Wednesday, July 21, 2010

WHAT A DIFFERENCE...

... a few days make.

It's a Wednesday morning and I spent a sleepless Tuesday evening thinking of a foot. Yes, a foot... a hand and a bird.

I never thought that I would be dwelling on how a foot would look like or how significant it is that it can affect the composition of an image and its meaning. I drew the top image's foot as resting on the edge of the green man's skull without even bothering what it meant. That sketch was done in a moment of 'emotional high'. Not thinking too much on how the image was and would be, I just drew it. Not having any afterthoughts even.

I laugh now at myself when I have to admit that I 'repeated' myself. Yeah, that drawing was a development of something else, which came out of this ...
(I left it as 'untitled'. Frankly, I forget what I felt at the time I drew that.)

But what about the damned foot?, I asked myself. It all began with the bird... really. Eh?

Yeah the bird. I liked how the bird has this 'looking upwards' with the blue shiny eye, though marble-like and wide-eyed, like it not only looks upwards but away. It's wings are spread, wanting to let go of the green man's grasp, wanting to fly but held firmly down. Now that I am looking at it, I realized I painted the green man's hand closer to his lips. Not only is it holding the bird tight but his hand is gesturing towards his closed lip as if I wanted him to say 'Be still. Be silent."

Now that foot.

As I go closer towards finishing this painting, I spent a good four hours last night painting and re-painting that damned foot. I abandoned my original intention of having the foot rest on the green man's head. I actually painted it over last night and opted to have the top image's feet firmly placed within the green man's skull. I sort of thought, it would make the top man's imprisonment complete. But being inside and not having the chance of having one's foot out is much too 'defeating' for me. After hours of thinking about this and a couple of cups of coffee later, I went back to what i intended before. I drew it back to its original state, placing that foot firmly on the green man's skull edge and I now feel... there's a chance for this top guy to redeem himself after all.



But I think I still have to put on toenails on his foot.

The journey continues...

2 comments:

Bjornik said...

Hey Dan,I'm sorry about your recent heartache. Hope all is well now. I know how you feel kaya kung makakatulong, buhos mo na lang yung natitira sama ng loob sa pagpipinta. Kita mo ang ganda ng mga recent work mo, to think ang bilis mo pang ginawa.:)

Take it easy and sana gaya ng "unpedicured" guy eh bumalik na yung dating sigla mo.:)

palma tayona said...

Hey Bjornik!! I have finished this piece and, well... I do hope I bump into you at the Manilart at SMX. :-)