WHITE CIRCLE OF SILENCE
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2016

     It was early June and, while sitting on the back porch eating dinner, Leigh looked up to see a truly amazing sight.  Circling above us were twenty or more American white pelicans.  White pelicans in La Conner?  I didn’t think that these beautiful birds graced our skies on a regular basis.  This truly was a special moment for us as well as our neighbors, with whom we shared the viewing.  There they were, slowly and silently circling above us in the deep blue sky for at least 30 minutes.  Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they silently finally flew away.  I just had to do a painting of this rare experience.  Events such as there are gifts that must be celebrated as much as they should be enjoyed at the moment they occur.  I designed my birds so that they circled around an oval center incorporating a Celtic-style spiral design.  I was inspired to use an oval as opposed to a circle after seeing a mixed-metal charger created by Meiji Period master craftsmen from the Komai of Kyoto workshop that I particularly love (see Sigur, Hannah, The Influence of Japanese Art on Design, ©2008, page 150).  The remainder of the blue sky was inspired by the Celtic Revival entrelac designs of Archibald Knox.  I designed and made the frame to reflect the spiraling motion demonstrated by the pelicans.  The frame is made 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:            WIDTH:  27 inches
                                    HEIGHT:  23 inches

                                                            PRICE $585

KOMAI OF KYOTO CHARGER

Gary Giovane
La Conner, WA
gioart13@yahoo.com