Void Gazing
2024
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Void Gazing - A Self Portrait |
| Artist: | Chris Lawton |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Media: | Digital Oils |
| Software: | Rebelle Pro 7 |
| Reference Photos: | Polar Bear: @Roaming_Angel (Unsplash.com) |
| My Eye: Personal Collection | |
Artist's Note:
Void Gazing. It is something we all do from time to time. The lucky among us may only do it a handful of times in their lives. Those less fortunate may spend far longer gazing into the void than they would like. Those least fortunate of all are devoured by it.
To Neitzsche, it was the abyss. He summed it up quite well when he stated that “if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” It can transform you, that darkness. It can eat away at you, piece by piece, or it can devour you whole. We know, as humans, that the void is dangerous. We also can’t help but be drawn into it.
This is my first self portrait. I think it reflects a more universal experience than mine alone, and that although void gazing is a thing everyone will experience at least once in their lives, everyone’s reaction to it will be different. In that same way, the emotive reaction to this painting will likely be somewhat of a reflection of their own experience.
Full Process
The video below is provided for those with more of an interest in the full process than the above (more artistic) timelapse can provide. This is because here instead of a recording out of the software (Rebelle 7 Pro) of a timelapse of the paint on the canvas, this video is of a screen recording of the software itself as I worked.
The video below is about 30 minutes in total, which is showcasing my work vastly sped up for the sake of brevity. It showcases all of the tools and references I used, and gives a better understanding of the work involved than the artistic timelapse can provide. Currently I do not have any recording equipment for video, but really all that would be added would be me sat in front of a graphics tablet working on and looking at exactly what you see on screen in the video below.
The only thing not recorded on this particular project was the slight image editing I performed during post production (white balancing, slight colour tweaks, etc.) which would have been done in On1 Photo Raw and / or Affinity Photo. I like to do as much as I can directly in Rebelle these days as this limitation helps me focus.
About this Artwork
All of these portraits of animals were hand painted in digital media. No ai generation. No auto-painting.
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