I sometimes manage to paint even when it’s not for a commission, but I tend to be shyer about those pieces, more reluctant to post them. This piece has been done for months, hanging on my wall and becoming a part of my surroundings until I let myself forget that I hadn’t actually posted it. I actually did forget to take any “in progress” photos while I was working on it, though there weren’t too many stages this time around, either.
This painting was inspired by Roger Zelazny’s Amber series, in a roundabout way. In it he postulates a continuum of realities from the Pattern of Order at Amber to the Courts of Chaos at the other end, with the realities becoming stranger and more dangerous as they get closer to Chaos. I imagined a world where the sky had cracked open one night, its rough-velvet texture tearing down the middle and letting molten gold spill forth, sparking and changing and becoming like stars as it spread across the sky. I tried to capture that sense of motion, of chaos, with the three metallic colors of droplets (gold, bronze and a scarab red that shimmers and changes to old-bronze-green at certain angles).
Title: Molten Sky
Medium: Oil on canvas, 24″ x 24″
Price: $999 (free shipping in the US)
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Comment by Kobold Curry Chef — October 4, 2009 @ 11:31 am
I really like this one, and not because this is somehow my fault. I haven't had a good look at this since it was about halfway done, amazingly.
I really love the colors and distribution of the droplets, in particular, and how solid they are compared to the background. It really sets the contrast.
Even if you don't know the inspiration, it's very evocative. It fills me with feelings of temptation, danger, and wonder.
Very well done!
Comment by Amy — October 4, 2009 @ 11:57 am
@Jefferson: It really is your fault, though. š
I went back in after the first round of dropleting to add some more of the bronze and add in the red as well, and I was pleased with how well they held their shapes as they dried. I should probably go back in and paint the edges black, but I really think it needs a frame so it's like looking out onto a view of another world, so I'm resisting.
Comment by Christine Martell — October 4, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Beautiful Amy, and I bet its even more amazing in real with the sheen of the metallic against the ground.
Love to see your more personal pieces, hope you keep sharing them.
Comment by Amy — October 4, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
@Christine: Thank you! It's actually really interesting on my wall, because the gold is almost the same tone as the wall, just shinier. So it lurks and surprised you with the shimmer. š