I found You

The commission

A few months ago, Gfunk commissioned me to create a 1/1 artwork for his collection. This piece would need to pair well with ‘’ The Muse - Vivid Sky’’ and ‘’I dreamt of you again last night’’ by ACK that he owns. Alpha Century Kid is a good friend of mine and also one of my favorite artists. 

Looking at both artworks’ titles as well as their aesthetic components (elements, details, color palette), it immediately awakened in me the vision of a piece I had had in mind for several years. This commission triggered the desire to bring it to life and honor the Muse. 

Over the next few weeks I would assemble the different pieces of the composite, all photographed within the Kananaskis/Canmore region and taken at different times from 2020-2023. As I would build the composite, I would go out on multiple trips to photograph the missing components and complete the artwork.

The Creative Process

Shooting

Back in July 2020, after a tough breakup, I decided to leave home and drive across Canada to explore the Canadian Rockies with no agenda other than to heal and reconnect with myself. My first solo hike that summer was called Little Laugheed, a steep hike deep into bear country with incredible views of Kananaskis. After a few hours of sleep in my car, I set out at 1am with my camera, completely alone and headlamp on. This was my first time doing this hike so I was unsure of the right path to take. I remember hiking in silence, battling with my own thoughts and dissociating at times. When I hike alone at night, this is when my internal monologue is the loudest. However, the physical exhaustion and the adrenaline help to calm my thoughts. A few hours later, I reached the last part of the ascent, a steep scramble made of loose rocks. Determined, I slowly made it to the summit right at blue hour and was blessed with panoramic views. Quickly, I took a few self portraits and photographed the landscape, with the intention to capture as much as I could of the scenery. The sunrise’s light colored the peaks in purple and pink and in a few minutes the scene completely metamorphosed. I sat down, observed the ever-changing landscape, and received this perfect reflection from nature as my own readiness to transform myself. In that instant my whole being was filled with gratitude for this new life chapter opening up before me with each intentional step forward. 

There is something to be said about gaining clarity on who you are and who desire to be after surfing through intense waves of emotional pain. It feels like a hard reset. Before this event, I had always felt like I wasn’t living in harmony to my fullest potential. People close to me had mentioned I had become a shadow of myself, almost unrecognizable. I wasn't following my truest dreams. 

That summer, I lived off my Rav4 for 6 months and took every moment I had as a gift to hike and create. I spent a lot of time exploring Kananaskis but none of these hikes replicated within me the feeling of empowerment I had rejoiced on during that first hike… ascending Little Lougheed. Over such a short period of time, barely a few months, my life utterly transformed and I found myself driven by this powerful, unshakable, inexplicable inner force that told me to keep going. Despite living with the bare minimum, I was resting in the embrace of fulfillment and gratitude.

A year later, I had permanently moved to Canmore. One night, the northern lights forecast was promising and so therefore I headed to a nearby viewpoint. It was the strongest aurora I had ever captured in the Canadian Rockies. Its circular pattern arching right above Kananaskis reminded me of the views from Little Lougheed and its round lakes down below. A new image crossed my mind: how compelling would it be to combine both experiences together?  Two moments of extreme gratitude… merged into a single art piece. 

Editing 

The editing of this piece was a great opportunity to combine my original vision with some visual components  of ‘’The Muse - Vivid Sky’’ and ‘’ I dreamt of you last night’’. My intent with this artwork was to birth a piece that would be a reflection of my self-discovery journey, all the while creating a harmonious visual that would pair well with the two other artworks.

The Muse - Vivid Sky

My first encounter with ACK will forever live as a vivid memory in my mind. We were at a loud event in Miami and he introduced himself. Very quickly into the conversation, he started talking about ‘’The Muse’’ which was very intriguing to me. I asked him :’’ What do you mean by The Muse’’? He then proceeded to explain what The Muse meant to him. I was fascinated. Over the next few months, through more conversations and a lot of reflections, I discovered what The Muse meant to me: inspiration, passion and intuition. I believe that The Muse has always been with me… but particularly that night when I hiked up Little Lougheed. 

In this piece, I wanted to make sure that The Muse was well represented and proeminent. For this reason I accentuated the alpine glow of the mountains- the centerpiece-  with a color that is shown in the artwork.

The title ‘’Vivid Sky’’ and the green fiery eyes influenced me to stick with my original idea of an aurora sky; a natural aesthetic alignment. I carefully sampled the colors of the flames and introduced some of these tones in the aurora. The shape of the centerpiece evokes in a way the eye of the Muse, longing down myself, exploring my own darkness and searching myself.

The Broken Keys -  I dreamt of you again last night

The numerous subtle circular lines within ‘’I dreamt of you again last night’’ as well as textures enveloping the piano inspired me to recreate those lines within the clouds. I translated the noisy effect of the piano piece into a general feeling of depth and mystery into my own scenery. Furthermore, the omnipresent granular coarseness in the artwork naturally led me to accentuate the texture of the rocks and stars, conveying a similar feeling. I proceeded to increase the highlights in the vertical lines of the aurora to mimic the piano keys. As one of the last intentional details, I changed the color of the jacket and sampled one of the keys to make them the same tones. On a final note, I can say that it truly is the title ‘’ I dreamt of you again last night’’ that made me want to reveal the artwork’s essence as one filled with dreamy, surreal feelings. 

I found you

Composite made of different elements taken on multiple trips in Canmore/Kananaskis between 2020 and 2023. An endless journey of finding yourself through life's hardships and trusting the Muse along the way. Inspired by ACK’s artworks The Muse ‘‘Vivid Sky’’ and The Broken Keys ‘‘I dreamt of you again last night’’.

Commissioned and sold to GFUNK for 31 ETH on May 25th 2023