This was definitely the hardest, most difficult image I have ever attempted. After seeing a traveling show of Durer's prints, I was inspired to take my imagery one step further, difficulty wise.
For giggles, here is my first attempt
at the final image:
I knew I needed to add the hands, but something
just wasn't right, but I couldn't see it.
Then I showed my 20 year old daughter. She said
she really liked it, but something was wrong.
Well, she told my wife, who came to take a look also.
She laughed and said Meagan was right, it did look
like a _____.
So, I asked my pastor, he said it looked like ____
before I even told him what my wife and daughter said!
Here is final image, printed and all:
I decided to keep the hands white, not truly sure
why, but it just "looked" right to me.
The medium was lino block mounted on MDF
board. I tried to follow the origianl Durer image as faithfully
as possible, but eventually determined it was impossible
with the adjustments I made to compensate for the folds
and everything. It was still hard and took me weeks to
carve and complete. Here are some close-ups:
Most of the carvingwas done using an Xacto knife.
I had to take my glasses off and
use a magnifying glass at times.
Some of the lines are so thin,
they can't even be seen on the
block with the naked eye.
I used Graphic Chemical black
water based ink, the best I have found so far.
This is a horrible scan of the decorative initial, but it
will have to do. For some reason, even the best scanners
can not seem to correctly scan the gold leaf. So, instead
it messes with all the other colors in an attempt to correct
for the glare. But it gives you an idea of the image.
I never know what to share in these posts, do I highlight the artwork or do I delve into the meaning and message behind the images? In the past, I have tried to do a little of both. I probably offend some, enlighten others. Comments are welcome, so please share your thoughts.
This Psalm spoke to me about God seeing the works of man on earth, even though some do not acknowledge God, he still sees. He knows.
Here is the final image:
Your comments are appreciated and encouraged!
Once again I am blown away by your work. I love it.
ReplyDeleteAmazing carving on the Durer.......
ReplyDeleteWonderful work and certainly has the feel of Durer. Allowing the curtain to break the plane eliminates all ideas of that opening being a _____ ...
ReplyDeletewell of course the white hands provide a balancing contrast with the black mystery behind the curtain...I'm sure that's what the wife and pastor said it was...a mystery?...Great concept and interpretation. In my project I decided not to tell the readers what the archetypes represented; choosing to let the viewer find their own meaning. With your Psalms series I like that you tell "how it speaks" to you; its not at all preachy, which is why its not offensive.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I thought of the exchange 42 as a break from my series as well. I find that the exchanges direct my focus in something else for a fresh look when I return to the series. The breaks also help to avoid burnout.
I stumbled onto your blog through a google image search on Psalm 14. I was looking for an image to include in a post i just finished. If you don't mind i have used your image with appropriate citation and a hyper link to the full image and your blog post on this image. I have a VERY low readership (next to nothing actually) but if you'd rather i didn't use your image please let me know and i'll delete it though i'll still put in a link to your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'll be back to take in your other works on the Psalms