Ruth Triptych

Here is my first completed commission of 2013.  The subject was Ruth, from the eponymous book of the Old Testament, and it was a birthday gift for my brother-in-law's aunt.  I'm told aunt Ruth liked her present.  Score.

16" x 20" Watercolor, ink

The polyhedron in the right panel was a new element for me and was a lot of fun to research and toy with; I'd like to explore these geometric forms further, for sure.  Also, the coils and spirals at the tops and bottoms of the three panels were a new (and time consuming!) challenge.
The large black background in the center panel owes more to the fickle gods of fluke than any sort of skill or planning on my part.  I had no idea what to with that large space and, in the end, decided to make it all green.

Weeeeeeell, it looked like crap.

Then, I decided to add some textural elements using India ink.

It looked worse.

Finally, I just doubled-down and decided to black it all in...I needed to drink a beer before I could bring myself to do it.  I think it turned-out alright, and the contrast with the Hebrew text is just what I was shooting for.