This is my first submission to Wacom’s Bring Your Vision to Life Contest. In a way, I was really happy I was able to do just that. I’ve been a Deviantart member for four years and have tried hard to put out work that I feel is good, and even despite much recognition in those years I’ve still been happy to be a member.

Before I go into an explanation of the photo, I’d first like to thank my wonderful friends/models in this picture, Adrienne B. And Adam A. These are actors I worked with in college and who were willing to go out on a hot New Orleans day and do a photo shoot just because I asked.

Makeup, hair, wardrobe styling, location scouting, and photo were all completed by me. The mask is beautifully crafted out of leather and was hand-made by a New Orleans fine leather artist.

I am genuinely proud of the entire series of photos taken for this contest. I hope others feel the same. If you do, please show your appreciation with a favorite or a comment. All of them would be very appreciated.

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The theme for this contest, Good Versus Evil, really spoke to me. The word “versus” itself is defined as against; as opposed to; in contrast to. I think we commonly misinterpret it as a war, or a battle.

Everyone’s notions of good and evil are different. Is there an absolute good? But many would argue that there is an absolute evil. Or there is yin and yang, where one balances the other. My interpretation lies in the title, “I Can’t Live Without You.” Evil is not absolute, good is not absolute. They are so interchangeable in the everyday person. I think there would be no good without evil, no evil without good. If we only had one absolute, what standards would we have to judge the other by, or to know that we were doing good at all? So I have represented the non-absolute good and the non-absolute evil in these two figures, one man and one woman who are in constant contrast, who are opposed to each other, but who cannot live without the other. It’s a love story, it’s a battle, but in the end, it’s whatever your eye sees it to be.

Colors automatically carry their own connotations within the mind, but try to look past the obvious, the stereotypical, and see the story you want to see.