Wild Things Artwork
by Patsy Lindamood

18"H x 24"W Colored Pencil and Water Soluble Wax Pastel on mylar mounted on archival mat board.

This work was given the Chairman's Award at the 5th Annual International Open Exhibition 2006, UK Coloured Pencil Society, Darryl Nantais Gallery, Linton, Cambridgshire, Great Britain.

This piece is based on some photos of the Inca Terms taken at the Emerald Forest Aviary, Jacksonville Zoo. They sit together in groups of three or four on this wire that runs across part of the aviary space. Even as I was viewing them at the zoo, they reminded me of a little ceramic piece my mother had made when I was a child. It featured three chimpanzees sitting in a row, illustrating the old axiom about "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil."

The artistic challenge for this piece was to portray the dimensionality of these birds against the walled backdrop without flattening them out. I loved the monochromatic palette that the scene presented to me, and pushed it to the limit in this painting. The birds were painted first with layers and layers of colored pencil, then built up further with layers of Neocolor II crayons. Then, I applied the crayons directly to the mylar to develop the wall. I used a marbled surface mounting board, took advantage of the translusency of the mylar, and then built upon the marbling that showed through to create the wall by rubbing crayon into the surface. I actually molded it with my fingers on the mylar.

This piece holds special meaning for me, as it was my first acceptance into a juried exhibition, and my first exhibition award. Having only been painting for a few years at the time, this acceptance and award created a turning point for me. I made a decision to pursue art professionally. I have to laugh in retrospect, however. Now, I can't imagine a life without painting now!!!