Arroyo Toad - Endangered

Arroyo Toad, Egg tempera, 23 Ct Gold, Rabbit Skin Glue, Acrylic on Paper plate. 10" diameter. MF Dondelinger.
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Modern Icons

In her Tucson studio, MF Dondelinger prepares paper plates using rabbit skin glue to size them and then paints the backs and front border with acrylic paint to further protect the surface from the elements.

Charalito Chihuahua Chub, Egg Tempera, 23 Ct. Gold, Rabbit Skin Glue, Acrylic on paper plate, 8" diameter, MF Dondelinger

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Developed at the Jentel Foundation residency in Wyoming in the fall of 2009, this new series focuses on the cornacopia view of nature combined with principles and the materials of traditional iconography. The images feature plant and animal life listed on the U.S. government endangered species list. They employ the same materials that would be used for traditional icons: egg tempera, 24 carat gold leaf, rabbit skin glue. However the surface is deliberate and intentionally disposeable, compostable and biodegradeable -paper plates - instead of the long lasting 1" thick poplar wood panels typically used for icons.

As San Francisco writer Tony Tulathimutte observed, "The use of paper plates as the support medium is an intentional and conspicuous departure from traditional iconography. An orthodox icon commemorates the noble sacrifice of the devout, and so is created with tremendous care using precious and long-lasting materials. On the other hand, the sacrifice of animals by humans could hardly be called noble—it’s a tragic waste, and the use of the plates highlights the role of waste itself in that process. They’re cheap, convenient, and disposable, but to throw them away would be to destroy something precious and unique. When extinction is the subject, the sacred remains sacred, but nothing is permanent and nothing is redeemed."

Canary in the Coal Mine

Egg tempera and 23 carat gold on claybord, 8" x 10", Sold

Awarded time at the Jentel Artist in Residency Program

From Sept 15-Oct 13th I was in the Artist in Residency Program at the Jentel Foundation in Wyoming. Many ideas were worked through during this time and it has set the course for the next couple years of work integrating the antiquity of the traditional iconography and the modernity of my conceptual paintings. Stay tuned!

Transformed

"Untitled" Dry Point, Egg tempera on paper, 18 x 14", $300.

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"Monkey Mind", Dry point, Egg tempera on paper, 18" x 14" , $300.

To purchase, click here.