"The Big Sleep"
Behind the Scenes
Photos are now up of these finished pieces! Check them out on my gallery page!
Never before have I put so much research and work into a gallery show, so much so that I've decided to put up this page showing some of my influences, some reference stories and also some photos of how the pieces came together. I thought it would be an interesting peek into the long, detailed process of creating a piece.
Artist Statement:
"The Big Sleep is an exploration into the final chapter of all our lives. Focusing on the romantic tragedies and classic tales of mysterious sleeping spells, my pieces attempt to capture the human form at it's most fragile, and often most alluring, state. The feeling of calm, relaxation, or meloncholy freedom all finally achieved with the eternal sleep.
Most have given the ulitmate sacrafice in the name of love, others will be saved by the embrace of love.
Heavily influenced by classic Pre-Raphaelite paintings, this body of work beautifies the last sad moments of life that have been offered up in a romantic passion only few of us will ever experience."
"Romeo and Juliet"
From the play by Shakespeare
A tragic love story of two young people and their forbidden love. In an attempt to make an escape from their lives Juliet drinks a potion that makes her seem dead. Her family, thinking she's departed lays her in her tomb. Romeo was to get a message about the plan but it never makes it to him. Thinking she truly is dead, he drinks poison, to join her in death. When Juliet awakes and finds Romeo dead, she takes his dagger and plunges it into her breast.
Read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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I was highly influenced by the Franco Zeffirelli film version of this play. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it in my life!
"Madame Butterfly"
A heart wrenching Opera by Giacomo Puccini of a Japanese bride abandoned by her American sailor husband, Pinkerton. After waiting 4 years for him to return to her and their son,she discovers him re-married. Pinkerton and his new wife plan to take her son back to America with them. Devastated and hopeless, she says goodbye to her son, blindfolds him, and walks behind a screen where she takes her own life by using her father's ceremonial sword.
read the details and history of the whole story here on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madama_Butterfly
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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"Ophelia"
From Shakespeare's Hamlet
In this classic play, Ophelia, distraught by her father's death and the complicated love for Hamlet, goes mad. She appears in later scenes singing odd songs and handing out flowers. Her death is described by Hamlet's mother who reports that while Ophelia was collecting flowers, she fell into the lake. She floated awhile, singing songs until the weight of her wet, heavy clothing finally brought her down and drowned her. There is much speculation that this was also a possible suicide by her.
see the wikepedia entry for more detailed explanation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(character)
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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"Selene and Endymion"
A classic Greek tale of Selene, the moon goddess, who fell in love with the mortal Endymion, a shepherd. There are a few different versions of this story, my favorite is that Selene asked Zeus to put Endymion into an eternal sleep so that he would never get old and stay beautiful forever. Since she was immortal, this was her way of keeping him with her forever. They were said to have had 50 children together.
Read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endymion_(mythology) and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene
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click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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"Sleeping Beauty"
In this fairytale, Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger on a spindle and falls asleep for 100 years. As she sleeps, a forest of briars springs up around the castle creating a wall from the outside world. The only thing that can wake her is a kiss from a Prince and true loves first kiss.
Read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" pictures |
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"Snow White"
One of my favorite fairy tales. After eating a poisoned apple, Snow White falls into a deep sleep that appears as death. The Seven Dwarfs, and all who see her, are so taken by her beauty, even in death, they can't bear to cover her up in a coffin. They build her a glass coffin so all can see her and admire her, even in death.
read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White
click the photo below to see "before" pictures
Special thanks to Mimi Iwami from The Wild Iris, for making the beautiful glass coffin!
"Cleopatra"
The Egyptian queen who took her own life. Here written in Wikepedia:
"...she was found dead, her handmaiden, Iras dying at her feet, and another handmaiden, Charmion, adjusting her crown before she herself falls.
.. an asp was concealed in a basket of figs that was brought to her by a rustic, and finding it after eating a few figs, she holds out her arm for it to bite."
read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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"Frida Kahlo"
Frida was bedridden for a long period of her life. Her father had a mirror attached to the top of her bed so that she could paint in bed and use that to help her do self portraits. I chose to recreate her painting "The Dream" since it was her vision of her death. The Judas (paper mache skeleton) was actually attached to the top of her real bed (see photo below). In the painting a string of fireworks are attached to it, a reference to a Mexican tradition of setting the Judas (effigy)on fire.
read more about Frida here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" pics and the amazing bed! |
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Special thanks to Darren Cole for making me my absolutely perfect Frida bed!
"Annabele Lee"
The last poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. Some theorize it was written about his wife, Virginia Poe after her death. (see painting of her below)
In the poem, the narrator blames the angels for being so jealous of their intense love, they take Annabel away from him.
read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annabel_Lee
click below to see references and influences |
click below to see "before" photos |
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It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me
Yes! that was the reason
(as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
