Helping You To Succeed

I invited my good friend and partner in crime, Johnny McDaniels, to do a write up on his artwork for our next short story project. Johnny doesn’t say much, he enjoys his art in silence, his own therapy. But he agreed on this piece to give his opinion and tell me a little about his creative process. I will post the story tomorrow. I hope you guys enjoy.

Here’s Johnny…

This piece started as the idea for a short story by my friend Jerome Kenrick. He clearly had a lot to say, and so did I on the subject. We have been working together for a while, and he usually supplies a mock-up that I work from. We bounce ideas back and forth and then I get to work. This time, the talking was short, and the work commenced.

There is so much to say about a person’s right to choose. Not just on topics of a moral question, but in daily life. It is interesting to me that the same chants that are used to protest vaccinations and mask wearing, were originally shouted by feminists trying to garner support for pregnancy termination. In my mind, I have strong pro-life views in believing that all life is precious. I also have equally strong opinions which hold that no one should have the ability to tell me what I can and cannot do. I do not have any conflict in this line of thinking. Why should anyone have a mandate against their own body, and why should that be an additional concern when the decision being made is already such a difficult one?

Now, on to the piece. We wanted to depict the sensual nature of a woman, attractive and perhaps even lustful. Then have her voice taken away, depicting her ability to choose as being stifled, and her body no longer her own. It had to portray the idea that she is almost property. I worked entirely digital for this project but chose charcoal to illustrate the model. It is a favorite medium of mine and I find it useful for depicting form. I then chose to use pink highlights to give the sense of surrealism.

Form was outlined intentionally cartoon-like to further separate from reality. The hue that was chosen is supposed to mimic the color used to raise awareness and support for breast cancer, a cause close to my heart. I work in health care for my 9-5 and have come to take that shade of pink as a representation of the strength of our women. Mouth taped and labeled over in the controversial state bill in Texas that stirred this to life. Title bright and blurred like a neon sign, further exhibiting the actions that happen in the dark, but on a stark white background, bringing it all into the light.

@fiddlinpig Johnny McDaniels