Every now and again I show an image from the Creature Vaults, those hidden domains where old sketches, failed paintings and discarded designs find their final resting place. 'Final', unless they are dragged out to be presented to the world, usually for the first time.
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| Click to enlarge; copyright Gert van Dijk |
This image is one such, and it is the first to come from a vault without physical form. Other vaults consist of large cardboard folders, or of stacks of oil paintings carelessly stacked against the back wall of a closet. This vault is digital.
I started the conversion of the Furaha project from oil paintings to digital art some 11 years ago. The project, now nearly done, changes as time passes. The Great Hexapod Revolution had as a result that legs, heads and jaws or earlier hexapods no longer followed my self-imposed rules. The changes were too large to be solved with moderate cosmetic changes (I tried), so many paintings are now seeing a 'Mark II". In fact, some started as oil paintings (MkI), were later redone as digital paintings (MkII), and are now revisited to become MkIII. Mind you, most paintings these days are entirely new.
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| Click to enlarge; copyright Gert van Dijk |
Here is some more detail of the head of this now defunct animal. It is a pity that I had to discard it, as I rather like the painting. But I kept the overall design and colour scheme for the MkIII version, which is nearly finished, and looks just as well or better, I think.
The animal is a 'thresher', with the Latin name 'Ira tarda'. That means 'slow anger', a name that was inspired by memories of an old teacher of mine. Threshers are solitary, grumpy and are best left to their own devices. They do have to meet from time to time, in view of the perpetuation of the species, but their behaviour at such times gives little indication of a mood upswing. Best not talk about it, really.