Hello everyone, today I'm going to share a piece I titled "Arrogance and Timidity" because the image evokes a landscape of contrasts, unspoken expressions, repressed emotions, and jealousy. This painting depicts a character created on canvas and connected to Splinterland.
A mysterious Life Seer emerges from the crimson chaos. A single piercing eye capable of reading souls, a silent mouth full of restraint, and a face in the throes of transformation… Between arrogance and timidity, between power and vulnerability, this healer embodies the emotional duality of the greatest protectors of Life Splinter. Let me present the artwork.
This piece is an expressive painting, created with acrylics using mixed media. It depicts a fragmented, partially visible face of a man, as if he were emerging from another dimension. The gaze immediately draws the attention of anyone viewing the painting. Only one eye is visible, giving the character a highly expressive and piercing presence. It creates a strong focal point and conveys an impression of vigilance. The rest of the face is intentionally incomplete, painted with Montana 94 silver spray paint. This suggests an identity in construction, in transformation. The single, piercing eye, an intense blue-green, stares at the observer with hypnotic vigilance. It represents inner vision and this Seer's ability to see beyond appearances, to detect the weaknesses and hidden emotions of their adversaries. Their closed mouth expresses restraint and strategic silence—for the greatest healers know that some truths should not be revealed too soon.
This silvery light at the center of the face acts as a zone of revelation. I interpret it as a symbol of awakening, of inner truth. The areas seem to fade, to disintegrate, reinforcing the idea of fragility and transformation. The silvery light illuminating part of her face symbolizes the awakening of her power and the revelation of her true nature. The splashes and drips of white paint represent the flowing life energy, the necessary letting go during intense battles, and the gradual dissolution of her former self.
The chartreuse green face → Recalls certain creatures or characters linked to the Life Splinter (the green faction of healing and nature). There are several Healer cards (Divine Healer, Forest Healer, etc.) and characters with green tones. The piercing, hypnotic eye → Evokes a Seer, a Mage, a Runemancer, or a character with psychic powers or inner vision.
The color palette is dominated by yellow and green on the face, giving it an unreal and otherworldly appearance, while the background consists of vibrant reds, pinks, and purples. This warm-cold contrast accentuates the emotional tension of the image. The splashes and splatters of paint add a raw, almost chaotic energy, evoking intense and conflicting emotions.
There is a dominance of highly saturated crimson and magenta, with variations of violet and pink. The projection technique involves numerous drops and splashes of white, blue, green, yellow, and black that cross the face and background. The chaotic red/violet background combined with the projections can symbolize magical energy, the chaos of combat, or a spiritual transformation (recurring themes in the Splinterlands universe).
The mouth, more discreet, is closed, suggesting silence, restraint, an unspoken truth, or rather, shyness. The overall effect is one of duality: appearance and disappearance, control and chaos, identity and abstraction.
The white paint drips down the face evoke letting go, emotional tears, or the dissolution of masks. The face is not static; it seems to be in motion, in transformation.
The eye is particularly well-crafted: large, expressive, with a piercing blue-green iris and a direct, almost hypnotic gaze. It forms the focal point of the work. The lips are rendered in brown/earth tones, bringing a more realistic and sensual touch to the abstraction. The nose and facial contours are suggested with green and black lines, leaving much to the interpretation.
This style I've adopted is reminiscent of contemporary expressionism, where emotion (the abstract) takes precedence over faithful representation. I seek to convey an inner state, an emotion, rather than a realistic portrait.
This portrait explores an introspective, vulnerable, and spiritual masculinity. Between apparent arrogance and profound shyness, between control and emotional chaos, this character embodies the duality of the great spiritual warriors of Splinterlands: powerful on the outside, fragile and constantly evolving within.
Thank you for reading, take care.