petty meandering jellyfish
by tate

Comment:
One sign of an interesting art piece is the way it instantly makes me want to have a conversation with someone. Here, the abstruse provocation and high-contrast presentation invite a second look at the grungy subject matter to try discerning what the artist wants me to see. And here's what I see: Urban blight every bit as unwelcome as stinging jellyfish washed up on the beach where my family is trying to vacation. A metaphor for the encroaching tradeoffs of modern progress. An interrogation of who the "jellyfish" in this image really is, and a suspicion that maybe it's me.

Where the Trees Become Art
by arngrimurbl

Comment:
I returned multiple times to this one, and each time it rewarded me with something richer to look at. The composition beckons me toward...what, exactly? I'm not sure. Maybe the whispery hint of a vanishing point at the end of a trail. Maybe further into the woods of a fever dream. Maybe deeper into the psyche of one trying to recall a fading memory. Whatever it might be, the choice to seat this aesthetic somewhere between meditative photorealism and painterly expressionism makes it feel as though an imaginative response from the viewer is precisely what the artist had in mind.

Natures Quiet Masterpiece
by Clandestiny

Comment:
I find this to be pristinely executed. The processing preserves every bit of the magic nature intended with a sight like this.

Feb #2 - Ornithogalum
by hajeka

Comment:
Feels like something right out of a seed catalog. Very tactile and vibrantly presented.

homeworld
by kanaj

Comment:

Originally posted by primabarbara: Was the clothing and the pose of your young model your idea? ... I can sense a feeling of not belonging of that young person, struggling with growing up, being different than the classmates and the neighbour kids. Reminds me somehow of the book "wonder" by Raquel J. Palacio

Thank you for these very kind words, Barbara. To answer your question--yes, the clothing and pose were my (half-impromptu) idea. I'd been thinking for some time now--ever since the Album Cover challenge from earlier last year--about trying to get Henry to wear that space helmet in a public space somewhere with ideas that it might convey something evocative. One possible interpretive angle I was considering is very much the one that has connected with you in this image--of social isolation and feeling "from another world" or (as this image suggests to me, personally) of feeling like an alien visitor to one's own homeworld.

Honestly, I had forgotten about how a similar prop plays a significant role in Palacio's book, but now that you mention it, it would feel dishonest to suggest that it didn't play some subliminal role in my composition. As for the rest of the costuming, believe it or not that's literally what my son was wearing when I saw the golden hour light and decided to capitalize on it. The shirt originally had "Saturn" on it, but I removed that to make it appear more like a traveler's uniform of sorts. And the pants are part of his Halloween costume, when he went as a stick figure from one of his video games. Together, it all just worked serendipitously.

Got everything I need, right here.
by PennyStreet

Comment:
Knew this was yours. The juxtaposition with the jewelry really appropriates the child's drawing and turns this into a sneakily profound abstract.

My Sweetie in her Cabin Cap :-)
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Another top pick for me. The camera as an instrument of loving self-expression.

One on top
by hajeka

Comment:
This was a top pick for me. Like its subject, it really conveys the transient sweetness and radiant lightness of young love. To me, this is presented with innocent, childlike wonder.

"Electrifying"
by ladpupmoe

Comment:
It makes me smile to see this one on the front page. I can feel the energy put into this one--no pun intended. :-)

Mobile Banking
by DistantColours

Comment:
Very nice. One can't help noticing that the DPChallenge app is right there on the home screen... :-P

Congrats on a very worthy ribbon!