Random quick post about nothing mostly

[balaa]

I have always held a sort of fondness for Africa and African cultures. Of the diverse spectrum of cultures inhabitating Africa, I especially fell in love with the maasai people. In my eyes, they are the very pinnacle of beauty and something about these dwindiling people just pulls at my heart. Perhaps I see them only from the naive outsider's perspective as such romanticising their lifestyle and culture. Nonetheless I am impressed by their closeness to the earth, and the endless beauty I see of a human living so close to the earth, a part of the ecosystem and not it's tyrant/ruler.

Also, especially of late, I have been feeling kind of a sense of artistic emptiness, as in I just feel something is missing in my art or it is lacking direction. I still enjoy my work but what I feel I can't quite put into words. I've decided to start a few larger format exploration pieces (real media). The subject will focus on lions and the maasai people. To be more clear I will paint a series of scenes depicting anthro lions garbed in traditional maasai garb(jewelry, clothing, face paintings) and situations(ie coming of age, the beauty of life, what have you). I think at this point the idea is to show the similiarity between the people and these animals that were my first love. It's odd but doing these two quick sketches I found an odd sense of ease and peace within myself. That could just be because of all the stress bubbling in my life cauldron or perhaps an inner need to return to the roots of my artistic foundation.


A rough of a maasai warrior..Ironically it was/is a maasai tradition that if a young man is to come of age he must go on a lion hunt. Well the idea of this one would be somewhat dramatic with rich earthy colors. The sky would be deep grey and stormy, wheras the ground would be a rich hue of gold as if to show the eye of the storm or the peace before the storm. O_o some such thing.


Maasai mother and young son. the top scribble may be filled out later. The idea was to show mother and son/daughter walking home from the watering hole and if I did paint it I would paint both figures in the nude as it is not unnatural in many worldwide cultures for children and adults to be in the nude or partial nudity. I don't see it as a sexual symbol but rather of purity and the beauty of the nude body. Yep they are both very messy sketches but I see them more clearly in my head and will research the ideas more as I go along.

Gurg well back to last minute packing. I just knoooowwww I will forget half the stuff I need x.x