Description

The Power of Love (Beauty and the Beast) Large by Mark Davies

The plan for my Spring / Summer collection ‘Lithium’ was for it to comprise of a blend of pieces from various bodies of work. My ‘Storyteller’ series is one that I am so incredibly proud of as it is art without compromise, art with meaning and I love how much you have fallen in love with these for close to ten years now.

‘The Power of Love’ is my classic interpretation of the enchanting ‘Beauty and the Beast’ of which I have created two previous pieces. ‘Marry Me Bitch!’ which still makes me laugh when I hear people order it by title, and a ‘Love Knows No Bounds’ piece entitled ‘’We Are Together Now’. It is the perfect story to suit my love for darkness and light and exploring the depths that people go to in the name of love. Roses have been used throughout my work, both digitally and physically and the plan was to focus on this for this third instalment.

However, the plan initially and for some time before was to create a scene within the ‘Beasts’ rose garden, the potential for beauty is huge and I know how it would look. Yet for me personally at this point in time, I need to really challenge myself, to distract and to hopefully reach new levels through the need to consume myself in my work. So, for this reason alone I opted to keep that idea locked up and instead look to create something that was different from what people may expect.

To achieve this, it was all about composition and introducing a surreal, fantasy-like quality to hopefully provoke a ‘bloody hell I wasn’t expecting that’ reaction. As an artist, you shouldn’t ever rest on your laurels or become formulaic – I hope you can see that I strive to evolve and learn through listening. I think this is why this collection has smashed me to bits through the intensity that I have put in. I need it, you deserve it, so it’s simple.

‘The Power of Love’ positions you stood on a clifftop looking down at this incredible landscape/seascape (is that even a thing?!) you know what I mean anyway! The composition is done in this way to get you involved as I’m sure you can relate to the concept in some fashion. The initial image that inspired what you now see was showing a rock at a much smaller scale, I saw intrigue in changing this, so it became huge. Ripples then become powerful waves; you see where I’m going with this? The castle and the galleon that would typically dominate are dwarfed by the solid rock that stands strong against the ever-flowing tides and waves that roll and crash into its surface.

This came together so well and without stress, it was exciting and exactly how I wanted it to evolve. Then my attention turned to the sea and the symbolic rose. I strove to create them in a way that they resembled sea creature type objects that rose upwards and broke the surface, almost as a show of force and powerful gesture. There are ones that look withered and faded in contrast to others that shine bright and have risen above the waves. Technically this was tough and I’m glad it was. The end results are so pleasing, and I feel that it really adds to this surreal quality that I have pushed for. What do you think?

A much earlier artwork entitled ‘My Spirit Will Live On’ featured a face in the rock and I still love hearing how you have only just discovered it. As a child I always remember trying to catch the right angle as we drove past a rock in Menorca where you could see a blatant Red Indian for a split second. Maybe that is where this has all come from? So maybe there are more to find, that links the ‘Storyteller’ and ‘Love Knows No Bounds’ pieces together beautifully. As soon as you see it and see the connection, it changes everything.

The overriding purpose for this piece is to acknowledge the lengths that one goes for love and the power that one’s love for another can hold. This play on scale and perspective acknowledges this. It is so much more than a pretty picture although you are free to simply enjoy it as that, but if I know my collectors, I am pretty sure that you will relate to it for many a reason and I look forward to hearing what it means to you.

I hope you love this artwork and what it conveys and means to you. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.