Category Archives: Works on Wood Panel

Pay Attention!

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Extinction (part II of triptych — I, II, III: Destruction, Extinction, Disintegration), 2023

Pay Attention! is the theme of the upcoming OKWA (Organization of Kingston Women Artists) exhibit currently showing at the Tett Centre in Kingston (22 September – 04 October 2026). https://www.tettcentre.org/pay-attention-exhibition

This triptych is my contribution. See last month’s post for part I, Destruction, and below for part III, Disintegration. The following is my artist statement:

Destruction, Extinction, Disintegration is a response to the wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East, to the accelerating rate of extinction of species, to our rising fear for the future of the planet.

Destruction: The action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.

Extinction: The complete disappearance of a species from Earth.

Disintegration: The process of losing cohesion and unity; of coming to pieces, falling apart.

Disintegration (part III of triptych — I, II, III: Destruction, Extinction, Disintegration), 2023

Air Strike

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Acrylic, graphite, washi on cradled birch panel (2024)

Size: w 24″ x h 20″ x d 1.5″

This piece is being exhibited this month at the OKWA (Organization of Kingston Women Artists) annual show at the Window Gallery in Kingston, through to the end of November. The theme of the show is Change. My statement is as follows: “Air strikes by drones are a change from past warfare.  Otherwise, no change.  No peace.”

Into White (II) Extinction

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Acrylic, handmade paper, ink on cradled birch panel (2023)

Size: w 16″ x h 12″ x d 1.5″

Part II of Triptych Into White (I, II, III: Destruction, Extinction, Disintegration)

Extinction

Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species from earth (National Geographic Society).

Extinction: A situation in which something no longer exists (Cambridge Dictionary).

Into White (I) Destruction

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Mixed media (acrylic, wood shavings, metal scrap, fence wire), 2023

Size: w 16″x h 12″ x h 1.5″ cradled birch panel

Part I of Triptych Into White (I, II, III: Destruction, Extinction, Disintegration)

Destruction

Rubble, ash, splintered wood, stone dust, pulverized concrete. What remains after the bombing of cities and catastrophe of earthquakes.

Dragonfly Dance: Young Nereids and the Red-Crowned Cranes

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Dragonfly Dance: Young Nereids and the Red-Crowned Cranes (Detail)

Acrylic, ink, pastel, Japanese paper on cradled birch panel (2023)

Size: w 24″ x h 12″ x d 1.5″

The red-crowned cranes of northeast Asia are known for their beautiful plumage and graceful courtship dances. Here, they are joined by young Nereids practising their ballet steps. The dragonfly, an audience of one, is barely visible at the top centre of the painting. I owe my inspiration for this work to photographers Tim Flach (“Red Crown Cranes Courting” from his Endangered series) and Sarah Waiswa (“Last Act” from her Ballet in Kibera project) — thank you to both.

Lost Friend: Northern White Rhino

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Acrylic and pastel on cradled birch panel (2023)

Size: w 18″ x h 24″ x d 1.5″

Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, died 19 March 2018. His daughter and granddaughter, Najin and Fatu, are still living, but the subspecies is considered “functionally extinct” as it is no longer viable. I mourn the passing of this great creature with this painting and also the one posted in March (Leaving Eden) https://npaulartworks.com/2023/03/13/leaving-eden-nereids-and-the-northern-white-rhino/

Nereids in the Clouds (Day)

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Acrylic, ink, pastel, Japanese paper on cradled birch panel (2023)

Size: w 30″ x h 15″ x d 1.5″

This painting was inspired by the cloudscapes of Georgia O’Keeffe (especially Sky Above Clouds IV, 1965) and Kees van Dongen’s depiction of the ballerinas Anna Pavlova and Ida Rubinstein dancing Cléopâtre (1909). I see it hung paired with Nereids at Nightfall See Fire and Rain (my March 2022 post https://npaulartworks.com/2022/03/31/nereids-in-fire-and-rain/).