Title: Dark Wings
Artist: Craig Sheppard
Date: 1956
Medium: Oil on canvas
Credit Line: Collection of the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art

Item description: A painting in a Cubist style depicts a woman's portrait. The woman's face and upper torso are fragmented into geometric shapes and planes of color. A melancholic or pensive expression, with a gaze directed slightly to her side. Several dark green, stylized birds are intertwined with or hovering around the woman's figure. The color palette is subdued, using various shades of ochre, browns, muted pinks, purples, and yellows. Dark blacks and greens are also prominent. The style utilizes bold, flat areas of color, creating a sense of abstract representation rather than realistic detail.