Retablos and Icons
The Spanish Colonial churches in and around Santa Fe inspired me to teach myself how to follow in the tradition of retablo painting. Like the masters, Jose Aragon, The Quill Pen Santero, and Antonio Molleno, to name only a few, I am a self-taught painter. Not having to struggle with perspective or realistic human anatomy helped a great deal, but it took a long time for me to find my own inspirations and make unique and contemporary pieces.
After the Fall in Eden Adam, Eve, the Serpent and the Cross Original Framed Retablo on Copper
Creation. Genesis. ' In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...' This work is one of my attempts to portray the act of creation and its aftermath - the hand of God making the world, the fall of Adam and Eve beside the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, death coming to paradise, the serpent's temptation, and Christ's sacrifice on the cross to redeem mankind.
The hand painted frame/panel is app. 16" x 20" x 5/8". Around the border, weaving around the symbols and decorations, a serpent approaches the eye of God at the top. The large copper panel is app. 12" x 14" and the painted portion has been varnished. I've painted Adam as a skeleton because the eating of the apple has brought death to creation.
Width: 16 inches
Height: 20 inches
Depth: 3/4 inches
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHTED.
Ravens at the Crucifixion Contemporary Retablo Icon
This piece was inspired by a verse in the gospel of John: 'And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull...' I thought it a likely place for ravens to frequent and made them part of the scene. Three perch atop cypress trees beside the eclipse, one holds the triangle bearing the eye of God, and the last presents Him with the red egg, symbol of the resurrection. The skull in the bottom corner is based on one done by Mexican master, Orozco, and the cross bearing the hand of Christ is based on African mud cloth design and, at the base, ancient tribal symbols.
Width: 12 inches
Height: 16 inches
Depth: 1 inches
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHTED.
When the Saints Come Marching In Limited Edition Giclée Retablo Icon
The trinity of the risen Christ, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and the eye of God the Father are represented in the center, as well as some 36 saints, all flanked by a lion on one end, a lamb on the other.
The names of each saint is written on their halos and include:
Modern Day Saints (and several saints in my opinion) top row left to right: Maximilian Kolbe, Anne Frank, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Gandhi, Josephine Bakhita and an anonymous Coptic Christian martyr.
Middle Area Saints (and again, several saints in my opinion) left to right: Fra Angelico, Rita of Cascia, John Donne, Juan Diego, Bernadette, Shakespeare, J.S. Bach, Thomas Becket, Margaret of Scotland, Mother Seton, Augustine Zhao Rong, John the Baptist, Agnes, Stephen, Teresa of Avila, Joan of Arc, and Jerome.
Bottom row Saints, left to right: Sebastian, Martha, Lazarus, Magdalene, John, Mary, Joseph, Simon Peter, Anthony, Francis and Lucy.
Width: 40 inches
Height: 16 inches
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHTED.