Author: Marketing

Michael Parkes’ illustrious career has revolutionized the magical realism style. His penchant for meticulous detail and evocative fantasy themes have made his work highly prized by collectors and connoisseurs around the world.

Marcus Ashley Gallery is enormously proud to be able to offer a selection of limited edition Michael Parkes artist works to our clients. Taste is naturally subjective, but here, we’ve selected the top ten most popular prints according to our customers’ and curators’ preferences. Enjoy this marvelous depiction of surrealism, fantasy, and folklore.

• Gargoyles 

Gargoyles depicts a youthful girl who has cast aside her innocence for powers unknown. Its captivating composition sparks curiosity and intrigue at first glance, and each small detail fills you with wonder at the story behind the girl controlling the gargoyles. 

How did the girl come into this power? What is the gargoyle reaching for? Is the girl maliciously breathing life into the gargoyle, or is she as innocent as she seems? Like all Michael Parkes paintings, the story behind the curious figures is up to you to discern.

• Still Life 

While certainly one of the least fantasy-themed of Parkes’ work, this masterful still life is no less magical. The impending storm in the background, the perched cat, and the precarious open book make you feel like perhaps this is not reality, but something a little more wondrous. 

Parkes’ still life paintings perfectly demonstrate his immense skill and unique style. This limited edition Michael Parkes artist print is one of our most popular, and it can be printed on giclee canvas in two sizes for your personal collection.

• Tuesday’s Child

The title of this recognizable work comes from an old English nursery rhyme: “Tuesday’s child is full of Grace.” The woman defying gravity on a burning rope is believed to be a representation of Grace, who is not bound by logic or reason. Parkes says that Grace works mysteriously and cannot be demanded, hence the surreality of the figure’s movements in the painting.

• Dark Unicorn

The beauty of this limited edition Michael Parkes artist print masks a surprising sadness. In legends, the Dark Unicorn was the only creature that remained when the pure unicorns were taken from the sinful earth. He remained to absorb the sins and sorrows of humanity so that the world would not fall into chaos, slowly turning black. The angel beside the dark unicorn in this painting tries to convince the selfless unicorn to leave, but he will not. 

• Black Panther White Wings

Two figures are at play in this astounding Michael Parkes artist image: a powerful black jaguar and a nude winged woman in black stockings, the latter stroking the former’s chin. The contrast between these two figures is stunning, and the sharp black and white contrast in this composition can be interpreted as the harmony of yin and yang. Parkes says of this piece, “The dark and dangerous panther sits in the calm atmosphere of the loving angel.”

• Moonstruck

This cool-toned, ethereal painting captivates the challenging subject of cosmology and moonlight. The angel holds a representation of the moon in her hand while the full moon shines brightly out, illuminating the angel’s thin and perfect form.

Parkes has also delved into the medium of sculpture, and this is one of the most famous works he has brought into the third dimension. View Moonstruck as a bronze sculpture, which you can also purchase for your collection.

• Swan Lake

Creatures and humans mix amid a pool of still water and lilypads, and the figures are not entirely corporeal. At first glance, it might seem like a landscape, but upon a closer look, you see it’s more like a dreamscape.

Swan Lake is one of the most colorful and complex in our collection of limited edition Michael Parkes artist prints. Parkes explains the setting for this painting as “a body of water found in a magical place, between Time’s unbreakable chain and human longings.”

• Morning Song

Mermaids meet music in this charming masterpiece of magical realism. A blindfolded woman players a string instrument, luring the mermaids in to sing along, enchanted by them even though she cannot see them. The waves have an almost geometric, minimalist appearance, while the figures seem like perfect dolls. It’s another memorable piece that makes Michael Parkes a painter like no other. 

• Going Nowhere

This painting features a reclining nude woman and exotic themes, reminiscent of an odalisque painting that was so popular in the 19th century. The somewhat unreal perspective and partially two-dimensional backgrounds add a layer of surreality to this gorgeous composition. The mood is ornate, indulgent, tropical, and mysterious — a brilliant addition to any collection. Notably, this recent Parkes piece was completed during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, where everyone was, quite literally, “going nowhere.” Of this time, Parkes remarked, “During this quarantine, I have been painting as usual, and she is finished. Because of not leaving the house, I thought the name ‘Going Nowhere 2020’ was very appropriate.” 

• Running the Bath

Running the Bath is a more sensual, yet still magical, piece from Michael Parkes’ collection. A woman bathes with the aid of a blindfolded animal companion or attendant, and her bathtub has a peculiar face, clutching an egg with one of its claw feet. It’s this remarkable imagination that makes Michael Parkes paintings like nothing else, and Running the Bath is a great showcase of the bizarre meeting the elegant.

Explore More Michael Parkes Artist Prints 

Michael Parkes has a style and repertoire like none other. His style and creativity cannot be perfectly imitated, and he is without a doubt the world’s most prolific magical realism painter today. A Michael Parkes painting is a rare piece that collectors and art lovers from around the world covet and treasure.

This is just a sample of the remarkable talent and skill Parkes’ collection has brought to the art world. If you’d like to see more of Michael Parkes’ artist images, sculptures, jewelry, and paintings, please peruse his profile on our online gallery.

When you think of Dr. Seuss, the first things that come to mind are usually his charming children’s books, his imaginative use of the English language, and the famous Hollywood films his stories inspired. Most people probably don’t think of this lesser-known legacy he left behind: the fantastical Dr. Seuss’s taxidermy collection.

With his taxidermy wall art and sculptures, Seuss furthered his reputation for creating the bizarre and unorthodox. His collection contains names like the Andulovian Grackler, the Tufted Gustard, and the Semi-Normal Green-Lidded Fawn — and they look just as strange and Seuss-ian as you might expect! 
As the premier gallery for Dr. Seuss artwork in the world, Marcus Ashley Gallery is happy to bring you this glimpse into Dr. Seuss’ taxidermy for sale at our gallery. These rare items present an odd and imaginative charm, and we’re pleased to present them to you today.

How the “Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy” Came to Be

Dr. Seuss grew up inspired by the exotic animals at the Springfield Zoo in Massachusetts, where his father eventually became superintendent. His 1967 book If I Ran The Zoo and his lifelong fascination with unusual animals stemmed from this past. In turn, many of our childhoods have been influenced by his love of creatures big and small.

Seuss and his wife’s apartment on Park Avenue in New York became filled with his taxidermy wall art in the 1930s, when Seuss was in his late twenties and thirties. His father would ship him parts from deceased animals from the zoo, including horns, antlers, rabbit ears, and bills.

The collection gained notoriety quickly; Seuss was already a prominent author and illustrator in high society circles in New York. In 1938, an issue of the popular Look magazine called Seuss the “The World’s Most Eminent Authority on Unheard-Of Animals.” 

Components of the Collection 

Dr. Seuss’ taxidermy is not technically taxidermy, which is why it is largely deemed as unorthodox taxidermy. While it incorporates elements of real animals such as beaks, horns, bills, and antlers, it does not involve the disemboweling and stuffing of real animals to preserve them as they were in life.

Dr. Seuss himself did not delve too deep into displaying real animal skins. Instead, he repurposed parts from naturally deceased animals from the Springfield Zoo. He used primarily plaster, screws, metal, laminate, and oil paint in his sculptures, adding real animal parts in only a select few. In his Tufted Gustard taxidermy, for example, Dr. Seuss uses no animal parts at all, opting instead for a shaving brush to create the “realistic” tuft of hair.

The collection is full of imaginative treasures. A green bird with a giant beak has a smaller version in a marsupial-esque pouch, and is dubbed the Kangaroo Bird. A pursed-lipped blue animal with dull eyes is crowned with a magnificent set of real antlers, and is dubbed the Sea-Going Dilemma Fish. The somewhat freakish Anthony Drexel Goldfarb has a set of big, floppy rabbit ears and a long brown neck. Like all sculpture, the true creativity of this collection is best witnessed in person.

How Seuss’s Taxidermy Wall Art Furthers His Legacy

How did Dr. Seuss get the inspiration for his bizarre animals? According to one of his interviews with the Saturday Evening Post in 1957, he simply “never learned to draw.” He was purposefully ignorant of realistic anatomy and traditional art techniques, allowing him to express true creativity removed from convention. 

Today, the “Unorthodox Collection” is incredibly valued by fine art collectors. Only 17 Dr. Seuss taxidermy sculptures were ever made. These pieces and their high-quality reproductions remain some of the most sought-after artworks of collectors worldwide. 

Rare and Ingenious Dr. Seuss Taxidermy for Sale at Marcus Ashley Gallery

Marcus Ashley Gallery is the nation’s premier Dr. Seuss art gallery, and we are happy to offer a number of reproductions of Dr. Seuss Taxidermy for sale. There are always a limited number of pieces, so visit our gallery online or in person in South Lake Tahoe to add this remarkable artwork to your collection. 

The magical, intricate glass sculptures created by artist Jack Storms are both dazzling and puzzling at first sight. How can light reflect in the interior of the glass in such intricate patterns, and how can glass be carved in such a way while still preserving its structural integrity?

While true understanding of this art form takes decades to master, we’ll do our best to unravel the mysteries of optical glass art and the Jack Storms process of sculpture-making. Don’t forget to explore the Jack Storms collection in our online gallery, or in person at Marcus Ashley Gallery.

What Is Optical Glass Art?

Optical glass art is a remarkably unique sculpture medium. Unlike traditional glass art, in the Jack Storms process, there is no heat involved. The cold glass process includes only cutting, polishing, and laminating the glass.

The sculptures start with a large block of lead crystal. Lead crystal is a kind of glass that contains at least 24% lead oxide. Lead crystal has superior shine and brilliance when cut, and is often found in fine antique glassware made before lead was commonly known to be toxic for drinking. Without heat, lead crystal is exceptionally difficult to work with.

To create his pieces, Jack Storms slices the lead crystal in geometric patterns. Then, he inserts slivers of dichroic glass with intense precision into the slices, carefully gluing and sealing them into place with high-end epoxy. Dichroic glass is a coated, iridescent material that shifts colors depending on the view angle, and has been used for a startling visual effect in glasswork for centuries.

Light passes through the lead crystal differently than the dichroic glass. The Jack Storms process involves carefully paying attention to the refractive index: the rate at which light passes through the material. The epoxy shares the same refractive index as the dichroic glass, but not the lead crystal. By paying attention to this scientific aspect, Jack Storms can create illusions of depth within the glass itself, as if elements are suspended within the glass.

The resulting piece of optical glass art has to be seen to be believed. The light plays off of the hundreds of surfaces in a dazzling display of prismatic effects, creating what resembles a sparkling kaleidoscope. The effect is not chaotic; it is startlingly perfect and geometric, almost alien. Indeed, two of Jack Storms’ art pieces were used in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy in the background of an alien planet scene!

How Unique is the Jack Storms Process?

Jack Storms is one of only three prominent cold glass craftsmen in the world. Why? Cold glass, as the process is also known, is an extremely difficult craft to master and requires specialized tools that few people have access to.

Additionally, Jack Storms’ process can be very dangerous. Storms lost sight in his right eye after a piece of glass flew off the lathe while working. The accident took him away from his craft for almost a year, but he came back to it with renewed vigor, letting nothing stop him from pursuing his passion.

Each of his optical glass art pieces takes around 8 to 18 weeks to complete — sometimes years. The tolerance and precision required, as well as the skill and experience, makes each piece a daunting and time-consuming challenge. There are no shortcuts with this work: each individual lamination is a laborious task that requires intense focus and patience.

The work is highly tactical and mathematical, but it is not without artistic spirit and passion. Storms takes great care to incorporate famous art ratios found in nature, including the Fibonacci sequence. Many of Storms’ finest pieces are inspired by his greatest loves in life, his wife and son, and he pours his love for them into all his work.

Experience Jack Storms Art In Person at Marcus Ashley Gallery

Marcus Ashley Gallery is very proud to host several of Jack Storms’ most stunning optical glass creations. You can come see them for yourself in our premier gallery in South Lake Tahoe, where we feature some of the most recognizable contemporary artists of the 21st century.

We strive to make both our online gallery and our physical location a welcoming, inspiring experience. If you have any questions about purchasing Jack Storms optical glass art for your collection, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our skilled art consultants.

Welcome to the gallery!