Georgia Griffin

Sovereigns of the Sea: Pulpo Reina Urraca I, Emperatriz de Toda Españ

2021

Artist Comments
Part of a series of biomorphic portraits mixing elements of realism and fantasy, and surrealism and folk art. Artist Diana Rosa says she combined 50 percent man with 50 percent crocodile, playing up the patterns and shapes reminiscent of nature and wild organisms.

About the Artist
Lighthearted and jovial by nature, Diana’s contemporary paintings depict people in varied scenarios of indulgence. Whether it is a quiet moment alone in the woods, or a tantalizing rendezvous in the tub, Diana creates private moments in carefree or comedic ways. Her narratives often include humorous sexual tension between unlikely bedfellows, enough to elicit a chuckle from even the most stoic art lover. “I create a visual dialogue where everything is possible and magic is the queen,” says Diana. “[There is] a subtle injection of ambiguity that blurs the gap between the ordinary and the fantastic. The background of this sub-world appears to be transformed into an innocent children’s fantasy that almost looks like a dream.”

Words that describe this painting: head, face, animal, human, portrait, mask, crocodile, man, folk, primitive, outsider, naive, Picasso, animals, surrealism, representational, primitive, acrylic painting, green

Animal Kingdom...

Artist Comments
The bison and the beetle have a prehistoric elegance about them that I thought would compliment each other perfectly. Symbolically, both represent life and mortality, which has been on my mind lately. To Native Americans, bison are symbolic of sacred life and abundance. And in ancient greek mythology the beetle became revered as a symbol of rebirth and immortality -- its daily journey across the sky became an allegory of human life. The Wallpaper collection is a juxtaposition of masculine meets feminine. I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature paintings, where the wild and somewhat prehistoric aspects of my animals featured contrast against their delicate backdrops. In addition to this, many of my paintings are created with a little bit of underlying symbolism usually sparked from a world event or life moment that I am experiencing. I concentrate on this theme as a therapeutic mantra throughout the creation of the painting. For each painting, different techniques and layers of design are implemented when creating the wall paper effect. To keep the patterns consistent I create a stencil to outline the shapes of my hummingbirds, bugs and fish, and then I hand paint each shape individually. In the areas where I wanted a little more chaos, I would forgo the stencil and eyeball each design. My animals are always painted first, and then I layout the design around them.

About the Artist
Australian-born Alana Clumeck...