Sunday, March 15, 2009

Illustration Friday: Legendary

Well, here is another Illustration Friday piece. The theme for this round was Legendary.
I feel just slightly guilty, contributing pieces created for other purposes....but if I didn't there's simply no way I could participate, so I this will simply have to do.
It feels sort of like going to a pot luck at someone's home and bringing something from the freezer, even if it's really yummy, from because there simply weren't enough hours in the day to whip up a timballo especially for the occasion, such as this Timballo di Riso alla Romana (thanks to Mario, one of my favorite chefs, Batali).
But, as usual, I digress.
Here is my contribution to Legendary, a painting from the picture-book I illustrated, The Baker's Dozen. This book is set in the area around New Amsterdam, the 17th Century Dutch Colonial settlement that eventually became New York. The town developed outside of Fort Amsterdam in the New Netherland Territory (1614–1674).......so, for inspiration and and reference on the fashions that people may have worn, seeing that were probably few shops or dressmakers early on and people would most likely still be wearing the clothing that they brought with them from back home in the Netherlands.......who better to turn to than the most legendary of Legendary Painters, the Master Himself, Rembrandt. My painting of the Old Woman was inspired by none other than Rembrandt's Mother. The Baker's Dozen takes place around 1650 and Rembrandt's painting was done in 1639. My most sincere thanks to Rembrandt for this...and so much else.

Rembrandt's Mother

The Old Woman

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, the details and colors are amazing! I'm sure Rembrandt is smiling! Great job!

Coreopsis said...

Lovely lovely image. I really like the woman's face (and wrinkles), clothing details, and the tree in the background. Wonderful color too.

Unknown said...

Great work you’ve got here, Wendy. Don’t worry about showing older stuff – as long as it’s in line with the theme, it doesn’t really matter. I use IF more as a showcase than anything else.
I was in Amsterdam last November and of course the Rembrandt museum was a must. Unfortunately it was partially closed off due to repairs, but they had the classics out. Needless to say, photos cannot do this kind of painting justice. It is absolutely astounding.
Your animal portraits are excellent, as is the rest of your portfolio – looking forward to perusing your various blogs and sites.

Cheers!
Son

Cheryl said...

Beautifully detailed and rendered.

oh and recycling is more green!

Burt said...

Very, very nice!