Jonathan Earl Bowser - Cathedral of Illusion

¤ "Cathedral of Illusion" is one of Jonathan Earl Bowser's fine paintings that he is offering for sale as a Giclee print on his site, "The Goddess Art of Jonathan Earl Bowser". Details from "Cathedral of Illusion"¹ may be found on this page¹.

¤ "Cathedral of Illusion" is a tapestry of glorious parts which make up the whole. Let me explain: The unseen cathedral has a golden pinkish glow under a simple but elegant archway that could be mistaken for heaven. The "water of life"¹ (Mentioned in the detail page on the painting.¹) has had a lot depth added to it to make the rocks seem incredibly life-like. The moss covering on the rocks gives it a delightful touch. The "red king"¹ looks like he is the king of all he surveys -- very focused but determined at the same time.

My absolute favourite portion of the painting is the "Maiden of the Rose Window"¹ -- her hair looks like it is caught up in the winds of hope -- her complexion looks like pure silk -- her armbands look like they contain eye piercing jade -- her cuffs are cut in a diamond shape which would reminder her of her royal status..

~ Mags

¤ Jonathan Earl Bowser is one of my favourite "fantasy" artists. I put "fantasy" in brackets because he doesn't quite fit in with a lot of the artists I was following for fantasy cover art and gaming art. That was the genre of art I was following for quite a while after I discovered being able to look up the artists on the Internet many years ago.

I love the feeling Bowser puts into his work and the detail he puts into it as well. In some ways it is very realistic, but in others it is a step beyond reality. He does some really incredible landscapes and he also does very excellent studies of the female form. The two come together in grand harmony in his "Goddess Art". He also has that desire and talent to blend one subject or item into another to create something greater than the two separately. In this image he blends the cathedral-like forest with cascading brook rolling down an aisle in the trees into an actual aisle descending from the interior of a cathedral with the stained glass cathedral windows illuminating all in a magical light.

The lady in early medieval garb stroking a white dove, while a red bird -- I see in a detailed image it is a small red raptor, perhaps a hawk? -- appears about to alight on her shoulder adds a centre point and the greater meaning to the piece. There is a page with details of the image¹ including the artist with the original painting on the site. The titles to the individual detail images on the "Details¹" page make you wonder about the story behind the image. They make you think there "must" be some story inspiring the details.

But then it is the detail that make this artists works stand out.

~ Darrell

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¹ Detail page for Cathedral of Illusion.

M.C. Escher - Double Planetoid

¤ M.C. Escher's "Double Planetoid" is an illustration of this well known artist that can be found in a number of galleries and collections. We are highlighting it on "The Oldest Escher Collection the Web - Since 1993" "World of Escher" and "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery". "World of Escher" has information on the artist. "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery" has the best and clearest images. "The Oldest Escher Collection the Web - Since 1993" has a good collection as well as links to works inspired by Escher. Please note that we chose to use a larger image for a thumbnail because smaller ones simply do not work for this illustration. (Link to "The Official M.C.Escher Website".)

¤ I'd like to credit my best friend, Darrell Penner, for introducing me to the work of M.C. Escher. After looking at his work for a little while, I realized that all of his shapes on one side of the planetoid are exactly the same as on the other. He takes tremendous care and pride in the fact that everything is symmetrical and drawn like a mathematician.

He is well respected by scientists and mathematicians and I just wonder if it is because of his exactness and attention to detail. I have glanced at some of his other pieces and he manages to put ordinary objects in places where they ought not to be, and somehow yet this still seems to work just fine. So if you are someone that likes symmetrical works of art, then Escher is the man for you.

~ Mags

¤ M.C. Escher's masterpiece, "Double Planetoid" might not seem so impressive to many people today, until they realize it was not done using computer aide. Escher was born in 1898 and died in 1972* and computers were not being routinely used for artwork until well after 1972.

Escher's work was done using techniques of woodcutting and lithography. These processes involve creating a master printing plate or block by hand and printing the piece from that. Each line on Escher's works were originally guided by hand!

Escher's work, like "Double Planetoid" contrasts geometry and nature along with -- in some cases -- optical illusion. He does in this case use optical illusion to create a feeling of depth, but that is something we are very used to. "Double Planetoid" takes two interlocked tetrahedron where one is a fantasy planetoid -- rough and covered with tropical plants; lizard and saurian-like creatures living on the cliff-like structures -- while the second is a fortress a Templer Knight might be proud of -- all tied to an internal point of gravity. The primitive tropical tetrahedron does not connect at all with the fortress tetrahedron but rather the fortress bridges it with arches which emerge from holes on the landscape of the primitive land.

You can see the lithographic lines used to create shading and shape for the print when you look at the full sized work. There is a very different feel between the sort of line used on each of the two tetrahedron.

You really have to view the full sized image from the "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery". At least it is the same size as the prints in the book of prints I bought in my youth, perhaps only a few years after Escher's passing. I have bought few art books in my life, but the book of Escher prints was the first I bought and one of my favourites! This is one of my favourite works as well. ...though I do love the "Curl Up" creature with the "baby feet" that rolls up into the wheel to travel by rolling as much or more...

~ Darrell

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* "World of Escher"

Katherine Dinger - My Loyalty (Stark Knight)

¤ This is "My Loyalty" by Katherine Dinger. She does warn, before giving link to her gallery of paintings that there is some nudity in her paintings -- Artwork of Katherine Dinger - New Paintings so please be warned. It was a bit hard to find the gallery as on the "Gallery" page which is titled on the page "Digital Paintings" you have to find the link "for more work head over this way" to reach it. The Gallery page also has a slightly confusing "Back Home" link that takes you to another site of hers, "Pocketmole" which doesn't seem to directly link to the site "The Paintings of Katherine Dinger". Perhaps one is the newer incarnation of the older -- whichever is which -- however I am including both and "The Paintings of Katherine Dinger" includes the paining of interest: "My Loyalty". Katherine Dinger is also known as "jezebel" on deviantART and you can find a large gallery of her work there. The name of the file on some of the sites is "Stark Knight" though the title she gives it specifically on deviantART is "My Loyalty".

What device on the surcoat of yon knight is displayed?

There is a peaceful look on the man-at-arms in this image by Dinger of a 13th century warrior. I might say innocent, however often peaceful and innocent can be confused. The man looks at peace with himself, but might well have seen much and done much. (My guess is 13th century based on armour and sword -- the design on the sword blade could be many things though.)

It is an interesting composition -- with the shafts of light coming down as if in blessing; with the subservient posture; sword held point down, though not gripped like a cross -- in that posture it seems like the knight has either taken on or completed a quest. The image is done from an intimate viewpoint which could be that of a sovereign, whether Monarch, Clergy, or of Romance -- for this would be a time of Troubadour's and Courtly Love. I would tend to think it would be Monarch or Clergy given the trappings of light rays and peaceful intent.

The device on the surcoat is very much hidden. I have passing acquaintance with heraldry and can not readily make out the charge displayed on the coat. Perhaps it is just an artistic piece or perhaps a "badge" of sorts and not a heraldic one at all. It looks a bit like it could be a man being swallowed by some beast, arms and head raised above the upper torso with lower torso and legs already engulfed -- or perhaps Jonah being swallowed by a giant fish-like whale? It might even be some odd floral decoration or decorative sword hilt? I guess it is the herald in me pondering that.

For a warlike figure it is a peaceful composition.

Reading the artist's notes on deviantART I see it is a painting done for a card game, "Game of Thrones".

~ Darrell

I fell in love with this piece some time ago by Katherine Dinger. She has taken extreme care in bringing this piece to life. In particular my eyes zeroed in on the exquisite technique used to create authentic looking chain mail fit for an aspiring knight about to go to war. I took great interest in the detail and time she has taken to add more depth to this piece right down to the leather heraldic image upon the knight's chest. The last thing that impressed me was the detail on the sword and the markings which it displays. I can't decide whether the sword's features come from the Viking period because the sword seems part one thing and part another.

If you like an artist that is able to mix up styles and genres -- well then, Katherine Dinger is the artist for you -- because like Forest Gump says "Life is like box of chocolates, you are never sure what you are going to get." One thing is for sure, she will always use an element of surprise.

~ Mags

James C Christensen - The Listener

"The Listener" by James Christensen can be found on a number of galleries including ArtUSA.com, Swoyer's Fine Art & Collectibles, World Wide Art, Inc., and his own James Christensen Prints, Porcelains, Ornaments and Puzzles.

"The Listener" is one of those pictures so full of detail that a small size like 503x500 pixels simply can not do it justice. I do love pictures that one can explore with the eye for hours finding more and more to see. This one also has details of meaning to find -- I mean where one has to maybe dig a bit in their memory of experience to recall what the source is of the figure being alluded to.

In "The Listener" I look and I wonder if one figure is Baron Munchausen and another Othello. I see figures who might be from Lewis Carrol's works and others who might be politicians and film celebrities. I think some are characters from Christensen's own art works.

I get a feeling of a man sitting oblivious to the shouting crowds in the stands at some sporting event that has drawn this strange crowd together... or is this the artist doing a self portrait showing himself sitting within himself and his imaginings? Or is it an "any man" author or other creative person with ideas percolating in their mind? Or a person who might not be entirely sane... or is that the same?

It is a regular Carnival! Very much like in Venice or some other city where things like Mardi Gras is celebrated.

This is one piece where even the large online images do not do the work justice and I think one would have to get a poster size version -- and a good quality edition -- to do it justice.

~ Darrell

James Christensen's work "The Listener" is a single man's quest for serenity of body, mind, and spirit. In amongst this cacophony its like he is to be the solution finder for this fanciful kingdom. He has had to train himself to tune out, otherwise he would go truly insane. "You can't be all things to all men."

~ Mags.