Jack Deloney Board Of Directors

Art 101
April 11, 2012
Board of Directors The watercolor painting titled Board of Directors by Jack C. DeLoney shows four fat hogs; three of them pink and one black. The hogs appear to be standing on tan, light colored dirt, with patches of gray and blue. Behind them you see dark blackish purple trees. A small area of blue and pink sky can be seen in the center portion between the trees. The first hog, farthest to the left of the painting, is pink and is lying down and appears to be sleeping, though his ears are erect. The second hog, which is directly to his right, is pink and standing, with his ears flopped over his eyes. The next two hogs are standing side by side. The third hog is dark grayish black with floppy ears and the fourth is pink with ears erect. All of the colors are washed and diluted, except for the trees. This piece of work is framed in a light brown wooden frame with a pale mauve matte.
The colors used in Board of Directors are fairly dull. I notice pink, tan, black, purple and blue. The area that represents the ground or dirt is the most colorful; it is a mixture of tan, pink, bluish-purple and white. It gives the appearance of light dirt with some large rocks mixed in. The hogs are done in shades of pink,
white, and gray. The trees in the background contrast the colors used on the ground. They are dark purple, gray and black. The ground colors seem saturated and almost translucent, as though watered down, and the tree colors appear pure and dark. The shapes of the hogs are clearly defined by lines and shifts in color. The shapes of the trees and the ground are less defined and more subtle, mostly seen with slight alterations in color and values. The hogs and the trees in the background are organic shapes because they portray living, natural things.
This piece of artwork is proportionally balanced, and pleasing to the eye. The bodies of the hogs are proportionate to each other, as well as to their background. The length of the legs, the size of the heads, and the dimensions of the ears seem balanced with the bodies of the hogs. I also notice unity in Board of Directors. The objects in the artwork belong together and display visual unity, based on the shapes of the animals, the colors used, and the managing of lines.
Jack DeLoney is often referred to as "The Watercolor Man" and is recognized as one of the top watercolor painters in the South.
He was born in 1940 and grew up in Alabama with an appreciation for wildlife and farming, which he bases most of his paintings on. He says "Agriculture and wildlife are large themes that flow through my works and through my heart" (DeLoney). DeLoney currently makes his home in Ozark, Alabama and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his watercolors. He is well known for his dedication and love of his subject matter. Board of Directors is a watercolor painting that hangs on the wall of my office at work, directly above my desk. It matches well with the pale tan walls in my
office.
This work of art is sentimental to me. When I was a child and teenager, I remember this exact painting hanging on the wall in my grandmother 's office. She owned a large construction company and I can remember going to visit her and seeing Board of Directors hanging behind her desk. I always loved pigs, and had a pet pot-bellied pig, so the swine theme always caught my attention. Plus, my grandmother was my idle. I loved everything about her. She was a strong, working woman who raised five kids as a single mom. She was successful and everything I hoped to grow up to be. My grandmother died in 1993 and her construction company was passed down to two of her sons. This painting remained in the office until approximately five years ago. I wasn 't sure what happened to it at that point but about six months ago I was told that my uncle was having an auction to sale a lot of my grandmother 's things. I attended the auction and proceeded to purchase this family heirloom for twenty dollars. I knew immediately that I wanted it to hang behind my desk in my office at work. While working on this paper and attempting to research Jack DeLoney and this work of art, I discovered that this painting, which is a numbered print, appraises for 450 dollars. So, not only did I purchase a sentimental heirloom, I made a wise investment too! A day doesn’t pass that I don 't look at this watercolor and think about my grandmother and my childhood. Works Cited:
Deloney, Jack. Jack C. Deloney Art Gallery. 2010. Web. 11 April 2012. < http://www.jackdeloney.com>

Mark Getlein. Living With Art. 9th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).