Above is a private piece that gains meaning the longer I work on it. The slightly colored version on the left is the original rough/sketch. The black and white version on the right is the cleaned/revised/current version.
I can honestly say that I remember where I was when I began this piece. Oddly, similarities to where I was in life at the time I created the rough is the reason I am revisiting it. Also, my recent obsession over a sculptors work (Chen Wenling) has reminded me of my illustrative roots.
Roots that, well, an artist can grow and set them aside, but I am becoming convinced that one can never completely let them go.
I am continually pulled to the "size relationship" of beauty verses ugly in my mind. I struggle with it on paper—what beauty is, what ugly is, who exactly decides these things for us, which one has more power/weight. . . . .and what (in the end) seems to esthetically prevail.
Is it true that ugly people see ugly things and beautiful people see beautiful things?
