De Anima: Homage to Aristotle is a tribute to the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle was the first great biologist, and this painting focuses on his study of living species alongside his famous books on philosophy. Aristotle’s concepts substance, teleology, and his four causes are experiencing an intellectual renaissance in today’s academic world.
Keeper of the Flame honors our Constitution and those great men and women who have dedicated their lives to preserve protect and defend its sacred principles against all of those who would seek to destroy America. The flame symbolizes enlightenment whose beam may be snuffed out should we lose sight of its ideals of reason, freedom, and unalienable rights.
Homage to the White Rose honors a group of brave and honorable people at a critical and infamous moment in history. The White Rose was a resistance group of students and teachers in Nazi Germany who distributed illegal pamphlets opposing Naziism and were subsequently executed for this act of courageous intellectual defiance. This painting captures the critical moment when the students deliberately pushed their pile of pamphlets into the student atrium of the University of Munich. The pamphlets contained quotes from the great German romanticists, Goethe and Schiller, honoring and defending the idea of human freedom.
Homage to Nathaniel Bowditch, founder of modern maritime navigation. In 1802 he published The New American Practical Navigator’ which was adopted as the premier standard by the U.S. Department of the Navy, it was recognized as the best navigation text of its time, and is centrally featured in my painting.
Homage to Mary Lindell honors the incredibly brave and tenacious Mary Lindell who was most famously known for her heroic saving of many British airmen from the Germans, by smuggling the airmen out of France during World War II. After being captured, tortured and imprisoned by the Germans, she was, upon her release, flown to England where she demanded to be returned to France to continue her dangerous work. And so she did return and saved yet more British airmen. Surviving the war, Mary Lindell received many decorations for her courageous contributions to the defeat of the Nazi forces in France.
Homage to Da Vinci honors the great renaissance artist, scientist, and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. Here we see his model for his invention of the helicopter near his cage, where he studied the flight of birds (who have been released, their beautiful feathers flying).
The Gift of the Magi is a beautiful, touching short story written by O. Henry in 1906, which tells the story of a young, impoverished husband and wife who each make a deep personal sacrifice to ensure that their partner will receive the gift that they desire for Christmas. For details, read the full story here.
The Inquisitive Mind honors my husband and his many passions. The statue symbolizes his love of art; the microscope, his love of science; the magnifying glass and glass crystal, his fascination with perception; the oriental cloth, his love of oriental beauty; and of course the books representing his constant search for knowledge and understanding.
An equestrian who has won many awards for her outstanding equestrian achievements, commissioned this painting containing several of her cherished possessions, arranged and illuminated by the artist. The finished painting was delivered on Christmas day 2020.
Maureen Thompson - Fine Artist 