CARDINALS IN SNOW
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W.RED OAK FRAME
WINTER 2014

     Both Leigh and I grew up outside of the Pacific Northwest; me in Pittsburgh and Leigh in Memphis.  One of the things we miss in winter is watching cardinals in the snow.  They would often be seen feeding at the bird feeder.  Cardinals are beautiful birds and really add a splash of color to a winter’s day.  They really stand out amidst the white of a freshly fallen snow.  So, I decided to paint some cardinals as a way to fondly remember them.  The inspiration for the snow came from a recent visit Leigh & I made to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.   While there we were taken by the woodblock prints of Kiyoshi Saito, especially his Winter in Aizu series.  Saito’s snow-covered scenes were an inspiration for my snow.  I hope these cardinals can act as a humble substitute for the real thing for her.  I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.  I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.

DIMENSIONS:         HEIGHT:  15 1/2 inches
                                 WIDTH:  17 1/2 inches

                                                             PRICE $350

​Gary Giovane
La Conner, WA
[email protected]