The Shades of Love

ove is a four letter word and yet it conveys such a complex and wide spectrum of human emotion. This series of design explores the delicate layers of this emotion. Each piece presents a particular fruit and flora specifically selected for their colors, shapes, their unique names, or their cultural symbolism.

The fruit and flora are painted with watercolor in a traditional fine art manner. Each artwork is painted in a realistic way so to appear life-like. Trying to capture their vibrant color, their unique texture, to study how the light falls on them. From the bright sheen of the plump cherries skin, to the matted skin of the ripening figs, to the translucent and delicate tulip petals.

The top section of the piece bears the title series and the subtitle is placed underneath it. The subtitle indicates a different story for each piece. Note the remarkable contextual ligatures employed on them. The typeface is custom designed.
At the back of the painted illustration, we can see the roundels ironworks. The ironwork design has a deeper meaning than just to serve as a mere decoration. It conceals the words that express the emotions. The letters are deliberately designed to be very ambiguous that makes them rather hard to decipher at first glance. But that's what makes it interesting to try to explore and see how each letter twists and elongates and connects to each other. At the end on these tendrils are the golden botanical shaped fleurettes. They elevate and add endearing charm to the whole piece. Each ironwork has its own unique rim design.

These emotions are also written underneath the illustration in a highly stylised calligraphic hand called 'Italic' hand where the capital letters, acenders and descenders are exagerated. The words are hand written with a chiseled pen and then scanned in. And at the bottom part of the composition we can also find the names of the fruit or flora presented, along with their scientific binomial names. The letters on the fruit and flora's name are handwritten and the binomial names are custom designed letters.

Love Joy speaks about that feeling that makes us feel head over heels for someone. It what makes the world more colorful and the birds singing. The cherries and redcurrants are the best representation for this feeling. They are blushing red and passionately juicy. The colors are so alluring and sweet. Even the black cherry is looking so chic and shiny.

Love Blues tells a more subdued story. The figs are chosen for their incredible artistic shape. Their colors are also more subdued yet no less beautiful. Painting to achieve the waxy skin and color transition from green to purple was also challenging. The 'Love in the Mist' flower is chosen for its poetic name and it feels very apt to illustrate this feelings. It even has sharp looking multifid involucre. Even though in real life they don't sharp at all, it feels like a thorn inside us when we have this blues. Note also the flower has just the right color.

Love Lost conveys the poigniant moment when we lose someone we love or when we simply fell out of love. It might not be the feelings we crave for but we all will experience them. Love Lost and Love Joy is like the two sides of a coin. The white tulip symbolise the loss. The shape of the petals are simple and their color pure. The way the flower is laid down accentuate the sadness. White is also symbolise grief in Chinese culture. In case your heart hasn't bled yet by now, the fleurettes are also sharp like thorns.