Ars Sanguinis

A devotion to life and to death.

Ars Sanguinis: or, the creation of blood paintings

This is my greater Work, in which i use my very own blood to create artwork to express greater principles. Its purpose is to express my sincere and utter love to the human race, to the world who gave shape to my vessel and to the great unknown which had conceived this great mystery of existence. Thusly, what i depict in blood should serve a greater purpose, as the painting created can only be made once in the exact array of my blood cells, my own suffering and feeling that it shall be composed of. Blood is a living substance which shall die and be immortalised, tying it to the world of the living and the dead all the same. The artwork is painted on watercolour paper and could include more media than blood itself, such as ink or watercolours, if that suits your vision. These artworks are uniquely human and aim to soothe the suffering of the onlooker, as they are a portal to that very same suffering which connects us all.

Note on the painting process

While the steps i take in creating a painting differ with each client and their request, as well as the instruments being used, there are certain aspects to it that i would like to bring to your awareness. Blood behaves differently than watercolour. It undergoes a steady process of natural decay and coagulation, in which it loses its colour after a while.  Each painting is sealed in varnish to keep the vibrancy a little longer, but i would urge you to respect the process that is unfolding right before your eyes. It is but a reflection of our aging and impermanence, the darkening of our vibrant youth. Youth itself is a beautiful thing, yet so is the humble old-age and the shadow of it. So is the faded crimson a testament to the adaption to the eternal, the immutable burden of living. While i am still young, the painting becomes a reflection of myself that died before my whole body disintegrates one day. I will make as many of these paintings as they are requested from me and i am physically able to do so.

One thing i find really interesting about painting with this liquid is the very unique patterns it creates.
As blood is composed of a unique set of properties, such as proteins, sugars, fluctuating hormones and various mosaics of nutrients that differ with my current circumstances, so is this uniqueness expressed in the drying process through the lines and washes, when applied to the paper. I usually don't add other substances to the blood, as this would alter its physical properties and symbolic power, but one could add ethanol, vinegar, salt, sugar or resins as natural methods of altering the behavior of the blood. Its pigments could be preserved in this way, but as i stated before, i refrain from these methods unless they have symbolic merit.

As for the process of blood-taking: I will only speak of it briefly, but i assure you that my methods are precise and done with respect to my body. Never would i do such an act in the name of hatred or despair, or in an disordered state of mind. Humanity is what my heart bleeds for, and this is how i express my own personal truth.

My Work may include:

Sketches, full paintings of landscapes, full paintings of beings, memento mori, etc.

If you want to receive the physical painting, then shipping costs may be calculated and applied. If you wish to have just a digital scan instead, (which you would get either way upon request) then that's possible as well.  You may also receive a Carmen Sanguinis (a poem written in blood), if you wish. The poem itself shall be made up by the thoughts that entered my mind while creating your painting and my reflection upon it: ending in a new understanding.

Please understand that every painting made in blood is supposed to be made public, as these works are ultimately an act and study of selflessness: as well as the expression of my love, which humanity may benefit from when the image is made conscious to the public eye. The collective understanding which shall be woven into the image shall make the painting eternal and transcend any worth that could be kept in currency alone. If you have a reason against it, then we can discuss this. It is my duty to hear you out and not shun, condemn or silence my brothers and sisters: remember that. 

Otherwise, your vision shall see the radiant light of the world and stretch out its rays in shades of crimson: for them to touch the hearts of mankind... or pierce them.