Jada Bryant

This series is based around the concept of purgatory. It explores the progression of an individual walking through this realm and ultimately choosing between life and death. This unknown space and everything it holds is only limited to one’s beliefs and imagination. I wanted to explore my own thoughts on that world between.

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The longer someone spends in purgatory, the harder it is for them to return to the physical world, which is demonstrated in my color scheme. As the series progresses the colors become muted and darker to represent the life left inside the character is fading. I used texture and shape to illustrate the difference between the subject and the rest of the organic world. I drew the animals in a realistic manner, and in contrast used cubism to depict that humans are man made. The main subject is always transparent to make him seem less permanent than the organic subjects around him. The lines within the subject are to show the life and soul still within him, the brain and spinal cord are darker to put an emphasis on their importance. In pieces 5 and 10 I chose to focus on the detail that brought the organic subjects to life. These drawings helped me grow as an artist by challenging me to create photo realism digitally. In preparation for each painting, I began by taking photos of nature, and then I would layer them ontop of eachother. When out in nature, I would look specifically for colors and landscapes that would contrast each other.  I wanted my background to capture a surreal world to represent the world between life and death. In pieces 7 and 8 a dark figure appears representing fear and temptation.