depression

Through Glass

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Inspired by the song of the same title by Stone Sour, which may have inspired me before thinks critically, but can’t remember, so I’m going with it. Specifically, the lyrics: “I’m looking at you through the glassDon’t know how much time has passedOh God, it feels like foreverBut no one ever tells you that forever … Read more

Postpartum

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Can art still shock and offend? Can it still cause questions to be asked? Can it drive a conversation? In today’s digital artwork, which for some reason just finished a four-hour rendering (maybe the rig was offended), I explore the dark side of the Romanticism movement. I’ve drawn on David Caspar Friedrich, who IMHO is the nexus of the movement, as well as adding an element of taboo. Of course, the work is dark (sunset plus phones/mobile devices make it harder to see), so pay attention to your surroundings. The point? I read an article yesterday on depression that led me down a rabbit hole, wherein I ended up in the squishy field of Postpartum Depression. Of course, as a man, it’s something I don’t have to deal with, but wanted to do a PSA foe the ladies that if you’re in that pit, you’re not alone. Get it treated before it turns into postpartum psychosis, which happened in this artwork, as all life is precious. Resources abound. SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. 1-800-662-(HELP) 4357.

Medicate

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No doubt this may be labeled NSFW, until I tell the censors that it’s art. This is about #depression – that black hound which haunts so many, including myself, and the tools one uses to breathe. It’s a self portrait, really, in all of its ingloriousness & probably an attempt to disavow any notions that anyone may have about my physical nature. The toll of half-a-Century on this mortal coil expressed in its full regalia, consumed by poor decisions, imperfections magnified by the waters of the disease, and the reaching for a cure that will never come. There’s more, but why be wordy?

Challenges were many in the creation of this artwork. Underwater is one of the hardest things to replicate in the constraints of my current software. So the ice is reskinned rocks, the bubbles are reskinned and modified confetti, and the splash is a raindrop, magnified 500 times, modded and reskinned in glass settings.

Parity Lost

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A surreal painting titled "Parity Lost" features a blue-skinned figure with dark wings kneeling and gazing into a large vessel. A woman with curly hair peers out from the vessel, swathed in pink fabric and surrounded by trailing vines. Abstract pink clouds form the ethereal background.

“Everyone knew the war would one day end. It had raged for eons since Lucifer decided he would rather own his house than pay rent. The sides of light and darkness had fought themselves to a standstill. “If only God’s pets could see the ethereal ruin that lay in between their Starbucks and obsession with the Kardashians,” most angels mused to themselves as the conflict went on.   

What no one expected, was for the war to end today. No one foresaw that the strongest of the Angels would exercise her free will, just as Lucifer had at the beginning of time. She had grown weary of the routine, the constant pressure of vigilance, of maintaining the balance, and had decided to do something about it. She would become what God loved most – human.
As her wings relented under the blade, tremors shook the ethereal, summoning Lucifer to her side. He loved her, this angel, his greatest threat. He had held her in greater esteem than those braggarts Michael and Gabriel. She, who had fought him to an aeons-long standstill, had earned his respect, and worse, corrupted the purity of his hate with love, however selfish.

She had chosen to become mortal, a contemptible, imperfect, creature that had what all angels desired. Now, the balance had shifted. He had loathed the favorites of God, he had achieved self-actualization through his torment of them – and now she was one of them! Could he go on destroying them? His heart sank at the only conclusion he could reach. The war was over.”

Eater of Worlds

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An abstract painting featuring a large, blue face with a wide-open mouth, from which a trail extends. Figures walk on the trail towards the eater of worlds. Red and pink flowers surround the scene. The background is filled with swirling blue, green, and yellow patterns.

This painting is about #depression.  I could waste words trying to be eloquent about it but depression is a soul-killing illness that people joke about but don’t really understand or think is a real illness (as recently observed at work).  The flowering trees represent the beauty of the world, the ladies on promenade humanity, and the force in the background? Churchill’s ‘black dog’, that force which is the destroyer of worlds.

I was inspired by Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream,’ although I did not borrow from this great artist per se.  What more is there? This is an #acrylic #painting on canvas. 18 x 24. Available.

In other news, I’ve planned it out, I should have a studio by December 2018.  I’m working for the man to pay off my divorce debt, so that is why it will take a minute to get set up. All my fans will be invited to stop in and share a glass of wine.  However, I won’t know you’re a fan unless you say something 😉

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God Bless!

Blessed Be!

Alhamdulillah!

Sukhi Hotu!

Have a great day!

Postscript: Apparently a major social media company isn’t impressed with art or maybe is anti-depression. Regardless, my promotion was canceled. They (the company) would not say exactly why, save that it didn’t meet with their guidelines. 

This is the first post since I’ve been doing this that has been rejected. So if someone complained that it wasn’t happy enough, thank you! Depression is a serious topic. Maybe my art is nouveau-degenerate, but then again, art is supposed to make a statement.

Here’s the cryptic messages they sent.