was Uriel! The radio was playing, and suddenly, my friend laughed and pointed out that the song “Calling All Angels” by Train was had come on while we were in the midst of the reading. To me it was just the Universe’s sense of humor and a sign of reassurance that all was meant to be as it was in that moment. It also pointed out to me to pay careful attention to my reading. Pulling the card for Uriel, Kris explained to me, meant that this time in my life was focused on work, intellect, and figuring out how I was meant to be of service – all topics that were quite prominent in my life and on my mind at the time.

Two days later, I was at a training for the painters’ union with my fellow apprentice painters and we were assigned to break into groups of three to practice our technique. My group consisted of one painter I was already friends with, and one I had not met yet. We got to talking while working and I found his presence very serene and sweet –he was just 18 and had graduated from high school, and gushingly showed me a picture of his high school sweetheart, who he had just taken to prom; the girl in the photo was just lovely and had a halo of light around her. I introduced myself and asked his name and he finally introduced himself – his name was Uriel! I had never met anyone of that name before or since. To me, it was just another nod from the Universe that all was as it was meant to be.

Uriel, in this painting, is an indicator of Source, of mystery, of the awed hush one feels standing before the beautiful and divinely incomprehensible, the mystical. Uriel sweetly gazes, calmly, as he is the messenger and reminds us; look into the unknown, be brave, be aware, do not fear, but embrace, divine mystery. Although I say ‘he” the whole painting of the Virgin of the Rocks by da Vinci exudes energy of the divine feminine, so I interpreted Uriel as a more feminine being, soft, almost translucent, glowing, with deep and tender eyes that represent the compassion, forgiving, and loving spirit of angels.