Red Thread Expectations

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January 31, 2007 in Art, Illustration, Illustration Friday, Japan | 10 comments

Red Thread Expectations cut-paper art by Patrick GannonThere’s a nice belief among the Japanese that everyone is connected to the person that they are destined to be with by a thin, invisible red thread.

Go ahead, take a moment to get comfy with “red” and “invisible” describing the same object. You can’t beat a good paradox.

I’ve always liked this red string of fate, just as I’ve always had a soft spot for the idea of soulmates. Destiny’s a funny thing, tho. It doesn’t always play by our rules, and alot can happen while you’re waiting for fate to untangle itself.

Illustration Friday: Red

  1. ariel’s avatar

    ariel on January 31, 2007 at 10:07 am

    Great image.. and fresh take on “red”.

    ariel

    Reply

  2. A R V I N D H’s avatar

    A R V I N D H on January 31, 2007 at 10:16 am

    Very interesting belief! Great illo!

    Reply

  3. Yezi’s avatar

    Yezi on January 31, 2007 at 10:34 am

    Wow, great design and use of colors. Your papercuts are amazing! What kind of paper do you use?

    Reply

  5. Taro at news.3yen.com’s avatar

    Taro at news.3yen.com on January 31, 2007 at 5:59 pm

    Invisible red thread? Sure, I can give it meaning through polysemy but it’s
    “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously” that gave me headaches in grad school.
    Refer to:
    ==> http://doiop.com/colorless_green

    Reply

  6. Glenn’s avatar

    Glenn on February 1, 2007 at 11:47 am

    Sweet! I like that the grain of the wood almost serves as her spine. Her hair reminds me of the ocean too. A bit more bondage-y and adult than your other stuff. Great piece.

    Reply

  7. South Ocean’s avatar

    South Ocean on February 1, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    I really love your concept. The flows of the body (especially the fingers) are just beautiful, excellent job!

    Reply

  8. Mom Gannon’s avatar

    Mom Gannon on February 1, 2007 at 6:26 pm

    Wow ! Nice work

    Reply

  9. patrick’s avatar

    patrick on February 1, 2007 at 7:16 pm

    Thanks to all for your great comments. Yezi, I use pretty much anything as far as paper goes. Alot of Japanese washi, Thai unryu, banana paper, some Indian papers when I can get my hands on them. Machine-made paper too. Whatever color/texture best fits the work. For one piece I cut up the back of a credit card brochure ‘cuz it was the exact right blue-violet.

    Glenn, I was wondering when someone would bring up bondage. Should have known I could count on you. Of course, this is more of a “bondage of expectations”, a psychological trussing.

    Reply

  10. Christy Lenzi’s avatar

    Christy Lenzi on February 1, 2007 at 11:39 pm

    At first I thought the thread on her fingers was in the shape of an apple, but I see the “leaves” are actually a tied bow.

    Very nice, Patrick.

    Reply