MANDIBLE WATERCOLOR - ORIGINAL

The mandible is a beautiful bone. When light hits a face in the right way, highlighting the stark and dramatic contours of the jaw, I can’t help but be struck by the architectural glamour of the mandible.

Of course, the bone on its own gets a bad rap. It’s the teeth—the average person can’t help but feel a mild aversion when viewing teeth on bone. Reminds them too much of a skull.

So in this painting I tried to de-empahsize the teeth, by making them a calm and neutral blue, and by orienting the mandible in such a way that the teeth don’t stick out and aren’t the first thing you notice. At the same time, I made sure to make certain anatomical elements (mental foramen, mandibular foramen, mylohyoid groove) prominent. I think that by taking care in these two things—understating teeth and emphasizing anatomy—along with imbuing an overall feeling of elegance and tranquility, is why this painting has enjoyed such extraordinary popularity.

Every year a large amount of prints are purchased in bulk for graduating dental and residency students, which is why owning the original would be quite the coup! Please contact us if you are interested.

The mandible watercolor original can be found here. Enjoy!