A Winter Tail

I’m pleased to note that this piece, “A Winter Tail” is now available through the Jeni Benos Gallery located in The Greenbrier Art Colony Shops on Alabama Row at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV.

You can contact Jeni Benos via email or phone at:
Jeni@Jenuinelyjeni.com
978-758-0487

22″ x 15″ Mixed Media Collage

My “Fleeting Glimpses” series reflects my love of wildlife and seeing them in their natural habitat.  Each wildlife sighting I experience is a precious gift, a stolen moment of insight behind nature’s curtain into the daily life of each creature.  As an “outsider” we are offered this rare moment of witnessing another world.  The compositions I create are often unexpected which represents not only the chance sighting lasting only a moment but also the wild aspect of the animals not constrained by our rules or boundaries.  As the observer, we watch for and learn to see the reward of a glimpse… It is surprising how often our neighbors are near if only we’d look for them.

“A Winter Tail” is from the “Portals” branch of my “Fleeting Glimpses” series which introduces an element of surrealism.  I believe this invites the viewer to engage more personally as possibilities are opened up by removing the constraint of reality.  The embedded box motifs are “windows” into an alternative environment, real or imagined.  The paintings make subtle statements regarding our encroachment on the habitats of our wild neighbors.  Most include collage or dimensional elements that represent human presence.  “Wonky” tree shapes and curved lines are also a common motif throughout the series.

“Mixed Media & Collage” is fun, fun, and more fun!  The sky is the limit and my creativity soars when the “rules” and constraints of a specific medium no longer apply!  As I have introduced more surreal and symbolic elements into my paintings, the mixed-media and collage have facilitated expressing my ideas in exciting new ways.

The red fox in “A Winter Tail” is seated on top of a “portal” into a snowy woods scene which is veiled using collaged rice paper with embedded flakes of gold and silver to represent falling snow.  Behind the fox, the leaf and woodland motif was achieved with color pencil on top of acrylic paint.   The moon provides a balancing visual element and represents natural cycles and seasons.  I love the whimsical feel of this painting and capturing the curiosity of the fox.  This painting was inspired by photographs provided by one of my collectors of a pair of red fox kits residing and frolicking in his backyard garden.