Painting in Oils
Artist: John Potter - Escape Key Graphics
30"x42"x.75" Oils on stretched cotton canvas
I painted this as an exercise in narrative storytelling. I wanted to create a classical scene with a group of people and a clear story, something in the tradition of Norman Rockwell. The painting shows Spanish conquistadors exploring Florida's inland waters. They are unprepared, frightened, and constantly surprised by what they find.
They travel in a heavy runabout, the kind of boat better suited for the ocean than these narrow, twisting waterways. They are overdressed for the tropics, sweating in armor and wool while pushing through humid heat. Everything they see is new to them, and they react to each discovery with a mixture of confusion and alarm.
Most of the Spaniards are focused on a tree on the shore. One figure, though, has spotted an alligator. His expression is pure curiosity mixed with disbelief. If you look closer, the oarsman may have spotted the alligator too. That would explain why he is absentmindedly steering them straight into the bank. The whole scene is a comedy of errors set in a landscape none of them understands.
This painting won first place for painting in a juried show at the Sunrise Civic Center Art Gallery in Sunrise, Florida. I consider it both fine art and illustration. There is no real difference in my mind. The techniques I used here connect to more recent work like my "Stalemate" painting. The approach to narrative and composition carries through even when the subject changes.
If you need a narrative piece for a publication, a private collection, or a commercial space, contact me. I enjoy work that asks for storytelling and visual humor.
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