Artist Statement:
Like all of Frazetta's women, I wanted my character to be lush,
beautiful, exotic, provocative, and sensual yet confident and casual in
her ways. Who on earth would cozy up to a tiger larger than a bear as if
it were a beanbag chair? It has to be someone self-assured, courageous,
bold, and strong without a care in the world-- It's that or suicidal!
As I worked on the pin up like illustration, I wanted the theme to
refer to the year of the tiger as 2010 was exactly that. What better
zodiac animal could there be to describe a woman's beauty, strength,
feline femininity, passion, ferocity, and power than the tiger, who can
also be languid and calm till the moment comes to strike? The exotic
beast is as confident and sensual as the woman that lays upon its body
as they harmonize in a peaceful gesture. And together, all descriptions
fit Frazetta's female characters as he commonly portrays both the women
and felines side by side whether as friends or foes in unique and
interesting compositions.
The woman was an inspiration from certain Asian cultures and eras
such as the Jomon period of Japan and other tribal ideas as seen in the
jewelry and tattoos covering her body. The tiger's exaggerated build was
influenced by the round mass of a bear. The tree and planet life were
inspired by forests I researched that came from around the Tibetan and
Chinese area as well as South America. While continually working on the
piece, ideas about environmental issues stirred in my head as humanity
continues to spread more of their territory with the wildlife having
less places to live rather than living in harmony. I wanted to
incorporate this subject matter with subtlety and optimism that humanity
and the wildlife could fairly live together at some point hopefully in
the near future.
Medium: The drawing was done traditionally with various type of pencils
as texture and color were done in digital.
Biography:
In the realm of illustration, J.S. 'Jin' Choi's work has filtered
through the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, graphic novel, and art gallery,
showing a unique and lyrical style combining line, digital, and texture.
Exposed in magazines such as ImagineFX, companies like McFarland
Publication, and galleries such as the annual Tata Gala, J.S. Choi
continues to work in the field expressing her vision and passion.
Since childhood, J.S. 'Jin' Choi has always loved delving into the
pages of unknown worlds and the characters that encompass them. With
every word read and absorbed into her mind, the storytellers' creations
would come to life in the crevasse of Jin's imagination whether from
literature, fairy tales, myths, legends, and other written works. In the
field of visual art, graphic novels, animation and video games expressed
narration and imagery that the illustrator sought that could not be
physically invoked from text. It is with these inspirations, visions
would stir in her mind waiting to be voiced on a flat surface be it
paper, canvas, or screen-- Anything to bring forth the image that lay
dormant inside.
Combining these passions along side the many extraordinary artists
such as the late Frank Frazetta, illustration enticed her to work in the
field as a profession. “Illustration is a world that provokes thoughts
and visual problem solving. It tells different type of stories and
brings these ideas to life so that others can see what was always there
living inside each person's dreams and nightmares. It documents,
imprints, breathes, and exists to capture the possible and impossible on
a flat and physical surface.”
|
|