‘Keyla‘ is my fourth work where I’m fusing alive creatures with inanimate objects. The first one was ‘Blutstränen‘ in 2018 where the chaise longue features elements of a bird: the skull of a bird along with its spine that extend the armrest, and talons that make up the feet of the piece of furniture.
In the same year, I created ‘China‘ where the porcelain-like character features the handle of a cup on her back.
Three years later, in 2012, I made ‘Teatime‘ where the entire skeleton of a turtle constitutes the settee in a tea salon.
Feel free to have a look at the creations I’m talking about below and also view their ‘Making Of’.
I like the idea that inanimate objects may become one with human beings (and other beings like birds, etc.) and the other way round, and I also like to twist reality that way in my Surreal Creations: natural elements can form a shoe (‘Wounded Vanity‘ and ‘Extravaganza‘), women can be made out of glass (‘Anahita‘) and porcelain (‘Porcelain‘ and ‘China‘), pigeons can live in pinned-up hair (‘Snow White & Rose Red‘), and so on…
While the concept of fusing things and beings was nothing new to me, ‘Keyla’ was majorly inspired by one of Paolo Pedroni‘s works of art.
I absolutely love Paolo Pedroni’s art, and I also was in love with his ‘Relic of Love‘ the moment I saw it. I dig the color combination of white and red a lot myself, and I enjoyed the concept that a dresser may make up the body of a woman.
So my imagination caught fire and a picture started to take shape in my mind. This is how my idea of ‘Keyla’ was born.
I let my imagination run free, and those of you who are familiar with my art already know that I always like to tell a story in my Surreal Creations. There are lots of stories inside myself, and some are just waiting to be expressed.
‘Keyla’ turned out to be an artwork with strong symbolism, and it is probably one of my most important pieces of digital concept art, so far.
The Making Of 'Keyla'
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Work in Progress shots
Everything starts with the right background… 😜 But seriously, the background makes for the overall composition and it may be the kingpin of the entire artwork. I chose a kind of baroque wall (where a little bit of an armchair with golden ornaments is still showing) as background, because it matches the kind of dresser that I was planning to create…
Here I’ve created the dresser that is adorned with golden ornaments. The golden ornaments stand for the dresser’s great value.
Take a look at the drawers. There are three drawers with a simple handle, but the very last drawer has a lock. And obviously there is something in that last drawer because there’s a little bit of blood dripping down…
There are three keys that might fit the keyhole of the last drawer, but which key is the right one?
The dresser is standing on pointed feet that symbolize the lacking down-to-earthness – the lacking grip on reality.
And – as very often in my Surreal Storries – there is a vanitas symbol: the skeleton that I made look gold in Photoshop. Like many others of my works, ‘Keyla’ also features a reminder of the fugaciousness of life, the fugaciousness of all things…
As you know, I hardly ever create an artwork that doesn’t include a part of myself. As usual, I’m giving my face to the lady that I’m creating. Apart from being warped and liquified a bit, my face is still pretty much raw here and will undergo much more digital editing in the subsequent steps.
The neck with the chain of golden pearls illustrates the fusion of the character with the object.
Here I’ve completed a lot of work on the face. I’ve edited the eyes and repainted the eyebrows and the lips. Especially the form of the eyebrows makes for her haunted facial expression.
‘Keyla’ also got her hair: a curly baroque-like up-do.
Some more elements have joined the digital concept art work: Some golden ornaments line ‘Keyla’s’ face, neck and hair. The same ornaments that you can also find on the dresser.
Plus, the hands that seductively offer the keys have appeared in the picture.
A red flower in ‘Keyla’s’ hair, some fallen petals, a little mouse at the bottom eagerly eyeing the strange piece of furniture… ‘Keyla’ is completed.
Also note the golden chains around the hands that all carry a unique symbol…
Why is 'Keyla' digital concept art?
As I mentioned at the beginning, I like to think of ‘Keyla‘ as one of my most important pieces of digital concept art. Why? Because ‘Keyla’ is so symbol-laden as hardly any other of my works.
So where’s the symbolism and what do I want to convey through it? Well, let’s start with the most prominent element in the artwork:
The dresser is her ‘body’ and holds a secret. The dresser is adorned with precious golden ornaments. It’s of great value. The golden ornaments extend to her face. Firstly, to show that she is one with the dresser. And secondly, to symbolize that she herself is of great value, too.
You know that since the beginning of time, people have been searching for the secret that reveals the purpose of life, their godliness. Where do we come from and where do we go to?
It’s like the Holy Grail. You surely know the saying that if you really want to hide something from people, the best place to hide it is within themselves. Because this is the last place they would expect to find the ‘secret’.
That’s what the dresser stands for. It has many drawers and in one drawer the secret is hidden. Have a look at the drawer at the very bottom. It has a keyhole but it’s locked. Obviously, there is something in there. Something alive and vulnerable. It left traces of blood…
The lady in my work already suspects the secret to be found within herself, but she doesn’t know how to open the drawer.
The hands all offer her a key – a path to uncover the secret. But there are many keys – like there are many paths to go in life to find your true self. She doesn’t know yet which key to choose. Just like in life, it’s not always easy to decide which path to go.
All of the hands have a golden bracelet around their wrist that carries a different pendant: a rose, a crown, a skull. This is to symbolize their different characters.
She’s still hesitant. The torment clearly shows in her face. It can be painful not knowing where to go and what to do. You might encounter lots of leaders that offer you a path, but you don’t know whom to trust…
The skeleton next to her symbolizes the fugaciousness of time. She needs to act at one point of time; her life is not eternal. Time is running fast.
The fallen petals on top of the dresser have a similar meaning. They also stand for the finitude of all things. No matter how beautiful the flower is, its time is coming and some of its petals have already gone…
What do you think? Will she find the right key to open the drawer?
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I hope that this post helped you gain some insights into my creative process and better understand what I meant to express through this work. However, I know that art is subjective and I am always interested in knowing how my viewers perceive my art.
What do you think about this piece? How does it make you feel? What does it mean to you? Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments. If this piece inspired you to create a new piece of your own, I would love to see it! Post a link in the comments, tag me on Instagram (@ginangiela), or reach out to me directly. Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new ‘Making Ofs’ and other cool stuff. ♥
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