This latest series by Turi MacCombie depicts the characters of the Chinese Zodiac. They are portrait-like; elegant yet childlike in their appeal, and reside comfortably within their natural habitats. The bamboo frame, a part of the painted image (and for the most part, the only nod to the traditional Chinese origins,) barely serves to contain its subject: the figures seem to push out of the confines of the page. The fanciful dragon, while it stands out as the most classically Chinese image is at home in the company of the rat, rooster, monkey, dog, ox, snake and the other earthly creatures.

MacCombie uses richly applied watercolor and gouache to create sumptuous and lively images of flora and fauna. Her large portrait like paintings of animals seem like snap shots of the creatures personified. Her flowers lay in bright, delicate forms across soft paper, intricate yet absent of pretense. MacCombie’s images are strong and elegant with dramatic and warm contrasts and a lively nature all their own. She lives and paints in western Massachusetts.