BTS: Solace in Silence

This painting holds dear to me for several reasons. First is that this was the first time I tried to paint an original character, which posed to be a challenge for me because I had a horrible sense of anatomy (as you may notice from the exaggerated elongation of the girl’s neck). Second is that I was going through a difficult time and I badly needed an outlet. I was comfortable painting fantasy scenery and landscapes at the time, but I felt I needed to personify how I was feeling in a character of some sorts. So ta daaa! Out came antler lady, birthed from an unhealthy bottling of negative emotions LOL. Her purpose was to basically embody the place I wanted to be at (and eventually got to): someone who was at peace with the running hamster wheel thoughts; someone who welcomed and embraced solitude.

Final sketch

I’ve always had a habit of being a little extra with my paintings; cramming jumbled up ideas and emotions that I’ve felt at a particular point in time into a single painting, which can possibly overwhelm the viewer with detail and colors. This is why while painting “Solace in Silence” I almost felt like something was missing because I was so used to adding more. I’m glad I restrained my itchy fingers because this painting needed to be simple. It’s quite different from all my other works and I know it’s not exactly anyone’s favorite painting, but this will forever be a special reminder of what was.

The final product

– Serene