A Teacher addressing climate change, bottom up. Print

Straus creates a mixed media portrait of a British Gardener. He is describing an ecstatic moment, a beatific experience. Straus removes the walls of to symbolize the transformation of a boy in the story, into the Gardener. Straus explains, “I was moved by several significant relatable transformations captured in one short, voiced, memory. The Teacher Gardener transforms while describing a life changing childhood memory. The child emerges from the story as a Gardener. The storyteller transforms back to a teacher.” Straus draws inspiration from the Egon Schiele and the Secessionists. The gestures, eyes, and hands are exaggerated. Colors are achieved through layering oil pastel and acrylic paint over top of marker drawings on watercolor paper. Layers of color are carved back, the paint, oil pastel and paper are revealed. The contour drawing is flat, the perspective is exaggerated, Expressive color and line are developed. Straus investigates portraits in the time of social media. Straus has said, “ I am chasing the joy of seeing a person speak, their passion. What draws us to a speaker, How do we see in their gestures and in our own mind’s eye what we are hearing?”