"Fallen Star" truly captures the spirit of exploration and discovery within all of us. Greg Mort had his ten-year-old son Jonathan pose for this image, which was painted in his Ashton, Maryland studio in 1995. The child is shown reaching for a mysterious glowing object that he happens upon as he wanders the beach just after sunset. The subject's tentativeness is clear as is the joy and wonder of the find. Jonathan had been the subject of several paintings but Mort sees this as a portrait because this child has always had a passion for beach combing and collecting "sea treasures." They have gone meteorite hunting at the Odessa Meteor Crater together and perhaps the discovery shown is a meteorite. The artist believes that "Fallen Star is the curious child in all of us always open to discovery."
The artist has painted a glowing meteor racing across the rich night sky again holding out the hope of a new promise. Mort's love of the stars as well as his continuing romance with the coast of Maine are his gifts to the viewer in this moving image. Using dark tones and colors like Whistler and other Old Masters, the artist presents the observer with timeless vision using the enigmatic evening as a backdrop.
The original watercolor painting of "Fallen Star" is in a private art collection in Maryland. The overall image size of the limited edition four color lithograph of "Fallen Star" is 30" X 24". It was printed on museum quality Mohawk Superfine eighty pound paper by the fine artisans of Westland Printers in Burtonsville, Maryland. Each piece is individually hand titled, numbered and signed by the artist. "Fallen Star" was published in a limited edition of only three hundred.
|
