Farewell, Pygmalion. Farewell.

Here's a shot--from my easel--of the nearly finished first painting in my new series on Victorian actresses.

The art shows Mary Anderson in the title role of Galatea from the W.S. Gilbert play, "Pygmalion and Galatea." The play tells the story of a sculptor who, in wishing his work to become more lifelike, accidentally causes his latest sculptural effort to actually come to life. The play proceeds down this path with the sculptor eventually having to choose between his wife and his new creation. It's a sort of tragic comedy.

The painting illustrates the play's final scene as Galatea, rejected by Pygmalion, prepares to ascend back upon her sculptural base and again become a marble statue. The painting is based on the original script, period photos of Mary Anderson, and descriptions from original theater reviews, and the background mimics the style of Roman walls found in the dwellings in and around Pompeii.

The painting will be called, "Farewell, Pygmalion. Farewell," and limited edition prints should be available in late 2007.