Quiet Contemplation...

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on August 1, 2011 at 5:28pm

Curator’s Comment:

 

In Quiet Contemplation of the Neighbor’s Cat is a marvelously whimsical and expressive piece.  I am attracted to the straight forward portrayal of the subject.  The droll title and lighthearted handling of the color and light bestow the work an uplifting, slightly mischievous feel.  The broken color and unusual splattering of warm and cool sunset hues creates an atypical, but appealing focus on the facial features of the dog, and offers empathetic expression. While many of your other animal portraits are skillfully rendered, this piece seems to move past a truthful depiction of the subject, and into the character and nature of her thoughts and psyche. The painting also asserts a formal dynamic, as the figure fills most of the positive space, and creates a dramatic up close communication with the viewer, with the focal point (Miss India’s face) crouched unexpectedly in the bottom section of the picture plane.

As an animal lover myself I’m often challenged to work with the subject of companion animals in particular, fearing they can too easily slip into the realm of cliché or kitsch.  This is neither, and provides a warmhearted, communicative portrait with well-built formal painterly qualities.