The Shepherd and the Gods

7" x 7"

Vintage paper and photos from the early 1900's

Title: The Shepherd and the Gods

This complex mixed-media collage weaves together historical portraiture, iconic American landscape, and surreal found objects. The central element is an antique portrait, whose identity is interrupted by signature expressive abstract marks.

The collage base provides a rich, layered environment. Notably, the background incorporates a recognizable photographic fragment of Garden of the Gods, linking the anonymous subject to this natural, monumental landmark. The composition is further enhanced by two distinct, surreal found objects placed in the foreground: a plastic Australian Shepherd figure and a plastic sheep figure. This juxtaposition of a herding scene, historical portraiture, and a dramatic landscape creates a powerful, dreamlike tension between nature, the past, and contemporary artifice.

This work appeals to collectors interested in the confluence of historical documentation, surrealist object placement, and the reinterpretation of landscape and identity.

• Medium: Mixed-Media Collage (Antique Photograph, Acrylic Paint, Found Objects, Landscape Ephemera)

• Themes: Identity, Surrealism, Landscape, Domesticity/Nature

• Key Visuals: Redacted Portrait, Garden of the Gods Background, Australian Shepherd Figure, Sheep Figure