Monthly Art Challenge WIPs and Discussion Thread – October 2025

[Mariusz_Galaj]

Clowns? Well, I didn’t expect that, but as long a leader of the Clowns can force other Clowns to do something they don’t like by his authority as a leader, it is acceptable.

When you post your entry, please, include a description of the power the leader has over the other clowns. Personally, when I hear the words "leader of the Clowns” I hear “one who is the center of attention,” not “the one who has power over others”. Or just write it down in this Thread. [It is not additional requirement for all, just my personal question out quriosity]

[steve.improvthis]

@Mariusz_Galaj

Personally, when I hear the words "leader of the Clowns” I hear “one who is the center of attention,” not “the one who has power over others”.

Sure, sure.
All theater, no matter if it’s Shakespeare at the Globe or an Improv Jam in the ‘burbs, requires practice and rehearsal. So of course there is someone in charge of designing the performance’s content, look and feel, and production. A head clown would need to have power, be the center of attention, and yes… be all things clown.

Ok. This is too much heady stuff for talking about a clown painting!

[Mariusz_Galaj]

So who receives the earrings? The king’s advisors, appointed by him, or other members of the royal court? And is it a bit unfair to men and women who don’t wear earrings at all [although one could assume that in your imaginary kingdom everyone wears earrings as part of the culture, and that should suffice].

And why are these earrings a burden if they look quite nice? Why wouldn’t anyone wear them if it weren’t for the law [this could be resolved by adding that they are exceptionally large and require more focus and attention from the wearer].

And what determines whether someone appointed to a position of power wears a fox earring or a dove earring? Because it would be foolish for the king to ask, “Do you want to serve the kingdom and help me [dove earring], or do you just want to serve yourself and manipulate me [fox]?” Or maybe I missed something in your description, and everyone receives both earrings: one as a reminder of their oath of service [dove] and the other as a warning against what to avoid [fox]. That would settle the matter.

You could also add that if an official is found to have broken their oath through treason or bribery, they will lose not only their earrings but also their ears, which is particularly significant, as earrings are worn by every citizen of the kingdom. But that’s just my opinion; I simply like the idea that those in positions of power receive harsher punishment for the same crime as those without power.

[FireShepherd]

Thanks for the thoughts! Good to clarify things.
So, I designed them to be for the ruling monarch of said imaginary kingdom. Nobody else. And yes, both the fox and dove are intended to be worn: one for each ear.

@Mariusz_Galaj

And is it a bit unfair to men and women who don’t wear earrings at all

It’s funny you mention it, because I purposefully researched earrings that hang over the ear. So that’s the approach I’m going for and hope to design clearly. That way it’s usable by those with or without pierced ears.

@Mariusz_Galaj

And why are these earrings a burden if they look quite nice?

That is a flattering question - I hope the earrings turn out nice So! To be clear, the “burden” I’m leaning into here is the actual “burden of power” - ie the one that comes with the power: the burden that now, as a ruler, people won’t treat you as a normal person any more. Everything you hear is now tarnished (so to speak). Some will flood your ears with deceitful, empty flattery for their own ends, while others will continually present to you their real, countless needs.
These earrings are meant to be a representation of this burden which the monarch has now assumed, by becoming ruler.
(And, in a small way, there is a mild ‘burden’ to wearing them, in my opinion, because it is a virtual “I better be honest, cautious and selfless” banner that they are always wearing in front of everyone. )

Hope that helped! Thanks for taking the time to review and share your thoughts! Looking forward to your final entry piece

[npc]

Hi! So I’ve drawn a picture for this month, but I’m not 100% if it fits the criteria, so i thought I’d rather ask before posting. I’ve drawn a woman wearing lots of jewelry and gold, with a big crown. It’s meant to symbolise the burden it is to be a woman in power. Where it is hard to gain actual power and respect, and not just be seen as a piece of pretty art. I’ve read through the criteria a few times and think it should fit the theme, but then again I just wanted to make sure.

[Dima]

I thought of one thing, but it turns out this. It is clearly not suitable within the framework of the competition. There’s no time left to come up with something else. I’m fixated on absolute power .

Задумывал одно, а выходит это. В рамках конкурса явно не подходит. Придумывать что то другое времени не осталось. Я зациклился на абсолютной власти.

[Mariusz_Galaj]

If this was my entry, I’d say that in this particular setting, people can manipulate gravity (through some kind of magic or technology, it doesn’t matter). And that halo, you’ve placed over your figure not only imposes its weight on that person, but also subjugates their emotions and physical factors. For example, a person elected to this particular position of power not only feels the weight of this metal halo, but also loses their sense of taste and sexual drive. They are separated from the normal world to serve with the qualities that got them to be elected for this position of power. In the Hebrew Bible, the word “holy” comes from the Hebrew word “kodesh” (קדש), which means “set apart”—both from something (e.g., sin) and for something (e.g., God). In this context, “holiness” is a state of being separated from the world of sin and separated for God. Therefore, the halo symbolizes holiness.

And that’s it. If we place it in this context, your work will be suitable within the framework of the competition.

[Dima]

@Mariusz_Galaj

In short, I still have to finish the drawing, I thought I’d give up, it didn’t work out, you guys won’t let me . @Mariusz_Galaj thank you for your support. I had the appearance of a strong man, exposed to absolute power over the world. But only God can be like that, so yes, I added a halo above him. You guessed the course of my idea, it will be technologies with which a person rules the world in symbiosis with a machine, he is a slave to this machine and is doomed not to see the world he rules, and he understands this. I’ll try to make it in time and finish what I started. Thanks again to everyone for the like in support, you didn’t let me give up . I’ve never painted on request, let’s say, and this is my first experience. I have a lot of ideas, sketches, sketches, on scraps of paper, receipts, newspapers. Sometimes I look in horror at how to transfer all this into numbers. There are ideas that I don’t know how to draw at all and I have to learn, it’s difficult for me with my principle to get to everything on my own, because of this it sometimes takes a long time. I’m probably obsessed with drawing . I can’t live a day without ruining at least one piece of paper. Therefore, I decided to take a break and try to participate in such tasks.

Короче говоря, мне всё таки придётся закончить рисунок, думал сдаться, не вышло, вы ребята не даёте. АВА, Спасибо за поддержку. У меня возник облик сильного человека, обличённого абсолютной властью над миром. Но таковым может быть только Бог, поэтому да, я добавил ореол над ним. Вы угадали ход моей идеи, это будут технологии с помощью которых человек в симбиозе с машиной правит миром, он раб этой машины и обречён не увидеть тот мир которым правит, и он это понимает. Я постараюсь успеть и закончить начатое. Ещё раз спасибо всем за лайк в поддержку, вы не дали мне сдаться. Я никогда не рисовал скажем так, по просьбе и для меня это первый опыт. У меня огромное количество идей, набросков, зарисовок, на клочках бумаг, чеках, газетах. Порой смотрю в ужасе, как успеть всё это перенести в цифру. Есть идеи которые я вообще не умею рисовать и приходится учиться, мне трудно с моим принципом до всего доходить самостоятельно, из за этого порой получается долго. Вероятно я одержим рисованием ВРО. Дня не могу прожить не испортив хоть один клочок бумаги. Поэтому решил отвлечься, и попробовать поучаствовать в таких заданиях.

[sooz]

Hi @Dima

If you decide to continue working on your submission I’d like to move it and the associated conversation with @Mariusz_Galaj into the WIP thread to keep this one only containing entries.

Would that be ok (be sure to tell me if I misread).

[Dima]

@sooz I’m sorry , but do what you’re supposed to do. I didn’t think this wasn’t the place for discussion.

[sooz]

No need to be sorry, it’s no problem. Just an opportunity. I’ll move everything over to the WIP thread.

You’re welcome to post your submission any time you like and submissions can be edited right up to the cutoff date.

[Mariusz_Galaj]

The royal insignia are perfectly appropriate for the topic, but ask yourself these questions when looking at them; firstly: is wearing them for several hours a day enjoyable? Second: would an ordinary citizen of this country want to wear them for beauty, if unaware that they are royal insignia? The answer to both questions should be “no”.

If I can offer any advice, you could incorporate a royal motif of a given kingdom into your jewelry (for example, if it were Canada, it would be a maple leaf). If you are searching for a way to put this motif in you artwork without general remaster; It should be very easy to add a veil covered with the symbol so the Queen can constantly see it in front of her eyes.

[WingedWarrior]

I think these look really neat! I love the symbolic as well as the artistic design. It would be so cool if these were used as an important element in a fantasy story. I find them really thought provoking. Hope you can finish your piece!

[FireShepherd]

Thanks so much!

[npc]

To answer these questions: Wearing heavy jewelry isn’t nice at all, and it’s quite extravagant over-the-top beauty, so no ordinary citizen would wear them to appear more “beautiful”. The royal motive is a nice idea! But I’d like to keep it ambiguous, though the design was specifically inspired by Russian royals. I’ll go ahead and post the entry later!

[relink]

A question for the group.

My consideration of the theme for the current contest, the Burden of Power, is that in reviewing the comments, and entries made in the threads, it seemed to me that people are split between a religious or a political response. In my mind, power is power, regardless of the title applied to its source. With that in mind, I felt that power has been exerciser throughout the centuries by both groups, ruthlessly, and without significant consequence for the vast majority of the time.

My entry steps back in history, taking into consideration the political-religious power structure at that time, and their (common at the time) application of that power, without reprisal. My entry imagines a consequence for the use of that power.

The question: Is it too controversial? Post or No Post?

I would appreciate your opinions.

[sooz]

@relink here’s my response to the DM you sent me (I’m answering here as it might be helpful to others, too).

When it comes to the challenge, we stick to the original text and not so much the comments in this WIP thread to determine if an image “fits” the brief.

I think your idea fits. You might just need to figure out in which way you want the positional leaders to wear the symbol to fit with the original challenge text.

[Mariusz_Galaj]

Human blood is always controversial. Besides, the Cross of Christ can be seen as a burden of power, but the subject matter was more focused on something “daily wear” — no one thinks Christ will reign in Heaven while hanging on the cross from time to time. If yo were to stick with Christ, His open nail wounds and the wound in His side were described as open even after the Resurrection, so it would be more like “daily wear,”. But I don’t want to encourage you to paint open wounds.
If you want to stick with the Cross, I suggest you Google “silhouette cross painting” or “silhouette painting” in general for inspiration. This type of painting can be impactful without showing any blood, and it’s not as difficult as painting a mutilated human body. For example; silhouette of the Cross on a hill, with the cloudy background that may hide some unclear images.

And you can solve the matter of “daily wear” by referring to Boethius (fifth-century theology), who believed (like many theologians after him) that God does not live in a parallel stream of time, but perceives it in its entirety. Each moment, experienced one by one by humans, is for Him eternal “Now” and to each point of time He can devote infinite amount of attention, like reader who can ponder fight scene in a book for hours in his time stream, while it takes moments in book time stream.
You could add: God has no history. God is too profoundly and completely real to have a history, because to have a history is to lose part of one’s own reality (because it has already fallen into the past) and not yet possess another part (because it still belongs to the future)—and thus to possess only a tiny present that passes before you can even realize it. Thus, in God’s view, the sacrifice on the cross is a perpetual present that fills “daily wear” requirement.

I suppose I should have specified in the challenge description that the thematic aspect should lean towards something humorous or neutral. I know there are serious topics that deserve to be discussed, but the vast majority of people on this forum don’t know each other personally, and represent diverse views on politics and religion, so anything potentially controversial should be avoided. An art forum is not a place for people to undergo drastic personal change. (And I realize I’m creating a remake of an earlier work of mine, which depicted a tiara for the head of the Catholic Church, but I don’t expect it to evoke any strong emotions the idea itself came to me unexpectedly, like a conclave, without deaper thought)

[relink]

Well, okay then.

Perhaps a little more explanation would be appropriate. From my viewpoint, the piece represents Crime and Punishment—in that the Authorities, when exercising their Power, must bear the Burden of their own actions and the resulting consequences of abusing that power. In this case, Burden comes in many forms: some are borne physically, others internally.

To address the cross—this is not Christ. There is no face shown, no crown of thorns, no visible stigmata, etc. While I’m aware that the image may be interpreted that way, this is a simple representation of a common punishment carried out against the people by the authorities during that time in history.

The punishment of crucifixion represents their Authority and the application of their Power. The Fire Bolt is a representation of a counter-Authority—a champion of the people. And the destruction represents the Burden of Consequence that must be worn by Authority when it misuses its power.

Please don’t take my comments as any thing other that my attempt to explain my thinking on the piece.

So, for my clarification - No Post then?

[Mariusz_Galaj]

If so, the answer is: no post.

You’ve overdone it. Your aspirations are as broad as a streetlamp’s light, and the monthly challenge resembles a more focused beam, like a flashlight or even a laser. In your case, it’s unclear which specific group in power this applies to. Furthermore, if you reread the topic description, I wrote that one should think of oneself as someone who can impose some kind of burden on a given group in power; story of those burdens begins and ends with what they are and what they do. What you’re describing and trying to portray sounds like a story, and more of a code of conduct than an specific object. I have no doubt that this image and story have value, but it is not a place for it; it’s too serious and too broad, too scattered.