La Mer (The Ocean)
I wanted to make my own interpretation of “The great wave off Kanagawa”, and since I’ve had this Samurai design that I never got the chance to use I decided to make him the central piece of this illustration.
Originally, I wanted to do a design to put on a t-shirt. But I kept adding details to it and felt that it wasn’t going to transfer well, so I gave up that idea.
I was also inspired by one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails tracks – La Mer. Having that play on repeat enabled me to mentally transport myself into being present to witness this illustration. The chaotic sounds in the middle of the track coincide with “The great wave…”, and I can imagine being there to witness something similar. It would start slowly and serene, and then the chaos would ensue, bringing rain and huge waves. Ending up softly once again.
I wanted to also put the legend of the Samurai sword that fell in the ocean, it was named Kusanagi no Tsurugi.
In Japanese mythology, Kusanagi is the miraculous sword that the sun goddess Amaterasu gave to her grandson Ninigi. The sword’s name means “Grass-Mower”.
Also, I was inspired by crows as I was jogging one day and was surrounded by them. So I decided to put a flock of them flying atop the illustration so the black can contrast a bit with the blues that take up most of the image.
I used a variety of India Inks, markers, and colored pencils. And each section was cut separately and pasted onto it, giving the illustration a 3D feeling to it. The background for the illustration was done on watercolor paper.
2D Art
14 x 11 x 0.5
$120.00
0.5
Is the piece framed and wired properly? Please specify any hanging requirements for the gallery staff.
Yes, it's framed properly.
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.)
Markers, colored pencils, paint markers, watercolors
Have you read the complete list of requirements for MCA exhibits?
Yes
