Tag Archives: Nereids in Art

Fire Escape (Details of Work in Progress)

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Acrylic, ink, pastel on canvas (2024)

Size: w 20″ x h 40″ x d 1.5″

This painting is taking hours and hours but it has gradually revealed itself in depth, texture, rich colour. Not quite finished, as yet.

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.

Nereids and the Ruby Sea Dragon (Detail of Work in Progress)

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Acrylic, ink, Japanese paper on canvas (started 2021, still in progress 2023)

Size: w 22″ x h 28″‘ x d 2″

This is the first of two (or more) baby octopuses joining the Nereids in this painting. I think I am procrastinating about finishing the sea dragons who occupy the bottom half of the canvas, but who’s in a hurry? Unfortunately the sun came out when I had just gotten started photographing, so the top half of the image is a bit obscured in the glare.

Nereids and the Ruby Sea Dragon (Detail of Work in Progress)

Posted by npaul on

Acrylic and Japanese paper on canvas (started 2021, still in progress 2023)

Size: w 22″ x h 28″ x d 2″

Yet another detail, this time of one of my two Nereids. Progress is slow over the summer months but I can see the way to the end (I think).

Nereids and the Ruby Sea Dragon (Details of Work in Progress)

Posted by npaul on

Acrylic and Japanese paper on canvas (started 2021, still in progress 2023)

Size: w 22″ x h 28″ x d 2″

I started this painting over two years ago. It went off course into a dead end and has been collecting dust for some months now. Recently I painted over the bits that weren’t working. We’ll see where it goes. The tentative title is still the same, though I have yet to paint the ruby seahorse itself. The leafy seadragons, seen back in my “in progress” post for March 2021, are shown above along with a detail of the ocean surface.

Nereids in the Clouds (Day)

Posted by npaul on

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/).