Eye Candy

A splendid miniature eye portrait from the Victoria and Albert Museum, with a diamond teardrop,
via Tail of the Yak.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, miniature eye portraits were all the rage. This was after the late 17th century rage for miniature portraits of any kind. They were painted most often using watercolor or gouache, on a substrate of ivory or parchment, then set into a bit of jewelry- a pin or pendant.
In Victorian times the eye portrait was often a piece of mourning jewelry, but the origin of this form was as a token of love.
I have had, for rather a long time, an obsession with eyes, used as symbols in my paintings. So naturally I am fascinated with these tiny symbolic paintings, the lover's eyes.

an assortment of lover's eyes

According to The Art of Mourning:
"Eye portraits are considered to have their genesis in the late 18th Century when the Prince of Wales (to become George IV) wanted to exchange a token of love with the Catholic widow (of Edward Weld who died 3 months into the marriage) Maria Fitzherbert. The court denounced the romance as unacceptable, though a court miniaturist developed the idea of painting the eye and the surrounding facial region as a way of keeping anonymity. The pair were married on December 15, 1785, but this was considered invalid by the Royal Marriages Act because it had not been approved by George III, but Fitzherbert’s Catholic persuasion would have tainted any chance of approval. Maria’s eye portrait was worn by George under his lapel in a locket as a memento of her love. This was the catalyst that began the popularity of lover’s eyes. From its inception, the very nature of wearing the eye is a personal one and a statement of love by the wearer. Not having marks of identification, the wearer and the piece are intrinsically linked, rather than a jewellery [sic] item which can exist without the necessity of the wearer."

I'd love to be a collector of these, or to have just one of them. Perhaps I will paint one of or for my own best beloved, as a follow-up to the maxi-eye portraits I painted a few years ago, of Erling Wold, myself, and our "adopted" daughter Laura Bohn.

Eye portraits of Erling Wold, eye self-portrait, and Laura Bohn, at 250% of life size, oil on masonite.




Treasuring the Gaze more about Georgian lover's eye portraits.
Check out the highly enviable collection of Cathy Gordon
Oeil en miniature by Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien
Even more lover's eyes from Candice Hern

The Art of Mourning more about Victorian mourning jewelry
Interested in collecting? Antiques Roadshow has some tips.

Lynne Rutter Murals & Decorative Painting

Miss March

This month I have the honor of being the featured artist at "House of Faux"
a website dedicated to providing resources for decorative painters and faux finishes. The site is building up an archive of articles, blog entries, artist profiles, and information useful to the student as well as the professional painter.

Lynne Rutter Murals & Decorative Painting

Miss July

I'm featured as July's "Artist of the Month" over at LearntoFaux.com, a website providing educational resources and social networking for the decorative painting obsessed.

Check out the bio they posted for me, as well as their other features, such the ArtSpace: a myspace-styled profile for decorative artists, attached to the popular and informative Faux Forum.

How to attract paparazzi...

1. show up late
2. wear a turban
(also handy to cover that sweaty "i just worked all day" hair)
3. pick up flute of champagne on the way in, completely ignoring the bank of photographers that are by now following you
4. hook arms with the tallest, best looking guy you can find: in this case, Rob Delameter of Lost Art Salon

Here is my exceedingly rare appearance on the society page
"signature look" translation = "we don't get it"




circa 1920 Chinese robe from Torso Vintages
turban by Kathleen Crowley

Photo by Drew Altizer

Pow-Wow Network interviews Lynne

I've met so many wonderful women in the design business, through San Francisco's Pow-Wow Network.
In March 20o6, they published this interview of me, with pictures, and intimate details....

click on image to read article at full size.

Hearts in San Francisco

Here/Not Here
This giant fiberglass heart was painted by Lynne Rutter as part of the Hearts in San Francisco project. The two faces represent the moment just before and after death, and reflects on the loss of a close friend to AIDS.

This piece has been sold via auction to an anonymous collector. The money raised from this project benefits San Francisco General Hospital.

These pictures were taken at Crissy Field in July, 2004.
The heart also enjoyed some time in Civic Center Plaza during the summer.

Lynne Profiled in Artist's Magazine

February, 2004
Click on the image to see the article large enough to read
Here is a very kind profile of me in The Artist's Magazine
"Scaling The Wall" by Jennifer Ball.

Murals featured in Decorative Artist's Workbook

Another thrilling exposé of me and my work:
click on the image to view the article large enough to read.

"Walls of Wonder" by Lorraine Crouch, published in the Decorative Artist's Workbook, January 2004.

Bay Area Muralists profiled in San Francisco Chronicle

September 6, 2003San Francisco Chronicle
"Walls with a View...Muralists put painted faces on blank indoor spaces" by Kristine Carber.

As Seen on TV

KPIX Evening Magazine catches Lynne on a good hair day, in this rare TV appearance.
Featured in the video are "Vera has a Martini" and "Maxi-Max" in progress, during the time I was using my living room as a studio.

Lynne Rutter Murals & Decorative Painting