Pondering "The Orb" by Tom Blood

Congratulations, Tom Blood's painting "The Orb" was selected for the Art St. Louis XXXVII, The Exhibition November 6-December 16, 2021 at Art Saint Louis. "The Orb" was one of 446 artworks in all media were submitted by 117 St. Louis regional artists. Juror Dana Turkovic selected artworks by 56 artists from Missouri and Illinois for the exhibition.

The Orb by Tom Blood: A giant floating orb hovers above a grey beach. Three different couples stand before it, apparently as if they were drawn to the orb. What could it be and what is the attraction? The overall grey-ness of the painting adds a certain ominous feel to the image. As to why I painted this, I was viewing photos from Burning Man 2019 and was intrigued by a giant orb that had been created for the event. That one featured a totally reflective surface. I decided to go the opposite way and create a black orb with just a hint of blue in it. Adding the couples being drawn to the image creates story appeal which is something I enjoy having in most of my paintings.

See the exhibit on Facebook at   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/vanity=ArtSaintLouis&set=a.10158063799386962