Transcendence

** Recently updated to a better quality image! Much more crisp and color accurate.

I've cleared my gallery, but as this piece seems to be loved well enough, I'll leave it. Expect no further activity.


#2 of my illustration assignments.

The objective here is to illustrate a concept and explore the medium of gouache. The assignment is essentially open, but must include blending and rendering of form. No flat painting was permitted. Limited color was also a requirement. No more than two in addition to black and white. The focus is design principles and using color in this sense.

The concept was inspired by a combination of things. It was born of the song Cordyceps from the Planet Earth series. [link]

As illustration is to tell a story, I'll explain, but feel free to interpret as you please. I wanted to portray a less conventional view of the spirit of death, creating a mood that was both ethereal and unsettling. If I was successful, it should feel cold and hopefully make you uncomfortable, as if you'd seen something very strange out of the corner of your eye that wasn't there the second time. The deer is meant to symbolize innocence and grace and the stag power, so I used this animal to communicate a sense of respect and a beauty that was meant to be untouched. Supposedly the deer is a spirit or a god, shown with its exaggerated proportions, coming to collect the hearts of the dead. Why it takes this organ is similar to the reverie the Egyptians had for the organs and heart. The specking is intended as either ash or snow falling, conceptually as an aural effect of the deer.

Whether or not the organs are taken by force or at their proper time is up to the viewer.

Gouache on cold press illustration board. 12in x 12in.

(c) Kris Watson
No permission is given to reproduce this image in any way.