Michael Newberry, Ascension Day, 1990, oil on linen, 84 x 60 inches Sold

In 1988 I took a three month painting trip to Greece, one of the results of that trip was the creation of Ascension Day. During the trip I got up early, rode my motor bike along winding roads flanked by the sea and either eucalyptus, olive, or orange trees. My assignment was to find beautiful spots to paint, not difficult in the Greek islands, which have an embarrassment of riches of such places. The intensity of that pursuit was broken up by swims in the Aegean. The total feeling was like being pulled up into the stunning blue sky, surrounded by waves of heat. Hence the theme for Ascension Day.

This painting was made from scratch: I started with a concept sketch from my head, then worked painstakingly with a dancer who modeled for drawings of the pose. It was extremely difficult because we had to break down the figure into sections, notably the arch in the back. The artist, Melissa Hefferlin posed for the right arm when she was my student.

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