Heroes

'Arthur 1'

by Marcel R. Dion

The story of King Arthur is familiar to most of us. He was the hero king of the dark ages who drew the sword from the stone and became the king of all Britain. His exploits, and his tragic downfall have become the material for countless films and novels.
The original story, as told by Mallory and by Tennyson, comprise the material Marcel has drawn on for his Arthur works.

This is the first of several pieces about King Arthur done by Marcel. Done in the traditional style of the bibles from the middle ages, this piece and the adjoining one narrate the story of 'Arthur Rex, the Once and Future King'.

Print size: 11" x 14"

'Arthur', 2001

by Marcel R. Dion

The style in the second Arthur piece is again traditional. The elements used are those used in the illuminated gospels from the Book of Kells, Durrow and Lindisfarne.

The use of parchment type paper as background further enhances the illusion that these are very old documents. This second piece took over 40 hours to complete. The letter 'A' alone took over 10 hours! Click on the images above to launch larger views of the images as well as additional details.

Print size: 8" x 10"

'Excalibur', 2001

by Marcel R. Dion

The third in Marcel's series of Arthur works is 'Excalibur'. For where would Arthur have been without his famous sword?
First pulled by Arthur from the stone, the Lady of the Lake later repaired the supposedly 'indestructible' sword , and gave it back to Arthur.
At Arthur's death, the sword was thrown back into the lake by Bedovere, Arthur's trusted friend and knight of the famed round table.
A scabbard found in a 2nd century BC burial site was the inspiration for the pattern on the blade in this piece. Parchment type paper is again used as a background to maintain the appearance of age.

This piece took over 20 hours to complete. Click the image above to launch a larger view of the image as well as a detail section.

Print size: 8" x 10"

Coming Soon!

'Merlin'

Poets

'The Lay of Amergen'

by Marcel R. Dion

Print size: 11" x 14"

'Thoreau Quote'

by Marcel R. Dion

Print size: 11" x 14"

Villains

'Vampyre', 2002

by Marcel R. Dion

The Vampyre piece marks an important departure in Marcel's art work. The subject matter is far different from his earlier works, and yet the traditional elements are still there. He has used traditional Celtic illumination techniques to illustrate his subject matter, although there are some differences.
The most obvious change is the color scheme which is no longer the rich, jewel tones of the gospels, but now uses grays and blacks with accents in blood red to further enhance the mood of the work.
This subject matter is not about heroes, in this series he moved to look at the other side of heroic epics and focused on the Villains.
Click on the image above for larger view of the picture as well as commentary on the art.

Print size: 8" x 10"

'Werewulf', 2002

by Marcel R. Dion

This is the second in Marcel's Villains works. The fiction of Eastern Europe holds the roots of many modern horror stories and the Werewolf is no exception
In working on this piece Marcel attempted again to incorporate elements of the legends into the border work and illumination. Examples are discussed on the detail pages.
The color scheme here is not as dark and foreboding as that of the vampire piece. Werewolves were said to be men, who changed with the full moon into wolves, and then reverted back. The color palette used reflects warmth rather than the gray of the cemetery.
Click on the image above for a larger view with commentary on the design elements.

Print size: 8" x 10"