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Good News Everybody,

Lovetts Gallery just did an article about my artwork. You can check it out at their blog, http://blog.lovettsgallery.com/ or read it below. Thanks Lovetts!

Huginn and Muninn and Kissin' ...

I don't think of myself as macabre, really, but ever since I was little, I was drawn to ... darker subject matter. For instance, I didn't mind having to memorize Poe's The Raven when I was in the eighth grade.
In fact, I've always been rather fascinated by those particular birds. For instance, did you know, they possess some of the largest brains of any species of bird, and are capable of communicating to other ravens the locations of things. They even have shown great ability to problem solve and even invent. Cool birds, if you're into that kind of thing.
Given my procilivity for ravens, I was immediately drawn to Bregelle Davis's Odin when it arrived at Lovetts Gallery shortly before the holidays.

Odin by Bregelle Davis
24" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas

Sure, there was the subject matter, but also the color and composition of the thing. It almost looks like a piece of pop art. It's at once simple and very complicated. I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Alas ... I'm willing to give you guys a shot at it first (and I am still paying off my first layaway).
Ahem.
In any case, I thought it would be cool to talk with Bregelle about the work, so I shot her some questions to answer.

What inspired Odin? What did you like about painting this particular piece?

For my paintings, I  photograph my own reference. Much of this reference comes from Yellowstone National Park. On almost every trip my husband, Tyler, and I eat lunch at the same picnic area on the north side of the park. Time and time again the same raven has shown up looking for crumbs. Many would ask how do we know it is the same raven. The reason is that he has one feather on his wing that grows out outwards, like a cowlick. Every lunch we would be eating and Odin would show up and hop around our table planning ways to grab our food and run. Odin had so much attitude that I couldn't wait to paint him.  

What made you choose those particular colors?

In all of my paintings you have probably noticed that I only work with three colors. I do this because I have found that constraints breed creativity, and it pushes me to be a better artist. For Odin I wanted to show the iridescent nature of his feathers, which contain a beautiful shade of blue. I also chose to use a warm golden-orange as a compliment to the blue and the create a inviting environment, because of Odin's curious and playful attitude. 

Why "Odin?" Is that a reference to the Odin of Norse mythology having two pet ravens?

Most of the time I ask Tyler to help me title my artwork. He is an artist too, so he understands the importance of a title. After we talked about it for a while he suggested Odin for the same reason you mentioned, that in Norse Mythology Odin has two ravens. The funny thing is that after we named the painting, we now refer to a favorite raven in Yellowstone as Odin.

How does this piece represent your larger body of work, and how does it fit into your current series (the bear, rabbit, buffalo, fox, etc.)?

First, I paint what I am passionate about -- animals. I have spent my life around animals, in my home and in the wild. With this series, I painted animals specifically of the Yellowstone area, and Odin is very specific to that area for me.

And there you have it. Odin. I'd kind of like to meet the guy and his goofy feather. In the meantime, I'll have to content myself to visiting him in the gallery.