SWALLOW AND WILLOW
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2024

     Swallows and willow trees are both seasonal motifs often seen in Japanese art, and they symbolize summer.  Recently I saw a painting by Japanese Nihonga artist Murakoshi Yūko( 村越由子 @murakoara) which inspired me to paint a similar scene.  I actually chose to make a smaller version of a detail taken from a three-panel screen I painted in the summer of 2016, but just focusing on one of the swallows.  The design for the swallow was inspired by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions.  I made the frame for this painting 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.  I specifically made this painting for the Matzke Gallery’s “Honey, I Shrunk the Art” 2024 show.

DIMENSIONS:          HEIGHT: 8 ¼ inches
                                  WIDTH: 10 ¾ inches

                                                               PRICE $250

Gary Giovane
La Conner, WA
[email protected]

Painting by Murakoshi Yūko( 村越由子 @murakoara)