Smoking Mirror: An Encounter With Paul Gauguin

Art Encounters

by Douglas Rees

This second book in the Art Encounters series centers on Paul Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe, and recreates the world the artist found in Tahiti when he painted the picture in 1892.

This action-packed South Sea adventure is about a young sailor, Joe Sloan, and his mission to avenge the death of his friend, Robert. Joe searches for Robert's girlfriend, a Tahitian girl named Tehane, to deliver the sad news personally. He doesn't have to go far before fate reunites him with his friend's killer, the Marquesan warrior, Gun, and his evil master, a man known as the White Wolf.

As Joe navigates the unknown territory of Tahiti and its people, he finds an unlikely ally in French artist Paul Gauguin. In the course of the story, readers are introduced to Gauguin and his work, the artist's relationships with the Tahitian natives, and his artistic temperament.

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

I was born on October 19th, 1947 in the hospital at March Air Force Base just outside Riverside, California. My father, Norman, was a career sergeant who'd served as an aircraft mechanic and infantryman in the Philippines campaign early in the war and was taken prisoner on Bataan. My mother, Agnes, was a nurse at the hospital where he was sent to recuperate after the war was over.

Until I was fifteen, I lived on or near a number of Air Force bases in this country and in Germany. My sister, Patricia, was born in 1950 at Travis AFB.

Until I was six, I wanted to be a fireman. Between six and twelve, I wanted to be a paleontologist. When I was twelve, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I still haven't outgrown that.

I made some occasional stabs at writing and submitting manuscripts in my twenties and thirties. When I turned forty-seven, I decided to start writing things more regularly. I've been doing so ever since.

Reviews

[Priscila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, unique, exciting tale with a crossover of cultural elements. The Mexican protagonist carries the stories his Abuela shared with him about Mexican myths, including tales of Aztec Gods. He believes Smoking Mirror, the Aztec god of sorcery and punishment, has followed him all his life, bringing constant grief and despair. This historical fiction is a fun read, especially for art lovers who are familiar with Gauguin and the other pieces mentioned in the book.
The enthralling imagery brings the story to life. Here are some of my favorite quotes, most of which exemplify the visual elements:
"If my words had been tears, I'd have drowned us all."
"She poured out her stories, and I drank them up."
"...the clouds came and went like ghost ships before the moon, stealing the light and giving it back, turning the sea silver and black."
"You are chopping the dead wood to make the fire. The fire makes the wood live again in a new form. Nothing is ever really destroyed without something being born in its place."
"...long scars of lightning came and went, slicing across the sky."
"...dance in my nostrils like a joke."

[z a k i a · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful prose, short and sweet story but Paul Gaugin deserved everything he got