The Lost Cave Paintingsof

Saint Paul

Susan GainenArtist & Chief Whimsy Officer

Small Friends’ Research InstituteSaint Paul, MN

http://www.susangainen-nanoscapes-smallfriends.com/

Where are the Lost Caves?

Saint Paul’s caves were famously used by Bootleggers during Prohibition.Some are probably unexplored.The Small Friends’ Research Staff suspected that these caves might

have paintings of historic, pre-historic and whimsical creatures.

These paintings are the result of continued “excavation.”

Jungle Cat #1

Jungle Cat #1 was accepted into the Hopkins Center for the Arts Fall 2012 Juried Show

Some Post-card Sized Cave Cats

Insects: on postcards & an aluminum square

Owls: On paper & on aluminum

Red Warthog & Cape BuffaloOn aluminum & 300# paper

An Elephant Family’s Postcards

Two Cave Hummingbirds on Paper

Barnyard Cave Animals On aluminum squares

The Lost Cave Parrot of Saint Paulin Minnesota Watercolor Society’s Fall 2012 Exhibition

“Finding Minnesota”(A work on paper)

How are cave paintings made?

• Inspired by Minnesota artist Paul Boecher, I make cave paintings by applying gesso to 300# paper, postcards & primed aluminum sheets.

• The cave colors come from tinting wet gesso or painting onto gesso that has dried.

The Lost Cave Challenge

The Small Friends’ Research Institute has challenged me to create a coherent narrative to explain the presence of these creatures in a single cave in Minnesota.

Am I up to it? I hope so.

Also by Susan Gainen

The Small Friends’ Chronicles

In softcover & ebook for IPad

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3479674

Also by Susan Gainen

Meet the LLLamas

Kindle ($4.99) & Kindle Prime Amazon Softcover ($9.99)

Susan Gainennanoscapes: geometric abstractions

http://www.susangainen-nanoscapes.com/small friends: whimsical creatures’ portraits &

storieshttp://www.susangainen-nanoscapes-smallfriends.com/

other visions: digital magic from tiny watercolorsLost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul: Gesso &

imaginationSaint Paul, MN

susangainen@comcast.net651.917.0219