Inconvenient Bliss, acrylic paint on canvas
‘But I like the inconveniences.’
‘We don’t’, said the Controller, ‘we prefer to do things comfortably.’
‘But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.’
‘In fact,’ said Mustapha Mond, ‘you’re claiming the right to be unhappy.’
‘All right, then,’ said the Savage defiantly, ‘I’m claiming the right to be unhappy.’
‘Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy, the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.’ There was a long silence. ‘I claim them all,’ said the Savage at last.
Mustapha Mond shrugged his shoulders. ‘You’re welcome,’ he said.
(pg. 212, Brave new world by Aldous Huxley)
And no, I did not use Spiderman as inspiration ;)
What was difficult?
I didn’t manage to capture the exact mood I was envisioning on forehand. I was thinking along more melancholic lines, but somehow I just ended up using bright colors and making something quite happy. Also I struggled a bit with contrast. The painting is going to hang in my department on a very high wall, so I was worried the contrast between the faces and the (first) yellow background wouldn’t be enough to see from a far distance, which is why I decided to add blue to the background in the end. I think there was room for improvement here.
What was fun?
Painting. I finished my most important deadlines of the semester (I heard a day later I passed my semester *yay*), so all I really did was get up, drink coffee, have breakfast and paint. That was a wonderful and free feeling.
What did I learn?
Don’t be afraid to make major changes in a late stage. Also, if I really want to capture a mood I should try to think color, composition and style through more thoughtfully on forehand. I don’t regret the fact that it turned out differently though. Being open to how a painting evolves also has some quality.
(See all my creative challenges here.)
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9 Comments
Beckie
January 30, 2012 at 01:13
Your video is so cool! It’s always fun seeing time-lapses like this. And I loved the upbeat music : ]
I’m glad you allowed yourself some freedom–it came out really nicely. I love the colors and the feel of the painting. It’s very me. I love it!
Magical Day Dream
January 30, 2012 at 23:35
Thank you! :) The music is by Booka Shade.
Mariana
January 30, 2012 at 09:16
I love this paint! And the video is great.
You are amazing and Spiderman would be definitely so proud of you!! ;D
Magical Day Dream
January 30, 2012 at 23:35
Haha that would be cool :D
Elina
January 30, 2012 at 13:47
How strange, the first movie I came to think about was My Blueberry Nights :D But you are simply talented, keep up the good work!
Magical Day Dream
January 30, 2012 at 23:37
I never saw that movie, but I just looked it up and I might :)
Sarbear
January 30, 2012 at 17:57
I loved watching the video, you are so talented. I’m a big fan of how the paint is dripping on her neck. It’s lovely.
-Sara-
Magical Day Dream
January 30, 2012 at 23:38
Thank you! I didn’t really plan that, but it came to me while seeing the paint drip so I used the effect :)
Sarah
February 2, 2012 at 13:20
Beautiful work! :) I love it!
Sarah
http://nobodyputssarahinthecorner.wordpress.com