A desert view transitioning from nighttime on the left to daytime on the right. On the left nighttime animals prowl in the desert and on the right daytime animals are out and about. There are a couple of cactus one with an owl that often lives in the cactus, a flowering cactus with a small flying bird.
A Stained glass window surrounds a window to a gnome in its workshop. It is surrounded by a vine wrapped tree a small lake with a stream and some flowers during sunrise.
An erupting Volcano in red on the right is causing fires around the harbor. There are a few small boats on the left and behind the bridge.
This artwork is acrylic paint on a rectangular canvas, with a width of 24 inches and a height of 20 inches. It is a dramatic scene of a town, castle, and bridge set against a vibrant mountain range and churning sea. A distinct style element is that the artist uses heavy black lines to delineate and accentuate structures and features. Vibrant color is contained within the lines, suggestive of stained glass.
I will describe the work in horizontal sections, with each section occupying roughly one-third of the painting. I will start at the top and work down.
The top third of the painting is a mountain range. Tall teal-colored mountains rise up on the left side. Behind the mountains and on the right side, areas of scarlet red, black, and white suggest an erupting volcano.
In the middle third of the painting, on the left side, a town includes brown multi-storied buildings with dark windows. Chimneys rise at different heights to create irregular roof lines. Orange, yellow, and red flames leap up out of the chimneys and some of the windows. Moving to the right, the castle, in light grey and white, has more curved architectural features. Flames shoot out of turrets and windows. A bridge stretches from the town, in front of the castle, across to the right edge of the work. The bridge’s stanchions descend into the sea.
The bottom third of the painting highlights a moored boat on the left side. A striped fish hangs off the bow of the boat. Teal-colored sea water and waves fill the lower middle and right sides of the work. The artist portrays the movement and force of the waves by using heavy black lines. The sea appears puzzle-like as the chunks of waves press against each other.
Written by Karen Edwards, Arts Access Audio Describer
Inspiration comes when you least expect it. For Gillian, a young woman with intellectual disabilities, it all started a little over ten years ago when she was working on a giant jigsaw puzzle of brightly colored tropical fish. As she worked the puzzle she thought she would like to make a painting of the parts that she liked. Her first painting of the jigsaw puzzle turned out as she had hoped. And so her journey began. She starts with finding paintings of her favorite artists. Picasso’s Cubist period tops her list. Georgia O’Keefe’s orchid paintings, van Gogh, DeChirico, the Impressionists. Other sources of inspiration are books and Disney animation. Her boundless curiosity keeps her searching for new images, resulting in ongoing composites that become the narratives in her paintings. The process is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Outlining in black first for her overall layout, she is then able to add the bright colors of her palette. Bold and vivid colors of familiar images in surreal landscapes can resemble stained glass. Her passion and joy of painting is evident. In addition to her painting, she is a fearless athlete. She also enjoys creating dance routines to some of her favorite musicals and movies.
All images and text belong to Gillian Fink, except where noted.