I'm pretty sure it's Lin's mother, Ua'mai, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances when Lin was thirteen. Well, not really thirteen, because she'd just come out of kifu, but still physically thirteen. That was when Lin took the sagama [scepter] for the house of Ua, and there was all kinds of speculation about whether she was behind it, or whether she was just being opportunistic. She was the youngest daughter at that point, and under Ua succession rules, it's the youngest daughter who inherits.
A few people believed that she became darkless [crazy] then, because anybody who kills someone is considered darkless, but since Lin didn't show any real signs of darklessness, and proved to be competent at her role, the rumours eventually petered out. Besides, Ua'mai was never found, so there was no evidence she was even dead.
Ua'mai was younger than this when she disappeared, so if the painting really is her, then she must still be alive somewhere.
It might... I think the flowers are a clue. And if it really is old wood bark, then she's probably not on Ua anymore, because wood is really rare there. Even now the water's back, I don't think there's been time for any trees to grow that old.
The texture is actually tree bark, cobbled together from some photos I took. There are five Photoshop layers there: a grey-blue for the background, a background colour layer where I blotted out the edges of the painting and warmed up the browns at the bottom, the texture at about 70% opacity, a sketch layer with the dark outline of the figure, and a colour detail layer on top with the painting itself.
i logged out then came here to see how this page would look to someone who hadn't friended you. and all your artwork leapt out at me, ever more self-assured, ever more beautiful (to my admittedly untutored eye) and i suddenly realised how far you've come in the few years i've known you.
i'm too old to say awseome and mean anything less than awesome. it really is :)
sorry to only add comment to this one. i'm otherwise lost for words
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 08:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-02 07:47 pm (UTC)You can find slang terms you're not familiar on the online slang dictionary - I've found it very useful.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 06:28 pm (UTC)A few people believed that she became darkless [crazy] then, because anybody who kills someone is considered darkless, but since Lin didn't show any real signs of darklessness, and proved to be competent at her role, the rumours eventually petered out. Besides, Ua'mai was never found, so there was no evidence she was even dead.
Ua'mai was younger than this when she disappeared, so if the painting really is her, then she must still be alive somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 08:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-01 01:16 am (UTC)It's like a mystery! :)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-01 01:18 am (UTC)- j-t
no subject
Date: 2011-02-03 10:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-01 04:17 am (UTC)i'm too old to say awseome and mean anything less than awesome. it really is :)
sorry to only add comment to this one. i'm otherwise lost for words
-Walkie