This symbolic painting depicts the meeting of two opposites. Taking place in a desolate landscape, the personification of matter rises from the ground, reaching out to a celestial force.

To assist with a convincing portrayal of this imaginary subject, I sculpted a mock-up of the scene with Celluclay for reference. The mock-up was a great aid in visualizing the light emanating from the Spirit. Initially I planned to personify the Spirit as well, but decided that would seem too much like an angel, too cliché. Instead I went for a swirling galaxy-like cloud effect.

One of the goals of my recent paintings is to achieve a more 3 dimensional appearance. Therefore I painted the background with a soft out-of-focus look. Conversely, the foreground was painted sharp to stand out distinctly. As for the Spirit, I used a wet-in-wet technique, built up in multiple coats for a glowing, diffused appearance. Upon completion, I was very pleased with the outcome of this difficult to imagine concept.