My magical realist portraits depict a playful engagement with nature in her guise as the eternal feminine. Allegorical figures wear honeycomb garb, butterfly crowns, and caterpillar necklaces. Last summer's leaves are raiment for their decorative pleasure, metaphoric compost for the eye. Mythopoetic headgear is often entomological, hats display life cycles, food sources and sometimes predators as well.
As a child I was entranced by the tiny worlds which flourished in the back yard, realms of bees with their royal families, worm like caterpillars who sprouted fairy wings and took flight, the heroic odysseys of the birds who reappeared in the spring. Immersed in fairy tales and myth I gave these creatures human traits. Years later these early fascinations with narrative, myth and wonderment reappeared in my painting. Delight is sufficient reason to proceed, and so I have.
Although my academic training was steeped in modernism, I've lately studied classical painting. In homage to the masters of the Renaissance I often include references and 'quotes' from their iconic imagery. (Source: leabradovich.com)