Jupigio-Artwork-Gallery
Rare - Unusual - Unforgettable
Creating Sloth
From First Thought to Finished Painting
Some paintings change dramatically while I am creating them. Figures move, ideas develop and sometimes an entire section is reconsidered before the finished work emerges.
Sloth was different.
I had a very clear idea of what I wanted this painting to become, and the composition was established strongly from the beginning.
Rather than watching the concept change, this gallery shows the gradual process of bringing that original vision to life — building the colour, strengthening the figures, developing the strange world around them and continually refining the details.
There were still moments when something needed more.
By stage five, I returned to the Sloth creature itself. The idea was already there, but its appearance needed improving so that the figure had the presence I wanted within the painting.
At stage six, my attention turned to the water. I reworked its appearance, improving the way it moved through the scene and strengthening its relationship with the surrounding imagery.
From there, the painting became increasingly about refinement — adding depth, sharpening details and allowing the symbolism and smaller elements to emerge.
Sloth may have known where it was going from the beginning.
Getting it there was another matter.
The Painting Is Finished. The Story Isn't.
You've now watched Sloth grow from its first foundations into the finished painting.
Unlike some works in this collection, the original composition changed very little. I knew where Sloth was going from the beginning. The challenge was in getting it there — refining the creature, improving the water, building the layers and gradually bringing every detail into focus.
But seeing how I created Sloth is only half of its story.
Why does this particular sin provoke such a strong reaction in me?
What do the snakes, the figures and the hidden details represent?
Where is Diligence, and what happens when a virtue is not quite as virtuous as it first appears?
And, as with every painting in this collection, where is the choice?
The answers are in my Artist Journal.
There I take you beyond the creation of the painting and into the ideas, symbolism and personal thoughts that shaped my interpretation of Sloth.
You've seen how I painted Sloth.
Now discover why I painted it this way.