The Burdern Of Beauty

Watercolor, Ink, & Colored Pencil

I’ve been working on a series of short stories about many female characters that befall unfortunate fates due to their vanity. My first story based on this image is about one of the first Geishas ever to come into existence and her journey to becoming one of the most powerful and beautiful women in her stratosphere. I’ve been searching for a way to better communicate the pieces I create. What better way to form a connection than giving it life with a fictional tale a viewer can invest in?

It begins when a curse originated when the goddess Echo bewitches a well that was formed where her tears fell when she realized the only man she ever loved could never love her back. This well is the main water source in the small village Hara where she was born. The water’s curse makes it impossible for the women in the village to bear children that are female. This allows Echo to stand by and wait so a reincarnation of her true love can be born. So when her father makes a deal with a fox in order for his wife to bear a daughter. The fox follows through with the father’s wishes. At a price of course. Shizukei can never speak her own words but only repeat the words of others. This is another form of Echo’s curse as all that was left of her was her voice echoing through the forest. But despite her being silent most of the time she still finds a way to achieve her visions of beauty, power, and respect. But of course all good things have and ending. Even moreso… a steep price to pay.

This is the main moral of the story. I would include more details but if I give too much away it wouldn’t be much fun for you guys to read it. So I’ll leave the other twists and surprises for when I sell the pieces.

I have a connection with this piece more than others I’ve done in the recent past. Not for it’s photo-realism but because I really put a lot of time into the story and idea she represents. I also really love that my experiment with only using highlights to suggest more detail did exactly that despite me taking a risk. I want her to reflect that even the most beautiful of beings have to pay a price. Whether it’s losing themself to their own vanity… or sacrificing things they normally wouldn’t. I’ve felt this sacrifice a lot within my own life and my struggle to understand what beauty really means and what it is actually worth.

I feel like without the story my work doesn’t do enough. I want to change people thoughts…. not just their visual perception.

So here’s to a new project…. filled with curiousity, wonder, and personal relation.