The winner of the sky sig contest has been selected by the community of voters, and that talented artist is
Gintara!
The central figure in this image is Sora from the
Kingdom Hearts video game franchise. For those do not know, the word
sora means "sky," a skillful relation to the contest theme. At first glance, it seems as though falling through a beautiful watercolor sky. Looking more closely, his peaceful expression seems to denote that he is serenely sleeping and the watercolor background evokes a feeling of reverie as he is lying in seafoam, cast adrift oblivious in an ocean of dreams.
The piece shares its title with a Kelly Clarkson song. Gintara masterfully crafts the entire work around this concept of "breaking away" as spelled out by the lyrics lightly written in white beneath the titular central text. In the games, protagonist Sora, having prior to the conflicts presented in the game, has lived a blissful, carefree life with his friends, only to have it completely turned upside-down, resulting in Sora going on a quest to save his friends and the world from encroaching evil and ruin, growing up and essentially spreading his wings and learning to fly on the wings of his convictions.
The ambiguity of the background either being a sea or a sky underscores the internal conflict the hero experiences along his journey. He has been living a dream life from which he will need to awaken to face the dangers in his life. He may seem to be lost in a sea of troubles, but he only needs to realize his inner strength and that this sea is really a wide-open sky full of hope and possibilities. In the middle of this sky of hope, he needs only reach out to touch it and, like the lyrics state, take flight.
Well done, Gintara! You are quite the awesome artist, and I am so elated that you have rejoined this contest after your long absence. Your art is sophisticated and nuanced but still speaks to the heart of the viewer with a voice that is simple and clean. Please continue to soar and inspire the rest of the community in the halcyon skies of hope painted so vididly here.
Please be sure to congratulate Gintara for her lovely and victorious signature!
So far there are no entries in the twin contest. I haven't seen much discussion from the confirmed partnerships in the discussion thread. So I can only hope that things are going well.
If you need more time for this particular contest (given that you have to work out collaborating with another individual), please let me know!
