Giovane Cedar Art
  • Home
    • Matzke Gallery
    • Jansen Art Center's Fall Show
    • Artwood Gallery
    • Cattails & Dragonflies Gallery
    • Background Info
    • Purchasing and Shipping Info
  • PAINTINGS 1
    • Strength in Numbers
    • When the Wisteria Blooms
    • Snow on the Beach
    • It Only Takes One
    • Fishing Off Orcas Island
    • Foxglove, Grasses, & Butterflies
    • Scattered Fans
    • White Circle of Silence
    • Northwest Rain Kosode
    • Iona Drum Design
    • Autumn's Full Moon
    • Golden Eagle Under a Highland Moon
    • Skagit Homecoming
    • Frogs on a Log
    • Weasel Mania
    • Chito Reef Octopus
    • In the Spirit of Serizawa & Kubota
    • Hovering Harrier
    • On Eagle's Wings Ema
  • Paintings 2
    • Windswept Pine Near the Shore
    • Frog Games
    • Summer Heron
    • Guests of Summer
    • Sparrow's Spring
    • Northern Flicker
    • Worlds Apart
    • Autumn Grasses (Oribe Tribute)
    • Life's Essence
    • Hunt Above the Corn Stalks
    • A Tribute to Itchiku Kubota: Ozette Sunset
    • Cathedral of the Trees
    • Kelpies
    • Tree of Life II
    • Plum Blossoms in Spring
    • Swans by Mt. Baker
    • Raven's Forest
    • Baillie Scott Trinity
    • Guardians of the Green Wood
  • Paintings 3
    • Maple Leaves in the Stream
    • Plum & Full Moon in Spring
    • Chickadee in the Quince
    • The Four Guardians
    • Circle About the Moon
    • Eelgrass Nursery Rhyme
    • Dragons
    • Bluebird & Bamboo
    • Lingcod Guardian
    • Capercaillies Under Scots Pines
    • Cedar Green Man
    • Elk Along the South Fork
    • Cats United
    • Hops & Butterflies
    • Serizawa's Kimono
    • Spirits of Ozette
    • č’u•? is Seal
    • Doves' Song
    • Eagle Embraces Her
  • Paintings 4
    • Nuthatches on a Pine Branch
    • Hummingbird & Fuchsia 4
    • Yellow Flags by the Pond
    • Time to Go Home
    • Blood Moon in January
    • Falling Leaves--Washed Away
    • Goldfinch Dream
    • Camellias in Bloom Woodblock Print
    • Autumn Carpet
    • The Peacock Quilt
    • An Eala Bahn (The White Swan)
    • Two Eagles Entwined
    • Horse Ema
    • Lucia's Maple
    • Loons & Horses
    • Eagles Spring Dance
    • Watts Chapel Tribute Memorial
    • Voysey's tree
    • Hot Otter Love
  • Blog Page
  • Other Work
    • Karakami Square Series >
      • Karakami Square #1: Cherry Tree
      • Karakami Square #5: La Conner Scene
    • Clam Beach Revisited
    • Dragonfly Tray
    • Journey Home From Ozette Island
    • Tsooes Sunset
    • Peacock Sconces
    • Grueby's Forest
    • Screens >
      • Eagles 2-Panel Folding Screen
      • The Four Seasons Screen Series >
        • Fall Screen: Canada Geese & Maples
        • Winter Screen: Eagle & Pine
        • Spring Screen: Cherry Trees & Finches
        • Summer Screen: Swallows & Willow
      • Frog's House Screen
      • Waterfall Screen
  • Resources List
  • Catalog
  • Sold Paintings
  • Gifted Art & Personal Collection
  • Swallows Above the Grass Fields
  • Chickadee Rainfall
  • Sparrow's Hop Hideaway
  • Enduring Pine
  • Autumn Friends
  • Hope Island Selkie Folk
  • Hydrangea's Final Bloom
  • Hawk on a Pine
Picture
FROGS ON A LOG
 ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/ RED OAK FRAME
(WINTER 2014) 
     We were visiting Eastsound on Orcas Island and saw an interesting object in a window in one of the local shops.  At the time I thought it would make an interesting frame for a small painting.  The object turned out to be a wooden hand-carved tapestry hanger by Thai artist/artisan Yodchai Saelor (see http://www.novica.com/ for artisan information and items designed by him).  Once I had designed my frame, the next step was to design the small painting that would be housed in it.  Leigh had recently reminded me of the “fuzzy log” down at Ozette upon which many of us sat, talking and watching the incoming waves.  This huge log was covered in mosses and was so large that incoming waves were unable to dislodge it for years.  That’s why it made a perfect seat for us.  Thus, for my painting, I decided to paint this Ozette scene but with frogs as the main characters.  Frogs are particular favorites of ours and this early spring has brought out their croaking “conversations”.  This design idea was further enhanced by a discussion with friends Bob and Jim over lunch.  Bob talked about sitting on such a log and valuing the importance of silence and the art of listening.  Thus, the central figure in my painting represents the listener, whose act is the key to any good conversation.  The dragonflies represent the swirling conversation as the frogs sit and talk on the log.  Once I had designed and painted this scene, I was reminded of a totem pole from up north that had three frogs on it.  The Tlingit pole sat on Chief Shakes Island and was a “ridicule” pole intended to humiliate a local rival clan in Old Wrangell village (see Edward L. Keithahn, Monuments in Cedar, ©1963, page 56, for the story about the Three Frogs pole).  My painting does not have this ridicule message but it is an unintentional but interesting connection.  As in a Japanese wood-block print, I wanted my design to be composed of blocks of color with minimal detail.  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:           LENGTH:  30 ¾ inches
                                    HEIGHT:  13 ¾ inches


                                                            PRICE $300

Picture
Picture
Chief Shakes Island 3 Frogs “ridicule” pole
Proudly powered by Weebly