Anima Sola

The monthly theme for May 2013 for the Enchanted Visions Project is "Anima Sola", Latin for "Lonely Soul". I was not familiar with this notion at all before this theme was posted, so I had to do a bit of research (as usual, actually... ). Wiki: "Based on Roman Catholic tradition, the Anima Sola or Lonely Soul is an image depicting a soul in purgatory, popular in Latin America, as well as much of Andalusia, Naples and Palermo." The overwhelming majority of images associated with this idea depicts a dark haired woman looking up heavenward with shackled arm(s) raised upwards, standing in flames, sometimes with prison cell as the background. Many interpretations in various traditions exist. There's lots of information available if one so decides to delve deeper into the meaning of this concept.

I had a hard time getting started on this theme (But miraculously managed to finish well ahead of the deadline... How does that work?). I thought it was a little too restrictive for my liking and I just wanted to get the theme done for the project for its sake (Not the most artistically inspired moment there. lol). I decided to go with the loose style (so I can get this done quickly), where I do a pencil rough, scan it, and then go straight to coloring in Corel Painter without inking over the pencil lines.

The pencil sketch went through many revisions because the more I thought about the notion, my images drifted from "Anima Sola" to what appeared more like a "Lost Soul". XD The flowers at one point looked really weird, and although it was amusing to me, I came to the conclusion that the overall image was looking irrelevant to the theme and I had to readjust. This is the challenge with narrow themes -- deciding how much 'me' to bring to the table while still making the image coherent to the theme. Since I wanted something a little different from most of the "Anima Sola" images that pull up in image searches, the flames of purgatory are represented by the red poppies, and she loosely wears chains rather than having shackled wrists. I gave her eyes and expression that are hard to read, not weeping of loneliness nor looking hopefully up at the heaven with salvation within reach. Maybe she's a lonely soul on the verge of becoming a lost soul.

©Mitzi Sato-Wiuff/Aruarian Dancer 2013

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