I've named the first of 7 Bravura Islands with the most brilliant gemstone: Diamond!  

Flash back to Crystal Island's Shepherd King (which opened this new pop art destination), to view the poem with this painting. As I described in my blog, Bravura Island features variations and works-in progress.  Here, you can view the two versions side by side.

Time to play with color. The beauty of digital painting is you never run out of paint! And they never dry on the palette when you go to sleep, or spend some time with your date. I get that a lot... I mean, the paint drying up like that ;-)

Ever wonder about the making of something creative or artistic? This is it. a work-in progress. You're having a sneak peek at the way I create, the genesis of an idea, style or motif. You see, as you get to know the different island themes, you'll be able to relate and understand what these motifs mean, and how I spin them around.

Here I'm going with a crystalline cubic alchemy. I love looking at crystal figures by Swarovski, which remind me of sparkling diamonds. I sometimes see facets of color with one eye, then switch to both eyes...and back...and I imagine a painting out of that crystal sculpture. These are things that always change with the angle of reflection etc. and though you may be able to capture it with a video, the video is still monoscopic - not stereoscopic like the human eye. The distance (6 cm.) between our eyes (pupils) gives us the parallax effect of 3D perception and facets of reflection that enchant us.

A painting is a flat image that can be optimized to create a three dimensional illusion with the naked eye. This (nonmechanical) human experience is a holistic experience. It goes beyond the diamond's sparkle, or the color and its clarity. So in this humble and realistic version (below left), the painting focuses on the light and the figure's stance. His facial expression, the interaction/projection between the shepherd and the lamb. The context is expressed by the simple clothes he wears and his mystical (Crystal Island) environment - a timeless ethereal image that touches on symbolic and spiritual motifs: Jesus Christ. The Lamb. The Good Shepherd.  A second interpretation could be David, the young shepherd who would be king. Bravura Island expands on Crystal Island in mystical ways. 

Crystals have always been associated with mystique and spiritual energy. I'm getting my own positive vibes from simply painting them - unless my technique slips ;-)  After all, it's got to be what happens within us when we sense the alchemy of personal power.

The artglass version incorporates an alchemy of fragmented shapes and reflections. Just like water and other shiny objects, the extremes of light and dark are reflected in juxtaposition. And there's the glare. The aura if you like. All of these have to work to serve a greater harmony. It's so much more than digitally reversing the positive image to its negative. In fact, it's a totally different painting with a cubist realism. I softened the rigid and angular edges by engulfing the forms with fire and mist. The abstract staccato of pixels running into each other resembles a heavily textured fresco or patina. I will get back to this idea with another artglass painting. Stay tuned.