Reflections. 54” by 54” Acrylic on canvas. Painted Frame C 2006.
This complex painting is a series of reflections. A modern day setting of the fabled ride by Lady Godiva down a city street, there are nine different reflections and twelve different scenes. One of the scenes is the actual location in England where Lady Godiva rode her horse.
The experiment was to place the horse image reflections on the canvas and then make them make sense to the viewer. The painting also has to tell a story about an event that had relevance today. Quite a challenge!
The reflections come not only from the glass buildings on each side but also from the water puddles on the City Street. The background was based on an actual city street in downtown Winston Salem, NC.
The models for the onlookers and the man carrying the umbrella were my guitar students and families.
The painting may be viewed upside down and you can see the purple horse and rider are part of a painting on an easel (the easel legs run off the frame. So from the upside down vantagepoint it’s a painting on an easel in front of a painting.
Each scene has a different theme with a mysterious meaning. For me the painting is essentially a statement about nudity and art; about censorship, and about the essential role art plays in the betterment of humanity.