Mittens Got Claws (For Creative Tuesdays)

This week at Creative Tuesdays the theme is Mittens.  Honestly, I had no idea what I would do this week.  To be perfectly honest, I haven't had mittens since I was three or four.  I hated them.  I need my fingers to be free. I guess I made big stinks all the time, so my mother switched my over to gloves right away, and that's all I've ever had ever since.  I obviously know what mittens are and what they look like, so I started by trying to trace my hands, and it looked like a big blob, so I had to go and add the fingers.  Then I saw an old Andy Warhol painting, which as it's own, I didn't think much of it, but then, I also saw U2's Pop cover and it was similar in a way, so i thought, ok, I'll do something like that.

For the first few of these I just had the hands.  But I wanted to get the comic book strip feel in here, which, to me, meant to illustrate an advancement of the frame. So I added some movement, and somewhere in there I guess I was think about wolverine, because somehow claws seemed to pop out of the hands.  So, anyway, that's my backstory for this multi-faceted inspired piece.  

Definitely stop over to Creative Tuesdays and check out all the terrific art that is shared there.  You'll enjoy it.

The Union of Vine to Earth

The earth
met the
leaves,
and arms
were joined
together, where
they hid each
other within the
other

Secrets grew
aligned, inseparable
they became, setting
future's only able
to singularly coincide

Paths begin where
trails end.  Arms extend
when the body needs
a friend.  Warmth of growth
extending past nature's bark,
commingling forever,
for in the other
exists the others life

Orion's Shadows

Orion's March

Orion's Return

Orion's Waltz

The March was the original, then I wanted to make something different, which is the Return, and the differences between the Return and the Waltz are very slight, only a couple main differences in color and a bit of shade lightening.  I did it like this as the major action sequence is the darkness of man as he heads to war, the more jubilant yet still on the darker side, as in survivor's guilt etc.., and while feeling it not necessary to celebrate, those happy for the return are ready, and that's why the color is lightening up a bit more and a few more "happy colors" slightly patched in the final piece.

Weathering the White Walls and Street Art Smearing Walls of Hate

Another of the pieces I spoke about yesterday.  Taking a master and then altering the piece post initial painting with additional brushstrokes, knife marks, smears and alteration of color schemes, all to bring about different moods within the same.

A Degradation of Circumstance

That which is concealed

Is often done so

for a reason

The Swell of the Frosted Sea Map

Moment Between Paralysis and Pause

Altered by Design

Again I decided to toy around with color, and to see how a variety could alter perception.  I don't believe the colors altered this particular piece as much as I think they did on the last piece, but you do get to see how certain aspects of the piece are brought more to the forefront and I find it interesting how depending upon agenda one can highlight a particular area to make it standout more or do so seeking the opposite result as well.

For this piece I like the variety of interpretations one can get from this piece.  Each time I look at them something new pops to mind.  I've seen a microchip, a street map, glyphs, and a captured screen from a video game.  I'm sure the more I look at them the more images will come to mind.