DEATH

I've been a baaad blogger! Not because I haven't had images or comments to post, but due to being so busy with illustrating and with a major house redo here in Florida. I will try to post some examples of what I've been busy with. First, however, is my latest addition to the FORCES OF NATURE series, that has been going on forever, titled, DEATH. (Now there's conversation stopper!)
I think the image illustrates many conflicting and ambivolent feelings I have about death. For instance, is woman in my image menacing or welcoming? Is the scene calming or disturbing? Yes! I do see death as a force of nature and one which is vital for life. But it also terrifies the part of me that wants to continue to exist forever. These ideas swirling around the issue of death made it an irresistable subject for my series. I went to New York in April and shot a group of these: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall and Life. There was incredible excitement at those shoots, perhaps because we were all allowed to do something different from the usual book cover fare and because the concepts were abstract and open to interpretation. The photographer, Shirley Green and the costume stylist, Sharon Spiak were both in the "zone" and I was my crazed self, trying to direct something toward my vision that quickly took on a life of its own. I owe a great deal to the model, Ewa da Cruz, an actress who truly became the character of death.
I had discussed with her two possible was of playing the part, as a fearsome destroyer, and as a welcoming bringer of peace.
She said, " I'll do it both ways!" and she did. I ended up working with a somewhat 'inbetween' image. My painting depicts Death, suspended over a calm sea and gloomy sky, with some light coming through. I worked a lot on the cape to give it a rather gothic look, a bit like bat wings and created an strange pattern that becomes part of her costume. She has another pattern, like a star that reminds one of church windows. I felt compelled to add the black, slashing and torn, fluttering object flying around her to symbolize the fears that are there when confronted with our final hours. All the patterns were created in Illustrator and the image designed in Photoshop. Please leave your comments!