Patience

Artwork Info

• Year: 2013
• Medium: Photo Manipulation, Digital painting.
• Style: Modern Dark Surrealism Illustration.
• Size:  56×80 inches (144×204 cms).
• Model: Eduardo Muñoz.

Originally shot with natural lighting in exteriors with Canon EOS equipment, “Patience” is a digital photo manipulation enhanced by digital painting techniques (commonly known as ‘matte painting’, a skill commonly used for film concept arts), assembled in Adobe Photoshop.

Artist’s statement

patience /ˈpeɪʃəns/, noun

1. tolerant and even-tempered perseverance
2. the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc

The origin of this artwork comes from the need of channeling my lack of patience regarding decisions and emotions about interactions with other people. I tried to envision what this concept would look like in my own imaginary after establishing the idea of growing plants as a metaphor. That way, I could transmit a feeling of peace emerging from the darkness of apathy. For that reason, I chose one of my recurrent characters, the businessman: it offers a stark contrast to anything related to emotions, allowing to show that the emotional turmoil can we found in each human beign, beyond materialism and modern life constructs surrounding the idea of money and possesions.

I turned his head into a raining cloud that pours water into a blossoming set of flowers and little red berries sprouting from his bare hands, symbolizing the idea that “love and understanding takes time”, which paints the concept of patience as the force turning darkness into light: Love. To expand on that idea, I created a throne-like structure for the character to sit in as a giant stonecrafted heart floating in dark space.

I chose mostly blue tones for most of the composition to offer continuity to the idea of darkness, which I consider to be something cold. That way, the little flowers and berries alongside the tie offer a subtle contrast using red hues, to mark the area where life is being taken care of and nurtured.

“Patience”, despite it’s dark surrealism approach, is all about love and learning to understand what’s beyond us, making us able to nurture ourselves. It’s an unexpected love letter to oneself.