Most Wonderful Dream

"Love sows many seeds of joy. Hope reaps the dreams that grow."

Dreams always struck me as a kind of cruel irony. We always remember having them, but since they take place primarily in the subconscious we rarely recall exactly what we dreamed. It's only when memory and processes take place in the conscious mind that we remember what was dreamed.
I recall one dream I remember quite thoroughly. I was sitting on the bank of a river, the very river that runs past our family home in the western country. I recognized the large tree that loomed over the waters, the rocks along the bank, but I remember this all because I recognized who it was that was alongside me. This old man whom I came to know very well for most of my life was sitting next to me. I realized that wasn't possible because my grandfather had died about three weeks prior. I made a conscious observation, but instead of waking I continued to dream. I haven't seen the old man since.

Now let's look at this young lady's dream. It's obvious that she is dreaming about the man (colt) whose arms she awakes in. She loves him and she loves her back, or she's just dreaming that (doesn't very well matter, it's her dream). Among the dark background and surroundings there appears to be a silhouette of the girl facing the other direction. Just like the rest of the background it is dark and unclear, as all that matters in this dream is the couple in the light. Hell, it may even hold all the nightmares that his presence keeps at bay.

If you haven't figured it out already, I really like this one. It just happened to strike a chord with me. The decisions you made really came through on this one. The colors, the textures, when to use lines, when not to use lines, everything seemed to work. This one is especially hard for me to critique, because I can't really find anything to criticize. There is nothing I can see that can be improved upon, and I am at a loss for words that might help to better yourself as an artist. I suppose I could say, whatever crazy shit you did to make this one stand out, do it again.

What I love about this piece is that it captures the atmosphere of a dreamstate very well. The shades of the background and surrounding brush are done so that they don't appear intimidating, they just shroud the outside world in mystery. Usually when we remember dreams, we remember just what has to do with us or our conscious thought. This girl's dream focused on the object of her affection, and was brought about by her feelings for him.
Another example, in my dream I couldn't tell you what season it was, if it was morning or evening, I can't even recall looking across the river to the other bank. But I can tell you what few words of wisdom my grandfather imparted to me, that he was drinking his favorite scotch, and that my grandmother is doing fine. At least that's what he said.

Anyway, I'd better wrap this up,
Cheers to you, cheers to these two young lovers,
and cheers to our dreams and the ones that inspire them
--Michael