New purchase: "Pomegranates" by Brian Gorst. See Brian's new website here.
"Pomegranates", Oil on canvas board, Brian Gorst 2009
Thursday 12 February 2009
Sunday 8 February 2009
New painting: Juno
"Juno", oil on canvas, Mike Todd 2009
New painting from Brian Gorst's portrait painting class at Malvern Hills College. I have transformed the model (Adrian) into a portrait of the goddess Juno. This was inspired by Adrian's 'regal' pose, and the peacock feathers in the background (which have been significantly altered). Most of the background is made up, and objects relate to various Junian symbols and stories.
Juno is a roman goddess of marriage, and often referred to as Queen Juno. The bird relates to Aesop's fable in which a peacock places a petition before Juno desiring to have the voice of a nightingale in addition to his other attractions; but Juno refuses his request. When he persists, and points out that he was her favourite bird, she says:
Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything
The portrait is therefore something of an allegory of marriage and contentment.
On the other hand there is a slight air of malice in the image and Juno (and certainly her Greek counterpart Hera) was known for her jealousy and somewhat robust defence of her marriage.
Wednesday 4 February 2009
Drawings from Rome
A post of some of the drawings I made in galleries in Rome. Click for larger images.
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