TWO SEALS (Commission)
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SPRING 2023
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SPRING 2023
The waters off of Neah Bay are rich in marine life. Sightings of harbor seals swimming among the kelp beds are a regular, if not daily, occurrence. These seals are typically solitary so seeing a pair always made me wonder if they were family. A young seal will stay close to its mother for a time as it depends on her for its needs. It is true, in both seals and in humans, that there is no bond as strong as the one between a mother and her child. This painting symbolizes one such eternal bond. In this painting, the two seals are moving in opposite directions. The blue seal is swimming in the realm of the living while the black seal is in the spirit world.
The designs for the seals were inspired by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions. As a big fan of Manx-born, Arts and Crafts designer Archibald Knox, I was inspired by his work in pewter and silver to include Celtic Revival-style entrelac for the internal details of the seals. I drew in the flowing blades of the bull kelp stalks while thinking of Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo's famous pre-Art Nouveau chair. The design of his chair back, with its swirling lines and bulbous tops, always reminds me of bull kelp flowing in the currents. 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: 18 inches
WIDTH: 14 ¼ inches
SOLD
The designs for the seals were inspired by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions. As a big fan of Manx-born, Arts and Crafts designer Archibald Knox, I was inspired by his work in pewter and silver to include Celtic Revival-style entrelac for the internal details of the seals. I drew in the flowing blades of the bull kelp stalks while thinking of Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo's famous pre-Art Nouveau chair. The design of his chair back, with its swirling lines and bulbous tops, always reminds me of bull kelp flowing in the currents. 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: 18 inches
WIDTH: 14 ¼ inches
SOLD