HOME | DD
Athansor β The Eternal Mystery
Published: 2008-04-15 00:13:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 3767; Favourites: 97; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
This image is of the lovely and talented Jen Parrish, of Parrish Relics . Jen and I have a little project in the works, and while I haven't done a shoot since January, due to spending most of January and February and a bit of March battling repeated bouts of the flu, this was a quick shot I took at our first meeting, and I couldn't resist playing with it a bit, and sharing.Jen is an amazingly talented jewelry designer, who makes beautiful, hand-crafted pieces inspired by--well, as her website puts it, "ornate and lavish visions of earthly ages past & otherwordly realms of enchantment."
That's a high-falutin' way of putting it. I think her work can best be summed up by the reaction you have, when you first view her pieces in person: "I have GOT to get me some of THESE!!!"
(I was just recently treated to seeing her studio and a wide array of her jewelry in person--including a number of pieces she's done for plays, over the years, and the only thing I can say is--wow. WOW.)
Whenever I see this image, I think of the Mona Lisa, and her warm/amused/aloof/mysterious smile. I think Jen has a bit of that here...and although she's a little warmer, a little more gentle and accessible than the Mona Lisa (because, let's face it, ML looks as though she might just be laughing up her sleeve, at you), she's also just a wee bit fey, and even as she's smiling at you, she's already slipping away from you...
Enjoy!
Related content
Comments: 118
My response is belated--my enthusiasm and gratitude, however, is still there! Thank you!!!
π: 0 β©: 0
π: 0 β©: 1
I think you have captured Jen's soul....
And of course, I love the effect of your manipulation.
Bland
π: 0 β©: 1
Thank you! 
As simple as this image is...it remains a favorite of mine, because of the story it tells about who Jen is...
π: 0 β©: 0
Congratulations !
This great artwork is being featured in my journal - you might already have seen it -
because of the spamfilters of DA ... it takes me a while to get this message out to
all the featured artworks.
Hope you will go have a look at the other works too - you might get yourself some
more faves and maybe even some new watches too
π: 0 β©: 1
Lovely portrait Aurora! You have a way of drawing out your subjects. Such a lovely natural expression!
π: 0 β©: 1
Thank you so much, my friend!
π: 0 β©: 1
Love it. She's gorgeous, and I'm sure you've only helped to enhance her beauty here.
π: 0 β©: 1
Thank you so much!
π: 0 β©: 1
My pleasure! I'm sure it was.
π: 0 β©: 0
Very beautiful work - looks like a welldone picture.
And a model is good and delight...
π: 0 β©: 1
a quiet 'emergence' of a picture, almost emerging out of clouds or billows of color, and painterly & photographic in equal measures. And inside the billows is the face and what is beginning to strike me as one of your trademarks, the way you harmonize one part of a person with another part, in this case her lips with parts of her hair and even her eyebrowsβthe hues being variations of each other, varying saturations of some "ideal" hues that seem to sit inside the center of your vision. Your love of deep reds & earth tones (& your velvety greens) gets more caressing with each shoot; and as for a love of old encrusted painting, she does seem washed over by waves of time; but your treatment of her face turns the 'grime' into a beautiful soul smiling right through the years. As for Mona Lisa, maybe you already know this (forgive me if you do!), but presumably the original was far more lucid than it is now, and her wonderful sleeves & gown were once awash in transparent glazes, giving the illusion that she was clothed in mists as much as clothing ('sfumato', they called it, mist, smoke, layered atmosphere...) Yet here, you've surrounded your model in a kind of lush warm bath of (what) soul-space, soul-hues, soul-scape. And I totally agree, Mona's expression was a bit sly, whereas this, like others of your portraits, has a gentle 'invitation' mixed with the feeling that she is wholly at one with herself. (Another of your trademarks; can I say that?) Da Vinci's LisaβMme. Lisa Gherardini (who had to wonder, at least once, what in the world he was doing to her!)βis a mountain of a presence, and her mystery is both defiant and enticing; yet yours is so loving, her mystery seems all beatitude (another trademark in your work: I'm really laying on the trademarks here!). Another gentle portrait, emergent, soulful and as always very warm. (And whenever you and MYvonne do your first shoot, I'll be there early to buy tickets...)
π: 0 β©: 0
Her eyes are so intense. The way this image was done, it almost feels as though the viewer is caught in a sandstorm...but you just want to keep trudging through it to take comfort in the sanctity of those mysterious eyes.
π: 0 β©: 1
What a wonderful way of looking at this!
I know I always say this...but man, do I love the stuff you write about my art! Never fails to make me see it with new eyes...
π: 0 β©: 0
Thank you so much!
π: 0 β©: 1
It is a beautiful and classic portrait with humor, humanity and gentle sweetness. Great work!
π: 0 β©: 1
Thank you, my friend! I would've thought that this image would appeal to you...because for some reason, Jen actually reminds me a bit of you. Something about the way all that talent sits in a beautiful, complex personality...a fascinating combination of shyness and diffidence, combined with confidence... It's something intangible--it's nothing to do with you having interests in common, or looking alike, or anything like that--more just an inner something, that I sense in you both.
When we do our session together, when you turn 80, we'll have to compare the portraits, and see if I was right.
π: 0 β©: 1
You are adorable! And I love your description of me... remarkably accurate! (shyness, diffidence combined with confidence)... makes me a bit of a puzzle even to myself.
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
I was flipping through the Deviant Art "popular" page and recognized her face immediately- Jen is a fabulously talented and AMAZINGLY beautiful woman- you did her penchant for antiquity and mystery justice, here. I approve!
π: 0 β©: 1
It was that unmistakable hair that gave it away, wasn't it?!
Yes, she truly is beautiful both inside and out...and so talented you'd hate her, if she wasn't so darn sweet.
And thank you. I really was delighted with how this turned out--it just feels "right" to me. My only regret is that since it wasn't really a shoot--just me asking to take a few test shots, at the end of our meeting--something I always do when meeting with new clients/models, so that I can study their faces without the glow of their personality clouding my vision, she was just wearing a black sweater, you couldn't really see her lovely moss green silk velvet top...and I didn't pose her to show off her necklace. (I REALLY regret not showing her necklace--but it just wasn't meant to be anything but a reference shot! ARGH!!!)
Oh well, I'll get her with some of her jewelry later on.
π: 0 β©: 0
She looks like she made out of cloud, so you just KNOW I love it!!
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
Her jewellery is the most unique and exquisitely beautiful I've seen in a long time as is Jen.
She also shares the surname of one of my all time favourite painters.
π: 0 β©: 1
I wish you could see her jewelry in person--it would blow your mind! (And she is indeed, quite beautiful, in a very quiet, classical sense. The sort of woman who could never be a high fashion model, but will make you stop and stare at her, in a crowded room, where you'd hardly notice the fashion doll. My mom's got that quality, too. It's really something else!
(And yes I, too, am struck by the serendipity of her last name...and am quite jealous!
You know...I'm sure either Jill or Pippa would look divine with one of Jen's necklaces around their lovely necks...
π: 0 β©: 1
I have never been attracted by the fashion doll, in fact I've always found them unattractive. I do however find that very quality you mention deeply attractive. It's a kind of quiet confident feminine strength and innate tranquillity that immediately makes people look around. It's very rare, impressive and quite breathtaking.
I have bookmarked her page for future reference.
Thank you for the heads up.
π: 0 β©: 1
Yeah...it's one of the most difficult things for me, actually--finding models from modeling sites who have some *soul* to their looks--who aren't just pretty dolls. Nothing wrong with pretty dolls...I just don't feel compelled to create anything with them. Give me a women with, yes, that calm, confident sense of femininity and peace, and I'm SO there!
(And you are most welcome!
π: 0 β©: 0
Yes, it is kind of like Mona Lisa, except better because THIS girl has eyebrows!
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
she seems intensely otherworldly . . . enchanting.
and I am so excited for you to be working with her! 
π: 0 β©: 1
Oh she is--very much so. Some people just have that magical quality...and with her, you know she's got a drop or two of fey blood in her the moment you see her eyes.
And thank you--I'm really looking forward to it, as well--I think we're going to have some serious fun. I look forward to sharing with you guys, once we're all done!
π: 0 β©: 1
I have friends like that! lol
and I can hardly wait to see hun! it's bound to be amazing . . . everything you do is.
π: 0 β©: 1
Classic beauty ...both the model and your wonderful work! 
π: 0 β©: 1
I love the way her look stands out, and the soft colors in this image! I think the textures you used here are great, I like how her hair fades somewhere in the background, and how all the edges are blurred, it really looks like a worn-out painting. Lovely!!
π: 0 β©: 1
| Next =>