Inferno

Recently, I started playing around with incorporating my Inkscapes with people and different subject matter. I've been working on compositions that I consider to be part of my Inkscape Portrait collection but now they have more of a collage-like feeling. Here's one that I just finished a few days ago that I tentatively call "Inferno".

I have so many feelings about this composition. I was trying to do something completely different than what you see here but the work took on a life of its own. The man seen here was part of a shot I took years ago at the African Street Festival in Brooklyn during a moment of celebration when everyone was dancing and having a good time. When I lifted it to incorporate it into one of my Inkscapes, through a happy mistake, it took on a totally different tone.  I usually don't like to impose my interpretation of my work on my audience but for me personally, it speaks of what is currently going on in Ferguson, Missouri as we await the grand jury verdict over the shooting of Michael Brown. The arms raised are reminiscent of the "hands up, don't shoot" pose that protestors took on shortly after his murder. The red overtones of the background reflect the general feelings of rage over this tragedy.

On the other hand, I also see the man taking an almost omnipotent stance as if he is ingesting the energy of the engulfing Inkscape. As he does so, he takes on a glow, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, ready to take on the world that he faces.Other people see it as a spiritual picture as a person receiving blessings from a higher power.

What do you see?