EAGLE'S PRIDE
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
FALL 2020
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
FALL 2020
Just look into the eyes of an eagle, and you can immediately tell that this is a proud bird. Born with incredible strength, agility, and confidence, they exude an aura of power. No wonder the eagle has been chosen as a national symbol since ancient times. I once had the opportunity to hold an eagle on my arm, and I was immediately impressed by its size, weight, and presence. I knew that if it had wanted to, this bird could have done some serious damage to me. Thankfully, it remained calmer than I did. This painting was inspired by a pair of painted cedar fusuma (sliding doors) by Rinpa artist Watanabe Shiko entitled Cranes (see Yasumura, Toshinobu, Rimpa: Decorative Japanese Painting, ©2011, pages 200-201). Shiko simply painted his cranes directly on the wooden sliding doors at Daikaku-ji in Kyoto, and so I have painted my eagle in similar fashion; alone but in harmony with the beauty of the wood grain. The rocks on which the eagle stands were also inspired by the Rinpa style, as I used my version of tarashikomi in painting them. The design for the eagle was influenced by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions. 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: 24 inches
WIDTH: 17 ½ inches
PRICE $540
DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT: 24 inches
WIDTH: 17 ½ inches
PRICE $540
Watanabe Shiko--Crane