Set Me Free
She runs out of breath, rendering her beyond listless. She has lasted decades of taking blows after blows without ever complaining, but she's had enough.
Then a crack.
A single, minuscule crack crawls its way through her otherwise blank countenance, running on top of her breaking resolve. The fighter inside of her wants out.
The drawing
This piece has been sitting on my phone in a WIP state since October. I couldn't grasp what I wanted to relay, so I let it sit. It took a while, but I finally got it.
The woman in the drawing is loosely based off this photo, while the background is actually a stock photo from Unsplash. Painting this to completion took longer than I usually would; around 10 hours spread over two days.
The symbolisms
Since restarting my art journey last year, I find that I really enjoy incorporating symbolisms into my work. This piece is all about freedom. While we'd always associated wings to that concept, I thought there could be more.
A flamingo is said to generally represent strong emotions inside a person, asking for release. At one point, it symbolizes fun and cheerfulness. It's a stretch, but I'd also mention happiness.
The sunset is often associated to the passage of time, and subsequently, taking a break. Finally, the monstera-like plants in the painting. Monstera is believed to represent suffocation. In hindsight, the monstera and flamingo elements in this work are a contrast to each other.
In detail
I honestly took my time in this one. Haha. So many trials and errors while in process. I think my favorite part to do were the cracks. It was interesting.
Notes
This artwork is minted on Ghostmarket.io in 2 editions. :)
