When a Man Cries - A Time Lapse Oil Painting by Ladessa Sullivan

(Watch in High Quality) 10"x10" oil painting on stretched canvas by the artist and poet Ladessa Sullivan. From "The Strange Things Collection". Video created and edited by the artist.

Artist Notes:
I'm very proud of this piece. It may not be apparent but I spent 8 long hours painting in my spiritual cave without ever leaving my desk. (give or take, including the time it took to unload my camera and make room for more footage). I prepared the canvas and added a coat of a very dark gray, then allowed it to dry before applying the image you see within the video.

"When a Man Cries" is a combination of my old sketch styles and my new painting styles. Those who understand painting would probably agree with me when I say a style like this is easier done with acrylic paint rather than oil. Acrylic paint dries faster and holds in place, while oil paint takes much longer to dry and it's very blend-able... to the point that it's easily smudged, and much harder to control when trying to accomplish certain styles. It takes practice, skill, and technique, but once you have learned to manage the consistency of oil paint, you can enjoy the forgiveness for mistakes, and diversity it offers.

Why the title?
That's easy for me to answer. This like all of my other paintings was not pre-sketched or contemplated, but the topics within my subconscious came forth. Observations in combination with the fact that weeks before-hand I kept watching the video for "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" by Gnarls Barkley, probably played a part. (In hindsight, the male figure reminds me of cee-lo, but moreso, my mother's husband. It's funny how some images really take root in our minds even when we don't realize it.)

This is my perception of a man in pain. Perhaps confused about love and life, possibly stressed, hurt or agitated to the point of complacency concerning relationships, defensive, maybe even resorting to egotism or extreme pride at times... amongst other things. Anything to cloak his true pain in a chaotic world that doesn't consider it manly to cry or reveal too much vulnerability. There's more to this painting, but I think the title summarizes the meaning I wanted to get across.

(ps. Watch closely and you will see at one point I was painting with my left hand.) -Ladessa Sullivan

Music: "Mutron Angel" by Outkast from the Idlewild Soundtrack

See This Video in the BEST Quality available online: http://www.imeem.com/candyacidreign/video/-MGHtQyt/ladessa_sullivan_candyacidreign_when_a_man_cries_art_video/