Land of Milk and Honey

Land of Milk and Honey is a collaborative painting I created with English artist Paul Clifford. We originally met on an airplane and then collaborated for about ten years on several series of work. We merged our artistic identities to create a third voice in the collaborative work. Land of Milk and Honey was created over a year in both England and the United States. The painting is based on a Martin De Vos 16th century allegorical Flemish engraving that symbolizes life and death.

The original engraving provided a framework for us to explore beauty and symbolism through the use of materials. We transformed plywood into an 8’ x 9’ painting by imbedding paint, lead, copper, bronze and peacock feathers into a baroque field of abundance. Two fat cherubs bracket a landscape dense with lush foliage. The painting was exhibited in Italy at the Florence Biennale and resides in a private collection.