When I started to work on this drawing I thought of love. When we hear about this word we all have a particular idea in mind. For each of us love means different things. I thought of representing it at a more abstract level. I thought of a candy mixed with a dragon. Odd combination? Well our minds function differently so I am sure that a lot of artists can find a different visual metaphor for love just as odd as mine.
Dragons are fearless and fierce. They fight and they have all sorts of magical powers. They have always captured our imagination and we know them for their colorful and bold appearance. We are afraid of them just as much as we are fascinated. We admire their power and fear their wrath. Isn't this the same with love? A mythical creature lurking somewhere deep within, ready to burst in flames surprising everybody. The sleepy giant who suddenly awakens when somebody touches his heart. We can become as big as a dragon when we are in love. Often we protect a loved one with such a passion that other people think we have gone mad. We feel empowered when we know that we are loved. Love, the good kind of love, can give us wings and this is how you feel like you're in the clouds .
Candy. Someone here with a sweet tooth? Oh I bet there are many who crave sweets even in their sleep. I have my moments when I can churn big amounts of candy in my mouth like there's no tomorrow. Sugar can be addictive. Studies have shown that rats in the laboratories will choose water with sugar over cocaine. That powerful is the boost of pleasure when your tongue gets some sweets rubbing your senses. In love we have something I might call "the butterfly phase". Or "sand in the eye phase". Or "Gosh this is perfect ,this is the one phase". We can ignore a lot of red flags during courtship because we desperately want it to be good. Love blinds us, just like an overdose of sugar makes you lethargic after the highs crash. We become addicted to the idea of what could be. We are on a drug called projection when we are in the beginning. Of course that in the case of healthy attachment style this is less likely to happen. But how many of us are truly healthy emotionally? How many of us are even normal? Hahaha. So I thought of how addictive and yet sweet love can feel.
Balance is always the key. A dragon who will spit fire all the time is the bad hero, the dragon who saves the day is admired. Candies eaten for days and years in a row will make you sick, as if served once in a while they are a delicacy, a joy.
I love to love and to be loved. I like the dragon and the candy, but not with the price of my inner peace. I will always believe in the power of love as it can move hearts, mountains, worlds. I can't imagine living with someone who would not truly love me and for whom I would not have love.
Here is a short clip I created for this
I have used watercolor for this piece and also added some nice pointillism details. No need to say that I remain loyal to Daniel Smith watercolors and Arches paper.They are the best.
I leave a few pictures taken during the painting process.
Have a lovely day and toodle loo !
