Delusion

"Delusion" (mixed media, 14 x 18"), 2009

Today I dedicated all my waking hours - well virtually - to creating this artwork. Feeling inspired to create a series based on the character whom I affectionately - and blandly - nicknamed "Tattoo Face Girl" that I used in "Tender Age" (below), I did a sketch about a week ago of the image on this canvas. I'll explain everything...

"Tender Age" (mixed media on canvas, 50 x 60 cm), 2007

Tender Age (formerly called 'In Bloom') is about a girl on the cusp of womanhood, which is represented by the way she sniffs into the flower. The 'tattoo'/pattern on her face is a sort of symbol for all her negative thoughts and experiences, which are made to look like roots and seeds - as though she indeed has some sort of mental illness, and along with her emaciated figure it indicates that she had/has severe body image issues. The bee in the background flower warns that she'll soon be hurt. The swirly stuff in the background is just decoration, really :)

Delusion is a portrayal of the hurt hinted at in Tender Age. The large, solid-coloured face which dominates a large portion of the canvas denotes that her pain was inflicted by another person. She's been hurt by someone's words, as shown by the black swirls escaping the plain face's mouth, which wilt tattoo face girl's flower.

There are many more canvases to come of Tattoo Face Girl, and if anyone can suggest a better name to christen her, I'd really appreciate it. While there is quite a bit of difference between the two already made aesthetically, the subject matter is very much the same. The difference in the images comes from different supplies and brands of materials, in addition to 14 months of artistic development.

It's the first time I've completed an artwork in a day - well, one on canvas anyway, so I feel rather accomplished. Both works were made of artist's inks, black acrylic paint (just black), and graphite, but as I mentioned above, all different brands.

I can tell you I won't be using Jasart canvases again, which is what I used for Delusion today. It was a nightmare attempting to put the ink on, everything seemed to pool as it contracted - as though the canvas were like a sponge. It wouldn't let the liquid spread upon the canvas properly unless large amounts were put on. I was rather peeved because it made the process last a whole lot longer than it had to, and in addition to this, once it dried, there were little spots of white canvas poking through where I had doused the fabric with colour. I used a Jasart for 'Androgyny' as well, but because I didn't lay down the colour as I did in this work (Androgyny is just lines, lines and more lines), I barely noticed this horrid little phenomenon. Fine for acrylics though. Haha.