Michael O'Keefe Paintings

As is generally the case with my paintings, this work proceeded from a place of unknowing. The specificity of imagery and technique belie the non-specific character of the ideas and narratives presented. The imagery is not tied to any pre-existent source (textual or other). It is not preconceived by the artist, rather it is produced spontaneously in the process of painting. That said, it seems both easy and sensible to connect the imagery in this painting to common cultural material, especially that from very ancient sources. The central figure is very much like a totemic Neolithic goddess- the sort of which seem to be among the most ancient artistic works, examples are extant from eras stretching back tens of thousands of years. A lot has been written about figures of that kind but of course no one can reasonably claim to truly understand them. Here the great goddess appears with wings and entwined serpents. Crowned also with a glowing orb she has become an emblem of a matristic hermetica. The smaller figure may be less evidently archetypical. She is a younger goddess, a daughter like Persephone to Demeter. She lifts the breasts of her mother signifying perhaps how the presence of the child evokes the nurturing qualities of the mother or how Persephone’s seasonal ascent from the underworld awakens in her mother the impulse to again give life to the world. The cluster of gynomorphic figures contained by the crescent moon at the center of the painting refer to the balanced transformations of the lunar cycle and their mysteriously harmonic physical manifestation in the vital cycles of a woman’s body. At their axis is the cycloptical abdomen of the figure enthroned on the moon. The entire totem rises from a terrestrial gateway into an open landscape. In the background megaliths obscure the horizon. They represent a first boundary in time- the beginning of history. Below is the gateway, the opening to an inner earth...

Markers & acrylic on paper, 300GR Shipped well protected, unframed I can do commissioned work of any technique, style and size, contact us without obligation i can ship several dra...

"SPOTS" is an original acrylic painting collage on panel work by Jim Houser measuring 8in x 8in. ABOUT // Jim Houser was born in 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city where ...

An unapologetic woman plays her ace card with the assured confidence of someone who takes her coffee strong and knows exactly what to do when life gives her lemons. ADDITIONAL INFOR...

Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Dog and Kitty Go for a Ride" 2021 Acrylic Paint, Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Wood The artist signed the bottom left and the back of the painti...

With cultural icons and world events acting as inspiration, artist Soren Grau strives to communicate meaning through figures and colors. He paints in a street art-inspired Neo-expres...

Hard Conversations by Murray Duncan, 2023 Mix media on artist board Size - 48" x 60" x 2" Unframed Murray Duncan is a self-taught creative visionary. Know for his large-scale, expre...

Bold figurative abstract composition by Brigitte McReynolds (German, 20th Century). Titled, signed, and dated on verso ("Moonday through Sunday" © Brigitte McReynolds 1999 Acrylic on...

Malibu Dawn Patrol is a figurative artwork featuring a male surfer catching a wave. It is a mixed media painting. Artwork is 31.5 x 31.5. This is part of the latest series by Ha...

"Signaling Her Intentions" (2022) by Reen Axtell is an original handmade mixed media painting that depicts a woman on a horse with an abstract geometric background. About the artist...

"Gatekeeper" is a collage / painting created from acrylic and collage on leather mounted on MDF panel with yellow background. The work itself is 24" x 22", framed to 24.5" x 22.5" in a narrow, simple dark wooden frame. It includes several photograph of Black figures. It is signed and dated along the lower edge. This is one of a series of four works -- see image gallery for additional works in the series. Each is listed separately on IstDibs, but I will combine shipping for multiple purchases. PROVENANCE: Exhibited in "Portals + Revelations: Richard J. Watson," the African American Museum in Philadelphia, PA, Oct 2021 - Mar 2022 & "And the Beat Goes On," Suzanne H. Arnold Gallery, Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA, Sept - Oct 2022. "Most of my works are supported by memories of the past and suggested realities. Issues of social politics, ancestral references, and astral projections are presented with fragmented elements...

"Sunrise Over Money" is an acrylic painting of an abstracted, dream-like landscape with collaged found objects and photographs. It is an homage to Emmitt Till, who is pictured at ce...