28.5 x 21″
Mixed media on paper 1992
Summer time is here, and it is HOT. Many years ago in the heat of July, I painted this work on paper. It was first exhibited in a show entitled Hotter Than July.
Zola was our first Standard poodle. Here she is wearing a collar with her name on it. Her leash dangles beside her. Along the lower section of the painting are two reproductions of Olympia, painted in 1863 by my favorite artist, Edouard Manet. I recreated his work with an E-Z cut block.He is a 19th century French painter, sometimes credited with being the founder of Impressionism.
Also, at the bottom of the painting is a copy of a samurai figure. Both the samurai and Olympia are pictured in another one of Manet’s paintings, titled Portrait of Emile Zola. Japanese woodcuts were all the rage at that time.
This was my first “Zola” painting in a series of about 50 works.