Blake Flynn - Ruins

¤ "Ruins" by Blake Flynn from Blake Flynn's site: "Blake Flynn - Artist".

¤ "An impossible collection of archaeological artifacts to make an
impressive composition... and is the woman trapped in contemplation?" -- is how I wrote my review on "StumbleUpon" eight weeks ago when I reviewed the image there.

Often when I review something on StumbleUpon I am pressed for time. I often review it when I am the first to have found a page or when I want to "photo blog" an image, and for some reason find I am on my way somewhere else. When I photo blog something it is often because I find an image or artist I very much like and want to be able to come back to in future. Blake Flynn is one such artist and "Ruins" is one of his works that I wanted to photo blog so I could come back to.

I have studied some archaeology and anthropology and recognize some of the artifacts used in "ruins" which intrigued me -- though a person doesn't need to have studied archaeology or anthropology to recognize those prominent pieces.

I still wonder like I did in my original review about the woman in the image -- is this woman, who has been staring at this scene so long that she is becoming a part of it; watching as it crumbles, or as it is being born? Is she a part of the scene and one of the collected artifacts -- a goddess of a time past -- or is she simply enraptured by what is going on. Is the ivy holding her down or her natural garb.

I do love the natural delicate lace-like detail the greenery adds, to the image -- but looking toward the top are the structures being torn down by time or being created in a Tetris-like fashion?

I like Flynn's surreal paintings and the styles he uses in them. I would love to have some of his paintings or prints of them, on my walls... or even to paint something like those paintings... Now if only I can clear out that corner of my office I use as a studio.

~ Darrell

¤ I have a thing for climbing ivy. If I had my way we wouldn't be taken over by aliens or electronics gone wrong, but delicate invading luscious green ivy. I like the way in which green ivy encroaches upon the landscape without caring about what us mere humans think. Blake Flynn has managed to successfully combine a life study of the natural human form with the archaeologist's playground. It seems to me like the life study of the natural human form has come to a mutual understanding with the climbing ivy.

~ Mags