THE ZODIAC SERIES
LIBRA
Under a glorious sun, an idyllic pastoral background with a delicate figure in an iconic Aubrey Beardsley mask holding the scale. It is a personification mirrors Beardsley's outrageous & perverse b/w illustrations in 1890s social milieu. Raised gilding, watercolor & shell gold painting on goatskin parchment. $3,600.00
THE ZODIAC SERIES
CANCER
This new illumination channels Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This mordant gilding in garlic juice shows a dynamic non linear backdrop akin to nature. The blue hues represent sky and water. Traditional 14th century medieval style in watercolor & 24k raised gold gilding on goatskin parchment. $3,600.00
THE ZODIAC SERIES
TAURUS
A brilliant mordant gilding using garlic juice, fanned over the vermilion background. A contrast of shimmering explosive gold to the fierce raging bull. Traditional 14th century medieval style in watercolor & raised gold gilding on goatskin parchment.
THE ZODIAC SERIES
GEMINI
The fourth of the Zodiac series - Artist pays homage to the 15th c. tapestries of Musee de Cluny, Paris. This rendition is inspired by The Lady and The Unicorn, with gold gilding dotted and sprinkled over the flora and fauna background. Watercolor and raised 24k gold gilding on goatskin parchment. Private Collection
THE ZODIAC SERIES
CAPRICORN
The third of the series. A 7.5" x 7.5" piece using mordant gilding (garlic juice) in the background over the vermilion colored field. Traditional fourteenth century medieval style watercolor painting and 24k gold gilding on goatskin parchment. Private Collection
THE ZODIAC SERIES
PISCES
The second of the series. This 7.5" x 7.5" illuminated manuscript consists of layers of Lapis Lazuli pigment painted in the background with a shell gold grid on top. The koi fish add an element of orientalism to the piece. 24k raised gilding border on goatskin parchment. $3,200.00
THE ZODIAC SERIES
LEO
The lion - this 7.5" x 7.5" illuminated manuscript, using mordant gilding (garlic juice) to highlight the flourish painted over the colored background. Traditional 14th c. medieval style in 24k raised gilding border & watercolor on goatskin parchment. Private Collection
Artist Statement - Yvonne Fok-Gundersen
I am a gilder, a painter, and formally trained as an architectural designer. My enjoyment in creating art is a result of transforming my emotions of feeling and love into an art form in order for the viewer to experience beauty and be spiritually uplifted.
My medium is watercolor and 24k gold gilding on goatskin parchment. Beginning in 2007, I spent four years taking master classes from The Getty Museum Education Department, and learned the art of 14th century medieval style manuscript illumination. My first folio completed during that period of training is called “Eight-Treasure Rice, a.k.a. Ba Bao Fan”.
I am passionate about mastering technique while also incorporating modern creative ideas drawn from both my early years living in Hong Kong and later life in North America. I have melded my interests in eastern and western art history into a new art form combining the old and new. In an earnest effort to hold the remembrance of things pasts, I combined fond memories that I hold dear and juxtapose them with the art medium of manuscript illumination. Instead of buying premade gesso, I follow traditional recipes to achieve the most authentic results.
I draw inspiration from fond memories and family traditions as well as my habitual visit to art museums. Both my background and my current life experiences in North America and in travels throughout the world working on my architectural projects have inspired the subjects of my art. My ideas of contemporary subjects are the cultural iconic images we often encounter in a multi-cultural society. My current work pays homage to known artists past and present.
Yvonne Fok-Gundersen Curriculum Vitae
2020 - Present: gold gilding series “Zodiac signs" are subjects recreated in conjunction with paying homage to renown artists.
2021: “White on White” High-fire Clay Sculptures, a group show at LagunaArt.com Gallery, Mission Viejo, CA.
2018 - 2019: "Lady of The Don" is a water-gilding and egg tempera painting on wood panel. Completed in 2019.
Biennal 2019 of Cultural Council of Palm Beach County: the folio Ba Bao Fan Western was selected by curator of Cornell Art Museum, Delray Beach, FL
2018: Five selected giclee prints were accepted to the Historical Society of Montana, Helena, MT in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Chinese Railroad Workers completion of the U.S. First Transcontinental Railroad.
2016: Decorated letter “O” selected by jury from Letter Arts Review, published in March 2016 issue.
2010 -2018: Eight-Treasure Rice a.k.a. “Ba Bao Fan”: consists of Eighteen folios.
2007-2010: Gilding and painting master classes at J. Paul Getty Museum, in manuscript illumination Getty Education Department, Brentwood, California.
2006: Low-fired and High-fired Ceramics Art Show at Xiem Clay, Pasadena, California
Architectural interior & Design: Yvonne was trained and practiced in this field for twenty years. From U.S.A., Canada, London, Milan to the Far East of Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Shanghai. Most notable accomplishment is the ownership of d’lighting Studio Re-defined, a lighting design consulting and distribution company.
Dragon Boat Race: from Eight-Treasure Rice series
ART REVIEWS: Ba Bao Fan Western (left) from Eight-Treasure Rice series
1. July 10, 2019 by Nicole Hickey, Curator of Eaton Gallery (past), Manager of Biennale 2019 at Cultural Council of Palm Beach County: “Your work is timeless, intricate and deeply personal. I have heard from people that at first they dismiss the work and come back and realize the immensity of skill, precision and greatness it entails.“ Plus the personal note: “I wish I had a history so rich, not necessarily as challenging, but so vibrant and heartfelt.”
2. Palm Beach Florida Weekly July 18, 2019: “The attention to detail and elaborate ornamentation given by Yvonne Fok-Gundersen to a dessert recipe comes unexpectedly. By the looks of it and the use of 24k gold gilding on goatskin parchment paper, this could have been an illuminated manuscript. Instead, the small watercolor titled “Bao Bao Fan Western (a.k.a. Eight Treasure Rice Fol. 16)” references a sweet and sticky dish traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year. The over-sized decorative B initial doesn’t announce the start of a sacred commandment but the first letter in the name of the dish. In a space framed by leafy vines, where we surely expect to find obscure Latin verses, figures “red bean paste” and “nuts.”
Upcoming Group Show at MG Studio, Los Angeles, CA
Presented by Parallax Art Fair UK. April 28 - 30 at MG Studio. 11 am - 5 pm. 1319 W. 11th, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Public parking across the street.