Artwork title : The Blessing of the Animals

Since moving to Paris in 1994 from El Paso, Texas, and living among the masters' art I have long studied and admired, my focus has sharpened, including a fascination with Europe's marriage of history and modernism. That has become a primary factor in my subject matter with a juxtaposition of past and present. I am now adding into that mix the element of homage for the influencing factors in my life. The Blessing of the Animals is a tribute to animals, family and spiritual support in my life as well as to the artists of the past upon whose shoulders we rest. This annual service in my church (The American Cathedral in Paris) provided the perfect inspiration for the integration of these influences, however it it not a rendition of what I have seen, but is rather drawn from 26 years of my own source material. In addition, this oil painting was created entirely freehand with no mechanical means. Starting with gestural drawings, I spend about a year working out the composition, completing the final line drawing and transferring it to a prepared mahogany board. Utiliing Old Masters' techniques, including grinding my own paints, I started with a burnt umber underpainting, followed by three layers of color and some scumbling and glazing at the end. Though fair in size at 43 x 58.5 cm it is painted as a miniature (as evidenced when viewed through a magnifying glass) and was eight years in the making.