Mummy Rising
Mummy Rising (2014)
18¼x23½ Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold
Thousands of years after being entombed, the exotic king gets his reward of an afterlife. Flesh is reborn, blood races, and his skin tingles. Tearing and shedding the brittle bandages, his muscles, long dry and withered, now throb and engorge as this powerful Mummy Rising breaks free from the crypt.
I love stringing themes together across my work, so when I started this piece, I knew I wanted to show that sudden physical awakening. I actually revisited a concept from another of my Halloween pieces, Leader of the Pack. Where the werewolf tears through his clothes as he morphs and bulges, this ancient king is ripping right through his linen wraps as his body throbs back to life. Working in pastel, I had a blast creating the dark crimson tones of the tomb, highlighting his piercing green eyes, a gold ankh necklace, and a more traditional mummy standing in a sarcophagus in the background.
