Description
The “Ruby Red River Reflection” oil painting is an artistic journey from the tranquil to the turbulent, a visual metamorphosis that speaks to the transformative power of the creative process. The piece begins with a serene base of Ultramarine blue, a color that traditionally symbolizes depth and stability. The artist’s longing for the authentic vibrancy of Afghan Lapis Lazuli pigment infuses the artwork with a yearning for unadulterated purity, a tribute to the ancient practice of grinding precious stones for artistic use.
As layers accumulate, this tranquil sea of blue gains complexity, reminiscent of the artist’s previous “Cityscape” but destined for a new transformation. With deliberation, the artist carves through this serene underpainting with lines that are both invasive and necessary, tearing through the calm to reveal the chaos beneath. This act of ‘vandalism’ against the canvas’s original tranquility is likened to drawing “a drop of heart’s blood of Mother Earth,” emphasizing the dramatic shift from creation to destruction and back to creation.
Emerging from this act is the “Ruby” mask, a vibrant persona that radiates with the luminescent glow of a Sunrise Ruby. This mask, rich in its bright, blood-red color, flows across the canvas like a river of precious stone, set against a backdrop evocative of a jeweled tapestry featuring Sapphire, Emerald, Citrine, Garnet, Jade, and Moonstone. It’s as if the Earth’s most precious treasures have been liquified and spread across the surface, with each hue lending its unique attribute to the mask’s persona.
The inclusion of metallic lines and hues brings a sense of opulence and value to the work, suggesting the presence of precious metals that might hold these gemstones in a jeweler’s masterpiece. Yet, the pure joy of a single color field is not lost on the artist—it serves as a foundation for reflection and the germination of new ideas, a necessary blank slate from which complexity can arise.
The line, described as a dictator, does not merely guide but commands the evolution of the artwork, compelling the artist into paths unforeseen akin to another the painting from the Great Unmasking Series titled “Crispus”. Yet, in this surrender to the line’s will, the artist finds satisfaction, embracing the loss of control as a path to discovery. The result is a mask that is both a testament to the Earth’s natural wonders and an acknowledgment of the artist’s role as both creator and destroyer—a duality that lies at the heart of all acts of making. “Ruby Red River Reflection” becomes a dialogue between the artist’s intention and the painting’s will, a dance of give-and-take that results in a work that is both a reflection of the past and a vision of something entirely new that lays ahead of our time.
Title : Ruby Red River Reflection
Type : oil on canvas
Size : 100 * 100 cm
Year : 2018
