The evolution of a skeleton painting

This painting has come a long way. I started it in the brightest days of summer and I had a lot of thoughts swirling around. I had an idea of a specter, breezing through an airy room, unnoticed to us mere mortals. Then time passed and although the painting was finished and even framed, i took it back into the studio and had to make it more somehow more grounded, real, darker. More frightening but also more childlike. This phantom wanted a seat at the table and wanted all his friends to be there too. Suddenly it was a dinner party, in the darkest days of winter.

Let’s talk about everybody at this dinner party. We have the skeleton, guest of honor or maybe the host, swan friend, black witch moth, banana slug (one of my favorite things to paint lately) the captive unicorn, a snail and a mourning dove.

in progress