Rite of Passage

MARK REMPEL

ARTIST STATEMENT

I wanted to explore the trials of life in an imaginary arctic landscape. The painting depicts a young warrior whose rite of passage is to slay an enormous seal in order to gain posterity. When designing this piece, I wanted to paint the character using tools and apparel typical of real tribes-people living in polar regions. Things like the kayak, whalebone tools and seal pelt apparel are all meant to enhance the authenticity of the character and setting, as well as patterns which are similar to those worn by existing traditional peoples. This piece also allowed me to better explore how to paint water, capturing the roar of the ocean in a way that felt very lifelike.