And His Naked Ears were Tortured by the Sirens Sweetly Singing

'And His Naked Ears were Tortured,' by Mark Gilmore, Oil on Canvas Painting

This oil on canvas by Mark Gilmore depicts the fantastical meeting between the robot Ulysses as he witnesses the subjugation of a subject by the peacock king. Ulysses is flanked between two large skulls that are cast shadows of red and green. In the background the peacock king stands above a flight of stairs while his subject, a red frog, bows below him.

"I have been active in telling stories with images for over 45 years. My fascination with shapes and textures are my earliest memories and everything I have done in my adult life has revolved around these interests. I learned a lot about color, composition and story telling by stripping all sentimentality from these elements and using them for more than 25 years as a designer. Although I enjoy the challenge and variety of commissions, my own work is very personal. My work has always been about expressing the otherness and mystery just underneath everyday life. Reacting to the ephemeral nature of life and mortality. All of my personal paintings are just different ways of expressing one moment, one feeling. I’m describing a place I’ve never been with a language I’ve never spoken but I’ve spent my whole life trying to get there because it's my home."---Mark Gilmore

Mark Gilmore is a professional artist living and working in Oklahoma City.