The Santa Fauve Collection
The Faraway
oil on canvas, 60 x 42 in
SOLD
SOLD
While still living in NYC, Georgia O'Keeffe referred to Northern New Mexico and her ranch north of Santa Fe as "the Faraway." I have interpreted the "energies of the land" from an old photo of her ranch, Ghost Ranch.
(additional information about the painting and it's composition can be found in the 4 June 2011 Blog entry)
(additional information about the painting and it's composition can be found in the 4 June 2011 Blog entry)
Brother Sun
oil on canvas 48 x 60 in.
St. Francis is the most important icon of Santa Fe and its surrounding areas. Two major American towns were named for St. Francis of Assisi: San Francisco, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1610, when Don Pedro de Peralta founded the site for Philip III of Spain, the official name was “La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Assis” (The Royal Village of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi). The cathedral in Santa Fe, at the east end of San Francisco Street, is the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. (Additional information regarding the details of the composition can be found in the Blog section in the entry for 13 March 2011)
Taos Pow Wow
oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
Every summer in July a large celebration is held at the Taos Pueblo. Thousands of participants and tourists all gather at the pueblo in a celebration of art, music and dancing. My employment of “Impressionist Pointillism” symbolizes the beats of the drums that fill the atmosphere and define the annual event. Another technique used in this composition reverses the “logic” that objects near by are more defined and objects at a distance are “vague.” I painted this exactly opposite with the most distance objects being the most detailed and the foreground and the Tee Pees being painted in a more “washy” and “suggested” style. That is a “trick” to draw the viewer into the composition.
Life Behind Adobe Walls
oil on canvas, 30 x 48 in.
There is a very old expression in Santa Fe that refers to the often secret and scandalous private lives of many of its citizens in the past……”Life behind adobe walls.” This latest painting for the Santa Fauve Collection is a “montage” of walls around the Santa Fe area. This is not meant to be a “cityscape” of a view down a street but a montage of four walls brought together for comparison under the filter of the title phrase.
Many of the oldest structures in Santa Fe were an integration of the wall and the residence into one structure. Often the gardens and other open air features of the property were surrounded by these wall/hacienda constructions. Later, architecture began to have the walls built away from the main building with the home in the center and the walls constructed as a perimeter protective element.
Just as every wall is different from the next one, so is the life being lived behind those walls. I have depicted a few varieties through painting styles and colors. Also, to further emphasize the separation of the walls, the light source in Walls #1 and #4 is from left to right and the light source in Walls #2 and #3 is from right to left. A subtle difference, but one that should at least register with the viewer on a sub-conscious level when studying the painting in person.
Many of the oldest structures in Santa Fe were an integration of the wall and the residence into one structure. Often the gardens and other open air features of the property were surrounded by these wall/hacienda constructions. Later, architecture began to have the walls built away from the main building with the home in the center and the walls constructed as a perimeter protective element.
Just as every wall is different from the next one, so is the life being lived behind those walls. I have depicted a few varieties through painting styles and colors. Also, to further emphasize the separation of the walls, the light source in Walls #1 and #4 is from left to right and the light source in Walls #2 and #3 is from right to left. A subtle difference, but one that should at least register with the viewer on a sub-conscious level when studying the painting in person.
Anasazi Shaman
oil on canvas, 36 x 66 in.
I painted this in the same Art Deco style used for the painting, “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” As in “Our Lady” I utilized a religious icon format with the face being painted in 3-dimensional Realism and the rest of the painting in a 1 or 2 dimensional “flatness.” The Anasazi (whose name in Navajo means “Ancient Ones”) are also known as the Cliff Dwellers. Evidence of their civilization can be found as far back as 6,500 years ago. There is no trace of their culture after 1,200 C.E. The primary elements of this composition suggest “Movement, Energy and Circles (the Circle of Life).” A shaman was thought to have the ability to communicate with other “entities” whether human spirits or those from the Animal Kingdom. A shaman was also believed to possess the abilities for healing, whether that took the form of a physical healing or more of a spiritual healing.
The everyday life and utensils used by the Anasazi reflected a “black or white” consciousness. Much of their pottery was decorated in white and gray with black outlines and lines. Some of the warmer colors found in the desert were also added to their pottery. The upper and lower “borders” of this painting are directly adapted from Anasazi pottery. I found the level of sophistication in their designs very fascinating, though thousands of years old. In the upper pottery design, the random flourishes/embellishments that remind me of a floral design also look exactly like designs used by Matisse (the most famous of the Fauvists) in his large-scale collages created in the latter years of his life. (I wonder whether he had seen some examples of this ancient pottery in museums?)
Petroglyphs are found in abundance among the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi. They were used to tell stories, as “signatures” for the dwellers and as a talisman for spiritual ceremonies of everyday life. Beginning at the lower left side of the painting, here is an explanation for each petroglyphs I used:
The everyday life and utensils used by the Anasazi reflected a “black or white” consciousness. Much of their pottery was decorated in white and gray with black outlines and lines. Some of the warmer colors found in the desert were also added to their pottery. The upper and lower “borders” of this painting are directly adapted from Anasazi pottery. I found the level of sophistication in their designs very fascinating, though thousands of years old. In the upper pottery design, the random flourishes/embellishments that remind me of a floral design also look exactly like designs used by Matisse (the most famous of the Fauvists) in his large-scale collages created in the latter years of his life. (I wonder whether he had seen some examples of this ancient pottery in museums?)
Petroglyphs are found in abundance among the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi. They were used to tell stories, as “signatures” for the dwellers and as a talisman for spiritual ceremonies of everyday life. Beginning at the lower left side of the painting, here is an explanation for each petroglyphs I used:
- My signature as an artist is contained within an outline of my hand that was reduced from 8 inches to 5 inches from wrist to tip of middle finger. Examples of a hand outline used for identification can be found from France to Australia . In the close-up picture of the signature you will also see an additional signature under mine (“Aly!”). That belongs to a niece of mine. She was visiting me one afternoon while over in the States from London and I decided it would be a great memory for us both if we painted at the same time. She is quite creative and artistic (she is working on a drawing of St. Paul ’s Cathedral back home in the UK ). Though she had never painted in oils, I gave her a quick lesson in mixing paints, brushes, painting knives and techniques. As I had thought she would, she did a perfect job and painted her sections much more quickly than I had anticipated she would.
- Moon shield
- Assorted hand “signatures”
- Buffalo
- The Shaman
- Four Directions
- Leaping Antelope
- Nommo = Air-breathing amphibians that brought civilization to earth (related petroglyphs are found among all ancient, indigenous cultures); also known among the Inca as the “Sky People” who landed in Lake Titicaca .
- Sun shield
- Firebird
- Spirit dancers (reminding us to celebrate Life)
- Sun circle
7th Chakra
oil on canvas, 56" x 40"
This painting is adapted from my limited edition lithograph, "L'Eglise de la Voyage." * I created it during my years of studying oil painting and lithography under Alexandre Hogue (1898 - 1994 - one of the founders, in the 1930's, of the Taos Art Colony and the "Dallas Nine") when he came out of retirement and taught for a few years.The actual 7th chakra is the 7th main energy center of the physical body (utilized in both acupuncture and yoga) and is located at the top of the head where the "soft spot" is located in newborn infants. Symbolicly it represents the "highest" connection point between the physical world and the spiritual world. It is referred to in different ways by many cultures and religions when discussing individuals who have attained a certain level of "enlightenment." In Hinduism and Buddhism it is referred to as the "Lotus of 1,000 Petals." In Christianity it is referred to in the story of Pentacost ** (Acts 2:1-4; "tongues of fire" were seen on the tops of the heads of the assembled...). Personally, I have witnessed this phenomen on other people twice in my life and it does look like "flickering petals of white fire" at the top of an individual's head.
*A lithographic print from this edition is in the permanent Collection of the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma - Episcopal Church, USA. It was a gift from the National Historian of the Episcopal Church, USA - The Rev. Curtis Wilhelm Valentin Junker - to the then presiding Bishop - The Rt. Rev. Chilton Powell.
** Pentacost in Judaism is the "Festival of the First Harvest" celebrated 15 days after Passover. In the story in the Christian Bible the people were assembled to celebrate this version of Pentacost when they experienced something of a more "spiritual" nature.
*A lithographic print from this edition is in the permanent Collection of the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma - Episcopal Church, USA. It was a gift from the National Historian of the Episcopal Church, USA - The Rev. Curtis Wilhelm Valentin Junker - to the then presiding Bishop - The Rt. Rev. Chilton Powell.
** Pentacost in Judaism is the "Festival of the First Harvest" celebrated 15 days after Passover. In the story in the Christian Bible the people were assembled to celebrate this version of Pentacost when they experienced something of a more "spiritual" nature.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
oil on canvas, 60" x 42"
SOLD
An explanation of the research and symbolism behind the painting "Our Lady of Guadalupe" can be found in the 02/05/2010 Blog entry.
SOLD
An explanation of the research and symbolism behind the painting "Our Lady of Guadalupe" can be found in the 02/05/2010 Blog entry.
Magical Redwoods and Adobe Walls
oil on canvas, 48" x 48"
Almost every tree in the paintings of the Santa Fauve Collection is painted with its trunk and branches a shade of red. In Feng Shui, and in many cultures worldwide, the color red represents "life force/growth/superior health/strength." In the grand scheme of things on our planet, trees definitely play that role with their production of life giving oxygen and their processing of harmful carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Adobe Sanctuary
oil on canvas, 55" x 40"
Under a Coyote Moon
oil on canvas, 56" x 40"
Magic Dirt - Sacred Land
oil on canvas, 46" x 36"
This is a painting of the small church in Chimayo (north of Santa Fe) that was built in 1810 and is known throughout the world as "The Lourdes of North America", due to the "supposed" healing properties of the dirt around the altar. The "impression" I received before painting this was to paint the sky the color of Chamisa (a native plant in Northern New Mexico) and to use the technique known as "sgraffito" to give details to the sky portion of the painting. Sgraffito is achieved by scratching away paint to reveal the white gesso on the surface of the canvas underneath. Before painting the sky I applied additional layers of gesso tinted with light turquoise paint.
Reluctant Godmother
(My homage' to Georgia O'Keeffe)
oil on canvas, 68 by 46 inches
oil on canvas, 68 by 46 inches
website, images, video, and text © David von Braun 2010
