Elegant, gallant, beloved Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's most sparkling novel, with a plot that moves like a swift, crystal-clear stream and characters who have become both literary icons and dear friends for readers across the centuries and around the world. What a pure joy to try to capture highlights of this glorious tale that I have loved all my life! This new storytelling art print reads from left-to-right, right-to-left and so on, and Janeites everywhere are warmly invited to follow the Bennet sisters from the arrival of Mr. Bingley in his blue coat and on his black horse to the final scene of delight in which Aunt Gardiner and Elizabeth ride about Pemberley in the promised low phaeton when the Gardiners are invited to spend Christmas with the Darcys.
Favorite Authors: Tolkien and Austen
I have a large Tolkien-inspired illustration project underway at the moment which has prevented me from being able to share new prints publicly for a bit, so as I am working on that in private, I decided to try my hand at doing storytelling paintings of some other cherished books. Something wonderful I've learned from illustrating Tolkien is that there is an enormous crossover between his fans and the fans of Jane Austen. Many readers consider these two celebrated authors as their joint-favorites, as do I!
One of the most popular posts I've written on this blog suggests that reading Austen can increase our understanding of life in Tolkien's Shire, while at the same time, reading works like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings lets Austen fans stroll the imagined English countryside before machines utterly transformed landscapes. In the works of both authors, we seem to breathe the last breaths of fresh air before the Industrial Revolution took full hold. Austen's country village families and Tolkien's pastoral hobbits could inhabit the same map, whether their surname is Martin or Gamgee. I find it both inspiring and consoling to have met so many readers who share a great love of the genius of both authors.
Painting From a Lifelong Love of Jane Austen
Jane is one of those authors who has come to feel like family to me. Both of my parents enjoyed her works and my older sister fell in love with them as a young girl. If you look at the above painting, she is reading Pride and Prejudice while I am at the other end of the sofa reading Francis Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Though I am only about ten years of age in this family portrait, I was already utterly captivated by the story of Pride and Prejudice as told in the 1980 version which my father taped from Masterpiece Theater and which we all watched until we could quote from it by heart. Within a few years, I would be reading Austen, myself, and wistfully wondering why modern life lacked the charms of the Regency as portrayed in her beautiful writing.
Reading Jane has led to a lifelong interest in the history of this period, in its superlative use of the English language, its manners, customs, and dress. I have brought my fascination with all of these aspects to my attempt to faithfully portray key scenes in Pride and Prejudice on a single canvas. Some details you may enjoy noticing include:
Careful attention has been paid to the seasons in which events take place. For example, Mr. Darcy's second proposal occurs in autumn, when English beechwoods are in their full glory, while the Gardiners arrive at Pemberley for Christmastide.
The two letters featured are Mr. Darcy's explanatory epistle handed to Elizabeth while she is at the Collins' rectory and Aunt Gardiner's revelatory note about Mr. Darcy's rescue of Lydia.
The roses featured are Agatha Incarnata, which was available in England in this period (I am a stickler for accurate flowers in historic portrayals) and the wedding bouquets held by Elizabeth and Jane are of fall-blooming heather, which would have been available at that season of the year when few other flowers are abundant. Heather became considered a lucky flower for wedding bouquets in the 19th century. The garland over the church door is woven of the year's last hawksbit, pennyroyal, scabious, and oxeye daisies.
At the ball at Netherfield, Jane and Elizabeth are wearing overdresses of the newly-available mechanized lace, which was far more affordable than handmade lace. Austen's private writings mention that she felt that Lizzy might have a yellow dress, so I have given her one, here, while Jane's underdress is a silvery-blue.
At the wedding, Jane and Elizabeth both wear sprigged muslin morning gowns, tied with satin ribbons.
Ribbon trims swirl through the painting - trimmings were so exquisite in the Regency and acquisition of them often took the Bennet girls to Meryton. The blue, embroidered ribbon unfurls from Elizabeth's hat as she meets Mr. Wickham.
As an artist, art history is one of my great loves, and so in painting from Pride and Prejudice, I am drawing inspiration from period portraiture. In particular, my Jane Bennet is inspired by William Blake's portrait of Mrs. Harriet Quentin. Some researchers believe this was the painting which Jane Austen once saw and described as capturing her idea of Jane Bennet.
The central symbol of the silver fruit bowl overflowing with Mr. Darcy's grapes, peaches, and nectarines bears the title of the book and took on a special significance for me as I worked on the complex layout of this painting. The scene at Pemberley at which Elizabeth Bennet and Aunt Gardiner enjoy these luxurious offerings from Mr. Darcy's greenhouses not only signals the wonderful change in the hero's character, but also, the harvest of goodness Elizabeth will enjoy from overcoming her mistaken first impressions and being willing to revise her opinions of her suitor.
To further enjoy closeups of some of these details, please watch the following video short:
Coming Soon
I plan to try to illustrate more of Jane Austen's masterpieces if fellow fans enjoy this first painting. I have already finished Northanger Abbey (so fascinating to attempt to portray Catherine Moreland's dramatic, eerie, and deeply humorous heroine's journey) and have just started out on the autumnal, brooding, wistful tale of Persuasion. I will also be sharing a portrait of Jane Austen, based on all the descriptions that exist of her from people who knew her and set at Chawton cottage. Please, come again soon to check for updates on these projects! I also welcome both commercial inquiries and any suggestions for ways you might like to see this artwork used, such as in tote bags, fabrics, etc. You are most welcome to contact me.
In the meantime, thank you so much for taking the time to look at my illustration. Kinship with fellow Austen fans is a sentiment I highly prize, and I am so grateful for any encouragement.
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