Deep Dive: Exploring the Collections

"Untitled (Birds) #3 & 4" Series by Tom Edmonds

During the Halloween season of 2018, our own Executive Director Tom Edmonds designed his own works to add to the Haunted Rogers Mansion display of that year. This is a continuation of our previous Deep Dive, exploring the displayed pieces in the first floor dining room for Halloween 2018.

The first piece as seen above, "Untitled (Birds) #3" features a bird letting out a terrifying screech as seen in the expression of its eyes and beak. Its crests are split in two and curl at the end. Its head is removed from the rest of its body, with the facial expression being the main focus of the piece.

The second piece, "Untitled (Birds) #4", features two birds making similar screeching expressions as the previous painting. The larger bird appears fully formed with both its beak and tail feather stretched towards the sky. The smaller bird's body has a teardrop shape, with its wings stretched as it too screams towards the sky with its tongue sticking out. The pair of these creatures appear to be walking off of the painting from the sides, as indicated by their foot movement.

These pieces once again used tempera on glass, utilizing empty frames otherwise kept in storage within the Rogers Mansion, with cardboard serving as the backdrop. Within the Mansion dining room, these paintings would temporarily replace the pieces that hung on the walls for Halloween 2018.