“There is an ancient samurai legend that tells of the greatest of all samurai. A master warrior said to be more beast than man, with four katana wielding arms and lightening speed. The legend states that he who finds this master will be showered with riches, given the strength and skill to vanquish any foe, and be granted eternal life. Yet only if the seeker defeats the master in mortal combat.” I wrote this little back story to inspire a painting of a Ronin being pointed in the direction of THE master.
This is the biggest painting I have ever done so far. 32"x42" oil on panel. A lot time went into the prep stages for this. I decided to weave meso american, Maori, and Japanese influences into the design instead of the typical European motifs found in high fantasy. Illustrator/Sculptor Daniel Horne gave me some good tips for sculpting the reference of the ancient creature's face and torso. The ancient was originally going to be completely nude and wrinkled but the idea of shriveled old boobs resting on the man's shoulder wasn't too appealing. My 97 year old great grandmother served as reference for the turkey neck and gnarly fingers. Thanks granny! It was fun to paint and a welcome break from the digital work I normally do.
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| I came so close to giving this creature "Total Recall boobs" you know what I'm talking about! |
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| ancient process sculpt |
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| "Ancient" |
Captain’s blog supplemental: For those who don’t know: "Ronin" is a Japanese word for a wandering Samurai....or a master-less Warrior. Not a master warrior mind you, but one that has no master. He may be a renegade of sorts, one who has lost the protection of his clan or society because of some indiscretion or another. His family may not exist anymore...and that is why he has lost his honor and decided to wander. He is a man unto himself, with only himself to answer to.
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