Early Beginnings of Cicada by Rob Evans

August 3rd, 2010
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Listen to Rob Evans explain his early beginnings and inspirations for his work, Cicada, currently hanging in the Commonwealth Gallery at the Michener Art Museum.

Stay tuned for future video clips regarding this work and works by other artists!

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Symbols and Storytelling in Art

July 29th, 2010
The Journey, c.1990, Selma Bortner (b.1926), hand colored linoleum print on paper, H. 24 x W.26 inches, Collection of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22.
The Journey, c.1990, Selma Bortner (b.1926), hand colored linoleum print on paper, H. 24 x W.26 inches, Collection of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22.

Selma Bortner created this print around the time her husband had surgery on his heart. Have you ever had a time where someone close to you was sick? This was a difficult time for her and she worried about her husband and his health.

She created this artwork using symbols to show her experience with her husband’s illness and how she had to take care of him. She shows a portrait of herself holding her husband on a boat. They are surrounded by animals and other human like figures. 

She compared this experience of caring for her husband during his illness to a “journey”. What is a journey? Have you taken an important journey before? How do you think she is showing a journey in her artwork? Read More »

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How did Rob Evans create his painting, Cicada?

June 3rd, 2010

This posting follows up to a previous blog posting on Rob Evans’s work, Cicada.

First Study for Cicada c.1994, Rob Evans (b.1959), Pencil on Paper, Collection of the Artist, Image Courtesy of Rob Evans.

Rob Evans’s work is created through a long process. Often he starts with a small sketch in response to something that catches his attention or imagination. It can be something very simple, or even a passing thought. He then puts this sketch in a sketchbook. Sometimes the sketch can sit for a few months or years without him looking at it again. He returns to see his sketches to remind himself of them and keep their ideas alive in his mind. Eventually these ideas take root in larger paintings. Read More »

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View of Almshouse, a painting that tells a story!

May 13th, 2010
View of Almshouse, ca.1900, Artist Unknown, oil on canvas, H.24 x W.20.125 inches, James A. Michener Art Museum, Anonymous Gift.

View of Almshouse, ca.1900, Artist Unknown, oil on canvas, H.24 x W.20.125 inches, James A. Michener Art Museum, Anonymous Gift.

What story do you think the artist was trying to tell in this painting? It tells the story of an event, time, or place, and the  painting can give us specific details. Sometimes we call paintings of this type either a historical or narrative painting. Looking at the painting, can you tell when it was painted? What kinds of activities were the people doing? What kinds of animals did people keep as pets or as work animals? What crops were being grown? How did people travel? What games did children play? What clothes did people wear? Read More »

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