"The Seeker" Completed my painting, 8 months in the making.

Beautiful work, nicely done! I'm into the impressionists and they are a big influence on my own painting style, can see elements of what they did in this work. I really like it.

I'm also going through a career change and trying to make a living from my painting so I know how big a deal it can be - I wish you the best of luck, you have talent and deserve to do well.

One thing I've identified for myself which sounds like it might apply to you too - I take too long on a lot of my paintings, so either have to sell them for a very high price to pay me for all the hours worked, or look into printing so I can produce copies and sell them a lot cheaper. I'm not doing so well at selling them for 'a very high price', surprise surprise, so I'm aiming at the printing.

Good luck and never give up

reply to post by el1jah


Beautiful Work. S+F for effort.
I cannot offer any suggestions, you work is far superior to anything I could ever dream of creating.
all I can do is offer praise and recognition because the work is astounding.
Good job,and Good luck in the future.

wow dude this is.... transcendent.. so detailed and full of depth, i love the expression you have conveyed onto this mans face. i stared at the whole picture for a good 5 minutes haha, what is the medium?

Those are amazing. Jaw-dropping even.

Reminds me of one of my favorite artists Alex Grey.
You have talent, don't stop using it.

this is an amazing piece of work. you are truly talented.

keep it up!

Man,what a talent.
Keep at it I say-You will never have to"work"again.
Get a local exhibition going for starters,hassle the media to turn up.
Excellent painting!

Thankyou so much everyone, I am completely moved by some of your comments. I have hated and loved this painting, through the months it was really a struggle just to finish it and let it go. For who asked it is is painted in Oil paint.

I have lost the ability to look at this objectively, even if its upside-down or inverted on my computer. I find his body to be a little unbalanced to the right side of the canvas, did anyone else feel this on their first impression?

Not entirely for me but I love art and create myself so star for you!

reply to post by el1jah


You will always be over critical after spending 8 months on the painting.
You need not be.
Get a few independent critics off the street who you do not know,and ask them for their take on your painting.
You don't have to say you painted it even.

You know how some folks find it hard to watch themselves on video?
You are getting the same from your painting maybe.
But to everyone else,they see the awesomeness,not what you may perceive as faults (from being over critical).


The fact you think you could do better than the picture you just spent 8months on tells me one day we will read about you in the fortune 500,and maybe history books of the future.

Can't wait to see the next paintings.
Don't forget about ATS when you hit the big time.

Originally posted by el1jah
I have lost the ability to look at this objectively, even if its upside-down or inverted on my computer. I find his body to be a little unbalanced to the right side of the canvas, did anyone else feel this on their first impression?

I'm always over-critical with my own work. Everything I 'finish' is never really ever FINISHED. I'm always going back, revising, changing, months, sometimes even years after thinking I'm done with something.

I don't see anything unbalanced in your work.
The textures, colors, highlights, shading, and geometries you've molded into a chorus work excellently together.
Get highres shots of this done, keep the original, and post the high-res digital copies to imagekind.com where you can sell this over and over to all and everyone who likes it, on canvas, or paper.
Get high enough demand, and then you advertise the original.

Do this with all your work, and you'll be selling every piece many times over.

Awesome great stuff!
Kudos, stars, flags, applause, and more thumbs up than I got to do this proper justice.

reply to post by el1jah


Something else I just noticed that I wanted to share, the circle through which it appears he's about to depart creates the same imagery as is often used for saints, the circular 'halo' around his head. This would make sense in terms of his impending freedom. Also, isn't it for the saint to "stick around" and try to get as many to come with him/her into freedom as possible before their ultimate departure. This could also add to his sense of melancholy in his final look back as well as an explanation for his ragged appearance, the trudging through hell of the saint. Just wanted to add that to the analysis. Just an awesome work, man. I'd love to share some of my music with you. Email me at leesager (at) hotmail (dot) com if you'd like, I'll shoot you some of my musical work. Peace and God bless...

PS: And I might have just missed it, but I can't see the original post while I'm replying, did you name it?

reply to post by el1jah



That is an amazing painting man.
Great work.... very cool

reply to post by BBobb


Im still hung up on the name. Originally it was 'the seeker' but that implies knowledge or even self searching, this is meant to be a cessation of the search, since the search itself blocks the truth. So yeah not sure on the title. There was a passage from the book this is based on, "the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" it is the second in the book and basically explains 'yoga' (meaning union) "Yogas-Chitta-Vritti-Nirodhah" it roughly means, 'Yoga is the cessation of the whirpools of thought'.

reply to post by nineix

Yeah they say to the artist their piece is never complete. I find it is falling to the right, the whole torso is a little lost and I'm not in the mood to crop the canvas down on the left, so Im biting my nails thinking about the various possibilities to push his torso to the left while keeping his head and shoulder in place.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Haha fortune 500 eh, thankyou so much for your warm comments, all I want is to be able to paint, making enough to just do that would be phenomenal. I want to be sure my work is accessible, to help people go inside themselves, I am dreading the prospect of any of my work hiding in some rich guys home.

reply to post by el1jah


8x4?

one of my favorite things - something as beautiful from 8 inches away as it is from 8 feet away

I love it - keep going

Originally posted by el1jah
reply to post by birdyat101

 

I'll be sure to notify you when the time comes, I will be putting a website together soon enough and will post it to ats rather than trying to sell on ats which I am sure is against the T&c

That sounds good can't wait

reply to post by el1jah



holy crap

how did you design the first one? was it a mix of CG graphics and actual canvas?

reply to post by k1k1to


haha no, its a straight unedited photo of oilpaint on canvas.