Monday, June 29, 2009

Self Portrait by Josh Fay


For this project I chose to attempt to emulate the style of the Japanese Katsushika Hokusai. How closely my composition resembles his own is a matter of debate. As with most of his work, he uses a very minimalist style, which was difficult to duplicate in Illustrator. (odd as that sounds). As with my own personality, I've chosen to disconnect myself with my own image and concentrate on the surrounding. A few key images that define who I am would be the pentagram, which corresponds with my spiritual path of Witchcraft. The symbols on the sleeves are those of my patron Gods, Thor (right arm) and Odin (left sleeve). The smoke rising from the incense reveals my so-called "inner demon", and the use of the Samurai arch type represents both my love of the Samurai (in both a fictional and historical sense) and my identification with that particular warrior class, their code of ethics and the balancing of the spiritual self with the physical self.