vansfigures: Blue SofiaThis sketch began in expressionistic...
Blue Sofia
This sketch began in expressionistic rainbow colors (purple, red and green primarily) but became more subdued as work progressed. Finally I ended up with a palette suggestive of Picasso's famed Blue Period. Somehow the bony, waiflike girl seems more suited to these cold and melancholy hues.
Somebody ought to give her a shawl and a cup of soup.
vanfullersublime: Just Julia Here is my fourth piece featuring...
Just Julia
Here is my fourth piece featuring the beautiful Julia, whose full figure and flowing lines are the artistic equivalent of ice cream and cookies.
This is the sort of physique that used to thrill the Old Masters. Still works for me.
vanfullersublime: Still Life With Allosaurus I am seldom moved...
Still Life With Allosaurus
I am seldom moved to paint flowers, but there was something irresistible about this fragile yellow daisy.
vanfullersublime: Ruby's Haircut As a rule, I prefer long hair...
Ruby's Haircut
As a rule, I prefer long hair on my models: Hair can be used as kind of prop to accentuate motion or enhance a mood. So Ruby wasn't sure I would approve of this new look, and for a while I wasn't sure.
But now I think it suits her. It lends her a sort of pixie-like appearance that complements her freckled complexion and playful personality. She reminds me of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Yes, both of them.
She is rather serious here, but it won't last.
vanfullersublime: Portrait of a Poet The poet is Michael Boiano...
Portrait of a Poet
The poet is Michael Boiano of Thailand.
You can tell he is a great poet because he looks very uncomfortable.
Original art by Van Evan Fuller, vanevanfuller.com.
vanfullersublime: The Demise of Jezebel In the days of ancient...
The Demise of Jezebel
In the days of ancient Israel, Queen Jezebel and her husband Ahab (no, not the one with the peg leg) promoted the worship of the pagan god Baal. This was a terrible religion that called for the sacrificial burning of babies. And you thought the Westboro Baptist Church was bad.
Needless to say, Ahab and Jezebel kindled the anger of the Lord, and He waxed exceeding wroth. First He caused Ahab to die from an "accidental" arrow wound: The fatal arrow struck him in his chariot, which was especially painful.
Then it was Jezebel's turn: The prophet Elijah mocked her idols, killed her priests and anointed as Ahab's successor the virtuous Jehu. And having completed a swift and thorough coup against Jezebel, Jehu grabbed a bucket of water to throw at the queen, hoping he could melt her.
Okay, I made that up. But it might have worked.
Anyway, Jezebel knew that her proverbial goose was cooked. She painted her face in the manner of a priestess of Baal, to demonstrate her lack of repentance. And she looked out the window, waiting for Jehu.
When Jehu arrived, he commanded her attending eunuchs to toss her out the window. It is unknown whether Jezebel herself was responsible for the eunuchs' loss of—well, you know—but they seemed quite willing to do it.
Out she went, and when she hit the pavement she was eaten alive by dogs. She was also trampled by horses, but you can only fit so much into a picture. When the dogs were finished, somebody swept the remaining scraps into a cigar box.
The object at the bottom is a photo of the actual seal with which Jezebel enacted her terrible decrees. Nowadays it wouldn't command enough respect to get you out of a parking ticket.
vanfullersublime: Eleionomae Blue This is a variation of my...
Eleionomae Blue
This is a variation of my picture Eleionomae 18. Here we have not 18 small scenes, but a single scene in cool and mysterious blue.
vansfigures: Pepi With a White Drapery This is the second...
Pepi With a White Drapery
This is the second appearance of Pepi, my beautiful Bulgarian model. I hope to work with her many more times, if she will put up with me.
vanfullersublime: Watermelon Girl My model Ruby went to...
Watermelon Girl
My model Ruby went to Guatemala when she heard they had good watermelon there. Here she is testing the object of her quest, which appears to be up to her expectations.
My original picture was not: I omitted the gap between her teeth, and she insisted that I put it back in again.
vanfullersublime: Piscatorius There's a fascinating story...
Piscatorius
There's a fascinating story behind this picture.
Remind me to tell you what it is.
vanfullersublime: Pillar Of Salt Genesis 19:24-26: "Then the...
Pillar Of Salt
Genesis 19:24-26: "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
Use the magnifier and you'll see her.
vanfullersublime: Surprised On the Puppy Path Inspired by...
Surprised On the Puppy Path
Inspired by Miro, this piece depicts nothing in a strictly literal sense. But something (I will call it a dog, thought it might be anything) appears to be leaping into the personal space of somebody (or two somebodies) out for a stroll.
I hope the encounter is a friendly one, but I cannot say for certain.
vanfullersublime: Landscape For the Little Tramp "Anyone who...
Landscape For the Little Tramp
"Anyone who paints the sky green, and the grass blue, ought to be sterilized."—Hitler
Most people will see islands in a blue lake, with green vegetation in the background; but that is because we automatically try to interpret pictures literally and logically. Trust me, the sky is green and the grass is blue. I was there.
I am aware that it is hardly clever and controversial to throw a rock (metaphorically speaking) at Hitler. But I missed the chance to do so sixty years ago, and won't be deprived of the pleasure.
There are few nice things to say about Pablo Picasso as a man, but here is one: He was fearless. One day, a group of Nazis burst into his studio, hoping to frighten the world's most famous purveyor of "decadent" art. One of the Nazi thugs noticed a print of "Guernica," the artist's great anti-war masterpiece. Waving it in the artist's face, he asked: "Did you do this?"
Magnificently, Picasso replied: "No. You did!"
vanfullersublime: Scene From An Edwardian Sunday This is my...
Scene From An Edwardian Sunday
This is my favorite style.
Unfortunately it is the least favorite style of practically everyone else on the planet, so when I use it I know that the arrow on my Ignore-O-Meter will spin toward the Red Zone. Most people want to see art that looks "hard to do."
This was easy to do, but it took a few decades of work to make it easy.
vansfigures: Ruby's Morning Smile Usually I like to provide a...
Ruby's Morning Smile
Usually I like to provide a bit of commentary; but here, I will let that smile do the talking.
vanfullersublime: Ruby's Haircut As a rule, I prefer long hair...
Ruby's Haircut
As a rule, I prefer long hair on my models: Hair can be used as kind of prop to accentuate motion or enhance a mood. So Ruby wasn't sure I would approve of this new look, and for a while I wasn't sure.
But now I think it suits her. It lends her a sort of pixie-like appearance that complements her freckled complexion and playful personality. She reminds me of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Yes, both of them.
She is rather serious here, but it won't last.
vanfullersublime: Muriel: Standing Pose I don't even know what...
Muriel: Standing Pose
I don't even know what to say about Muriel.
vanfullersublime: BoudoirHere's bad news for the male...
Boudoir
Here's bad news for the male population of the planet: Marci is taken. And this is a special "boudoir" picture that I painted as a gift for Marci and her lucky man.
Like Marci, it's pleasant for viewing—but otherwise unavailable.
vanfullersublime: Portrait of Ms. Marci Lopez Here...
Portrait of Ms. Marci Lopez
Here again—again!—is my friend, muse and sister-in-art, the marvelous Marci.
This time around, I thought it might be fun to paint her in the style of those life-sized formal portraits that old-fashioned socialites would hang above the mantelpieces in their parlors and libraries. Marci's tastes and values are very much those of a gentler day, so I think this approach suits her nicely.
vansfigures: Kelly's Bed Here is an Impressionistic picture...
Kelly's Bed
Here is an Impressionistic picture that might have been painted with a rainbow. The image is composed of many thousands of flecks of pure color; and the contours are soft and indistinct, suggesting the half-formed dreams that dance already through the mind of our drowsy nude.
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