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Jupiter

$2800.00

oil on aluminum

15″ x 15″

18.75″ x 18.75″ framed size

Shipping included in the US and Canada. Reduced shipping everywhere else.

About the Painting…

The rooster in this portrait that I have dubbed Jupiter, is the master of over 30 hens in his little slice of paradise at a friends little farm on Vashon Island. My friend Michael has so many beautiful chickens, but this guy demands respect and admiration in a way that only an alpha rooster can. I work from photos and he was happy to oblige. He stayed right in front of the camera, though he never stopped moving. 

I find feathers to be a satisfying subject to paint. Varied in color, shape and texture even on the same bird! I love how they demand a balance of loose and careful brushstrokes. Discipline not only to create the precise strokes, but to let some of the loose layers show to help portray volume.

My work is influenced by paintings made during the Dutch Golden age. Behind Jupiter, I have a background that is inspired by one of Rembrandt’s self-portraits.

My intention in giving the painting of Jupiter a formal composition is not to anthropomorphize him, but to give him dignity of his own and to signify that this is his portrait, not just a portrait of a rooster.