David A CherryThe LoversImage size: approx. 30x40 inches
Framed size: approx. 37x47 inches
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board
An art director from Italy asked David to prepare some proof of concept paintings for a series of collectible plates based on Tarot. He wanted to combine classical and fantasy elements in an art nouveau style and, having seen David's portfolio, felt that he would be the man for the job. The two cards David chose to create were The Lovers and The Empress. The art director was pleased with the work. But the collectible company, for other reasons, decided not to proceed with the project. Still, as a stand alone piece of art, David is proud of The Lovers.
Image size: 28.5 inches in diameter. (with frame it is something close to 32.5 inches in diameter) Right now it is up high on David's wall and he says he is not hauling out the ladder to check.
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board.
The Little Kingdom was created in 1993. I was created at the suggestion of one of the top collectible companies as a proposed plate design. In the end, it was not used for that purpose, so the rights remained with David. An image of the painting went into David's portfolio where it was seen by an agent for Bits and Pieces, one of the nation's top puzzle manufacturers. They brought the image out as a puzzle, and it did well in that role for many years. David has plans to do several more in this series and see if he can't introduce them to the puzzle market, perhaps plate designs as well. We will see.
This was a design submission requested by one of the major collectible plate companies which was considering a collectible series based on this theme. The art director praised the style and execution but called for another submission (The Little Kingdom) in which none of the characters would be prominent in the foreground. Ironically, when the art was publicly tested, it was rejected for just that reason. The feedback suggested it would have been well received if it had had a couple of the characters appear prominently in the foreground to draw the viewers into the scene. Art directors.
A lovely young mermaid explores ancient ruins on the seafloor wondering who could have mad such amazing structures. Then, coming upon a statue, she gasps. "Oh my gosh," she thinks, "it was people just like me." And she grieves for their loss. This was a private commission for a good friend and is a personal favorite of mine. Her rules were: no overt nudity, and she must have black hair. I do not believe in Muses, but if I did, I would say that I meant to comply, but was swayed by my muse to do otherwise. Once I got going with it, this was the way I saw it, and I had to complete it, even if it was rejected and I had to do another for my friend. To my surprise, she liked it and accepted it without changes.
One of my favorite artists is Lawrence Alma-Tadema, English painter of Dutch descent, popular in the Victorian era for his elaborately detailed depictions of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Simple Pleasures is an homage to Alma-Tadema. This was my first painting in oils and remains one of my favorites. My longtime friend and fellow artist, Steve Noyes, guided me in the painting process. For the printing, I moved to Dallas for a couple of weeks while Noyes patiently walked me through the process. Many corrections later, I had a print the same image size as the original which it matched identically in hue, value, and vibrance. Thanks, Steve.
