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I express my affection for the material world by elevating what makes it special to the level of portraiture. I like to work in thematic series.

I love painting people, but animals-other-than-human are truly my favorite subject. The art world tends to be snobby about work featuring animals, but I merely hold up Rosa Bonheur, John Banovich, and Walton Ford (among so many others) in response.

My art can be small, eclectic, often delicate work, but I do love producing large-scale pieces. I let the subject of the piece choose the size and media that I use to portray it. When I start a new artwork, it just seems obvious whether I should use oils, gouache, or Aquarelles.

People Portraits

Painting pictures of people is a pleasure. I grow so fond of my sitter, and I always hope he or she will feel warmly toward their portrait. I like David Hockney’s approach to portraiture, in that he doesn’t obsess over likeness but goes for the essence of his subject. This is inspirational, and I always hope to achieve the spirit of my sitter, yet I remain concerned that my painting looks like the person it’s representing.

  • “Muscle (Eric).”

    Gouache w/ ink & graphite, 20 x 30 in.

  • “Ayְse.”

    Conté crayon, 18 x 26 in.

  • “Meus Frater.”

    Gouache w/ conté, 11 x 8.5 in.

  • “Nauta.”

    Gouache w/ graphite, 13 x 24.5 in.

Livestock series

This entire series of livestock portraits is done in gouache on board. My subjects are 100% individuals with their own character and personality. The eye contact is essential as they engage the viewer with their assertion of self. The relationship between farm animals and humans is fraught, and that unspoken dialogue happens here.

  • “Horse (John) (Rex Equorum).”

    Gouache, 16 x 20 in.

  • “Chicken (Hen) (Jolie).”

    Gouache, 11 x 14 in.

  • “Cow (Kai).”

    Gouache, 16 x 20 in.

  • “Sheep (Shep).”

    Gouache, 8 x 8 in.

  • “Goat (Goldie).”

    Gouache, 8 x 8 in.

Cats series

For some reason I keep running into tabby cats and Scottish Folds. I quickly gather from the Zeitgeist that serious artists don’t paint cats. To which I say “f’off” and rake my knuckles beneath my chin.

  • “JJ & Playa.”

    Gouache, 22 x 16 in.

  • “Ulysses.”

    Oil, 31 x 27 in.

  • “Lincoln.”

    Oil, 34 x 29 in.

  • “Pia.”

    Oil, 8 x 8 in.

Dogs series

Dogs are ubiquitous and beloved in our private lives, yet dare to portray one, and your work is damned as kitsch by today’s “serious” art establishment. Go to any major museum and see how many dogs you can count in paintings and drawings and prints and sculpture. You’ll be surprised!

  • “Oscar.”

    Graphite, 4.5 x 2.5 in.

  • “Toby.”

    Watercolor w/ colored pencil, 6 x 4.5 in.

  • “Hope.”

    Graphite, 4.5 x 2.5 in.

  • “Bones.”

    Gouache w/ Aquarelle & graphite, 19.5 x 29.5 in.

  • “Cary (Rex Regum).”

    Gouache w/ ink & graphite, 12.25 x 18.5 in.

  • “Tink.”

    Gouache, 28 x 22 in.

Bison

You must pass what was formerly known as the National Bison Range to get to my grandfather’s cattle ranch on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Today it is back in the hands of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribes, where it belongs. Is there a creature more emblematic of the West than the buffalo? This animal is called Q̓ʷeyq̓͏ʷay in the Salish tongue (pronounced kway-kway).

  • “Halvorson Buffalo.”

    Gouache, 8 x 8 in

Artifacts

I spent the 2000s as an archaeologist of ancient cultures around the Mediterranean. For several summers, I excavated a Roman temple site in Central Anatolia, dedicated to the goddess Cybele, with a Belgian team from Gent Universiteit. I was the only American and the only woman; the locale was extremely remote, the work hot & difficult, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be the staff illustrator for different sites in Greece. My work illustrating artifacts in the studio brings me back to the dust and the heat.

  • “Marble Horse Head A.”

    Ink & gouache, 9.5 x 6.5 in.

  • “Marble Lady A.”

    ink & gouache, 10.75 x 7 in.

  • “Green Bronze Mask.”

    Ink & gouache w/ Aquarelle, 9.75 x 6.75 in.

  • “Marble Horse Head B.”

    Ink & gouache. 5 x 6.5 in.

  • “Janus (Double Herm).”

    Ink & gouache, 10 x 8.5 in.

Places

I like to throw my supplies in a backpack and take my motorbike down the back country roads until I find an idyllic spot to paint. Guys pull over to ask me if I’m okay. I need to put up a sign that says, “I’m fine. Just painting.”

It’s also nice to stay home and capture life on the farm. Maybe the goats and horses are having a conversation over the fence, or “the Ladies,” as they are known, are pecking about the yard in their feathered couture. Watch out for the poison ivy!

Recording in a sketchbook is far more natural to me than using a camera. I bring art supplies when/wherever I travel. I’m a morning person, so heading west is a boon in that I’m up even earlier, at an ungodly hour. There is always time to do a painting before anyone else wakes up.

  • “Mirbeau Pond, Skaneateles.”

    Gouache, 5 x 8 in.

  • “Red Rocks, Sedona.”

    Aquarelle w/ ink & graphite, 5 x 8 in.

  • “Bush on Betty Way (Dead End, West Hollywood)."

    Gouache, 5 x 8 in.

  • “Blair Hill Inn, Greenville.”

    Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

  • “Pond on Wing Road.”

    Goache w/ graphite, 5 x 8 in.

  • “Hydrangeae, Plymouth.”

    Gouache w/ colored pencil, 7 x 4.75 in.

  • “Summer on the Shunpike.”

    Gouache w/ pen, colored pencil, graphite, 10 x 13 in.

  • “The Norumbega, Camden.”

    Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

  • “Pond Near South Berwick.”

    Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

Sketchbook

Sometimes a little picture comes from the moment (a man reading in a chair), and sometimes a piece serves a purpose (like expressing love to a Valentine).

Often, I stop mid-project to do a completely unrelated sketch or drawing. I used to fight these urges, telling myself, “I have to get work done,” but now I indulge them and see where they lead.

Here’s a sampler of recent pages from various sketchbooks.

  • “Together Until We Croak.”

    Gouache w/ ink, 5.5 x 7.5 in.

  • “Tony Reading.”

    Marker, 5.5 x 8 in.

  • “Perfect Abstract A.”

    Ink, 12 x 9 in.

  • “Ramón & Isabella.”

    Aquarelle w/ ink, 5 x 8.

  • “Jilly.”

    Graphite, “2.5 x 3 in.

  • “Der Floh.”

    Ink, 12 x 9 in.

  • “Orchid, Boston Ritz Carlton.”

    Graphite, 5.5 x 8 in.

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M. DeVoe Fine Art

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