Sign In

Close
Forgot your password? No account yet?

Frailty of Memory by Balaa

Frailty of Memory

Balaa

~~~

"Frail is memory that once shone bright. The earthly body that faded then, has left her spirit from within to seek her place in hearts beyond. Recall the wind that blew her fore and held her aft. The sands collide and steal her breath so she may drown in lonliness.

But one persists when others cannot and lights her torch in memory, until the dawn and there still beyond. Persist frail memory when we cannot.


A personal piece and companion to: [Persistence of Memory](http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8005572/). Originally i created two concepts for the painting done for the magazine and though I chose one, the other still lingered and held me close. So between other projects I have been shaping this one, hoping to tease it's enigmatic visage to completion.

The story for both images is that of a spirit that shepherds memory, a white cheetah that lives in the heart of the Sahara. She wanders the lonely sloping dunes leaving the light of memory as her only tracks. But in the secret places where memory is being kindled into a flame that may last for eternity she transforms into a fragile lantern that fills the night with dappled dreams. And with the coming of the dawn she fades into the sand, her light lingering where she has walked.

I decided to slightly exaggerate some of her features for this painting, chiefly the long neck which is meant to cast her in a more supernatural light. The composition was deliberately more disconcerting than the open resolved composition in Persistence of Memory. Here her ritual has been interrupted by the viewer and she turns to look upon him. The viewer,with a mounting sense claustrophobia looks upon her with uncertainty, uncertain of her intent of the reason she shines. 

Well anyway..that's what I was hoping to portray ;P.

Tools: Photoshop

Size: 6200x3600 at 300dpi

PrintsL Sure, if there is interest <:

~

Submission Information

Views:
914
Comments:
5
Favorites:
75
Rating:
General
Category:
Visual / Digital

Comments

  • Link

    Absolutely stunning... looooove the lighting effect from the spots n_n

  • Link

    theres an issue of national geographic that deals with cheetahs, as well as an abandoned town overrun by sand. was that inspiration at all of this piece and the other?

    • Link

      I would love to know the title of the article you speak of but alas no I was not fortunate to come across that article. Rather I came across some photos that I believe actually were used in that article of the place, Kolmanskop, and searched to find more photos. Incidentally, around the same time I came across info about a possible new sub-species of cheetah residing in the Sahara desert and the two ideas fused as if they were always meant to be C:.

      • Link

        it was National Geographics November 2012 issue. The second to last page of the "Sailing the Dunes" article features a photo of the inside of a building in Kolmanskop, and the next article is "Cheetahs on the Edge".

        • Link

          thank you for sharing! I think I may have to hunt down the issue. This place just has such a haunting presence for me!