Show preview: Presenting “Two Souls, One Spirit”
UPDATE: Two Souls, One Spirit has been sold.
My newest painting, Two Souls, One Spirit is ready for the Celebration of Fine Art Show
Two Souls, One Spirit, oil on canvas, 36″ x 36″, $12,000
Romantic new subject matter
I received wonderful feedback recently on my Facebook page from a fan who liked my slice-of-life portrayals–preferring them to more traditional portraiture poses.
Fueled by this input, I have made sure that my entire collection of new paintings for the 2012 Celebration of Fine Art Show reflects a candid moment in the life of the people I paint.
Two Souls, One Spirit is particularly unusual because I have not painted a romantic setting before. In this painting, it was essential to me that the quiet exchange between this man and woman be portrayed in a tasteful, gentle way.
How the composition creates drama
Notice how the dark-against-light colors causes an angle to form across the faces of the man and the woman and highlights their contented expressions.
I use curved angles throughout the piece to create a softness appropriate to the scene. There are soft, angled curves in the crook of the man’s arm and in the drape of the buffalo robe. These shapes both draw your eye to the faces of the couple and give the painting a tranquil feel.
The background, too, adds to the serene air with the muted shades of grey…but notice the splashes of red tones to add a touch of passion to the composition to emphasize the bonding these two people share.
In this painting, the man wraps a buffalo robe around his lover. I chose to depict his devotion to her with the robe because such garments represented warmth, security, and comfort to the Lakota people (who relied heavily on the buffalo for sustenance). Wrapping her thus adds another layer of meaning to this brief intimate exchange.
Historic details
Both the man and the woman are dressed in c. mid- to late-1800s ceremonial garments, resplendent with intricate beading. The woman holds a feather fan – used for purifying smoke “smudging” ceremonies – made of red-tail hawk feathers. She also has a beaded knife sheath. (Notice how the fan and the sheath form zig-zag angles to pull your eye through the painting.)
The man’s shirt came directly from a museum catalog in my research library. The garment is decorated with locks of hair. These hairlocks were not taken from foes in battle, but instead would be gathered from family members as a reminder of the people a warrior protects.
His hair is adorned with feathers: the red ones are dyed eagle feathers and the black ones are crow.
Interested in learning more about Two Souls, One Spirit?
Please contact me directly: James Ayers Studios.
To see my other new paintings, please visit my Available Paintings page.
