This final part of my profile of George Ivers looks at some of his non-Cybis paintings on porcelain as well as his oil and watercolor paintings, dimensional sculptures, limited-edition prints, and greeting cards.
Paintings on Porcelain
These are very similar to (and in one case, extremely so!) the Limnettes that he created for Cybis during the early 1970s.
Fantasy, mixed media (paint, enamel, and glass) on porcelain.
Harlequin, mounted on a velvet backing and framed.
Grande Bouquet, dated 1972.
The porcelain fragment onto which Winter Scene was painted is only about 2” x 2.75”. The small block of wood within which it is mounted is 3” high, 4” wide, and about 2.5” deep.
Notice the butterflies and bird in this painting of two lovers in a boat. These, along with the iris, were recurring motifs in Ivers’ art and probably represented Freedom or Escape.
The Girl in Bonnet is eerily similar to the Cybis Limnette ‘Spring’ on the right!
George produced jewelry items in this genre also; here are ten examples of pendants. The design of the ornate iris pendant at the far left includes two butterflies and a heart.
Saint George with Polish Solidarity Banner is the 1990 piece that was created by Ivers on commission from the Chopin Singing Society as a gift for Pope John Paul II. The Society left the concept/creation of the item entirely up to George. This piece (of unknown size, unfortunately) depicts Saint George carrying a Solidarity (Solidarnosc) Banner while slaying a Communist Dragon. The Polish inscription along the arch loosely translates to “Restore our free homeland to us, Lord.” There is an iris in the lower left corner.
Other Paintings
Daffodils in watercolor on paper, 10” x 14”. There is no iris icon, although there is a butterfly.
Adam and Eve, oil on canvas, dated 1990, has a white iris in the lower right quadrant.
Bloody Sunday depicts the violence that occurred during the civil rights march in Selma, on March 7, 1965. It is described on the Encyclopedia Brittanica website:
…some 600 demonstrators walked, two by two, the six blocks to the Edmund Pettis Bridge that crossed the Alabama River and led out of Selma. At the east end of the bridge, the demonstrators encountered a force of sheriff’s deputies, deputized ‘possemen’, and dozens of state troopers. […] In the tear-gas-shrouded melee that followed, marchers were spat upon, overrun by horses, and attacked with billy clubs and bullwhips. More than 50 marchers, including [later Congressman John] Lewis, were hospitalized.
The style of Modernist Landscape is very different from the typical Ivers designs. It is oils on Bristol board and measures 12.5” x 8.5”.
Metal and Paper Art
Both paper and metal were favorite mediums for Ivers’ dimensional art.
Here are two interesting and diametrically opposite uses of paper. Pan is made of papier-mâché, while the Cello Player is entirely a flat-paper construction. The Ivers signature appears on the lower right edge of the cello.
This wire sculpture of a woman with two birds is three feet tall!
This newspaper clipping photo of George with a wire Chimney Sweep on Bicycle is dated 1967, while he was still working at Lenox China.
At first I thought this might be a representation of the Three Kings/Magi, but then realized that there are four of them…and they are carrying banners. So, how about four kings/bishops in procession as a title?
This sculpture, too, is a combination of wire and more substantial pieces of metal. Described as being made of copper, brass and nickel, this Man on Bicycle is 23” high and 22” wide.
Prints and Lithographs
Farewell Earth, for I’m on the Wing! Dated 1968, an edition of 50, image approx. 10” x 13”
Girl Playing Recorder, an edition of 50, image size not given but appears to be about 10” x 15”
Noah’s Ark, size about 2” x 3” (as we have seen, many Ivers pieces are extremely small.)
Peace, an edition of 25, dimensions unknown but probably about two inches square.
Salty Dog Rag, an edition of 35, image measures about 5.75” x 3.5″. This is an American folk dance described by the lyrics of the 1952 hit tune Salty Dog Rag by Red Foley:
One foot front, drag it back,
then you start to ball the jack.
You shake and you break and then you sag,
if your partner zigs you’re supposed to zag.
Your heart is light, you tap your feet
in rhythm with that ragtime beat.
Just pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
and dance all night to the Salty Dog Rag.
Here are two extremely similar examples. Springtime, at left, is marked AP and is 7.25” x 9.25”. Spring was an edition of 50 and measures 9” x 8”. Both have an iris within the circular bed of flowers surrounding the tree.
Weeds was an edition of 35. Again, this is quite small, only about 1.75” x 2”. If only my own garden’s weeds were no larger than that!
Mushroom Duet is noted as A/99 in the lower left corner although I’m not sure what that means (AP perhaps?). It is 14” square as framed, which means that the image is probably about 10” square.
A quartet of single-subject George Ivers prints:
Girl with Flowers, edition of 10; image is 3.5” square, an iris is directly under her chin.
Kingfisher, edition of 50; image is 4.75″ x 5.25″
Piano, edition of 75; image is 4.5″ x .5″; an iris is within the lefthand piano leg.
Little Owl, edition size unknown because this is marked AP; image measures 4” square.
Greeting Cards for UNICEF and Others
The United Nations Children’s Fund, known as UNICEF, has used holiday cards in their fund-raising efforts for more than a half-century. Artists submit their work for consideration during the year preceding the next offerings. George Ivers’ card Sunday with Snow and Ice was one of the 1970 cards; in addition, UNICEF asked him for permission to reproduce the design as one of the illustrations in their 1970 UNICEF Engagement Calendar. This card confusingly is also known by an alias: Snowy Sunday.
In 1981, Ivers submitted photographs of his painting Trees for consideration as one of the 1982 cards. It did not make the cut that year, but UNICEF asked if they could keep it for future consideration; they chose it as one of the 1984 cards instead.
In January 1988, he submitted Fun on Ice for the 1989 selections and described it as being “a sister to the 1970 card.” UNICEF responded that his submission arrived too late to get into the running for their 1988 meeting to select the 1989 cards, but it would be held over for the 1989 meeting to select 1990 card offerings…. which they did. The iris motif is slightly right of center, between the orange building and the gray car that looks like a Volkswagen Beetle. On the 1970 card, in that same general space, there is the figure of a man.
This New Year’s card, titled Garden of Eden, was created for the Second Generation Holocaust Fund. An iris appears in both lower corner areas.
George also created greeting cards for he and Iris to send to family and friends, such as this one showing a dove of peace flying over a wintry forest landscape.
This photo of George was taken at his home studio during the early 1990s. There is a self-portrait of him – with an iris, of course! – in the background.
“I feel that art is a very important, necessary form of communication. In my artwork I try to convey the positive attitudes toward life, fantasy, moods and sometimes humor. It is important for me to share these feelings.” – George Ivers, in a 1980s letter
George Ivers Artist Profile, part one
George Ivers Artist Profile, part two
Browse all of the Cybis Artist Profiles
Name Index of Cybis Sculptures
Visual Index (for human figures/busts only)
About the Cybis Reference Archive
What is Cybis?
Images of Cybis porcelains are provided for informational and educational purposes only. All photographs are copyrighted by their owner as indicated via watermark and are used here only as reference material. Please see the Copyright Notice in the footer and sidebar for important information regarding the text that appears within this website.
The Cybis Archive is a continually-updated website that provides the most comprehensive range of information about Cybis within a single source. It is not and never has been part of the Cybis Porcelain studio, which is no longer in business.
THE CYBIS ARCHIVE 