Below are four progress shots of "Faucibus Orci" as I worked on it live at the show. I went with oil even though it's not really something you can rush through live at an event. The piece developed out of an image of VampireVoodoo I saw on Tumblr that I really liked. She's wearing a Spirit Hood and has a cherubic face contrasted by the septum and dimple piercings. I then thought just painting the chic would be too generic and I happen to love horns/antlers so I tossed those in. I also appreciate all things cephalopod but didn't want to put tentacles in this one, so I went with the eye; but it later turned into a goat eye which I will explain later. So with these elements I thought the piece was starting to come together well, but it needed something more. So I decided to go pop and put some acrylic swipes and drips for the underpainting of the piece.
While I was working on it, a guy walked by and asked if I had been in Juxtapoz. While that might sound like a compliment, it actually meant what I was doing was very derivative and looked unoriginal (unless I happened to be that artist from Juxtapoz)... so I spoke with some of the artists who happened to be my friends who were also painting live. Jeff Dekal suggested I add a body to the bottom of the piece so it looked less pop and so I got to sketching. I decided I would give her the Renaissance Jesus blessing hand position and turn the piece into an Earth Goddess piece riddled with religious symbolism that meant nothing except what the viewer might impose on it. I happen to like reading about semiotics and this is a fun way to integrate it because art can be so symbol-heavy.
I extended her hood down over her shoulders and left one breast exposed for fertility.
I started an Advanced Painting course the week after starting this and was allowed to use this (and the series I intend to do) as my assignments for the quarter! The piece is taking on more life, but I won't be posting those images just yet. ;)
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