The Binding of Oliver

NOTE: All images depicted here are based off sprites from Edmund McMillen's game 'The Binding of Isaac'. This picture is both a tribute to his magnificent work and an artwork done for my friends and loved ones. Every individual depicted herein belongs to themselves, but the sprite beneath belongs to Mr. McMillen.

If you haven't played the game... I strongly recommend you pop open Steam and buy it. Anyway...


*ahem*

"Dear occupants of this picture (and also dear those-who-didn't-quite-fit),

An inescapable part of life is meeting new people - and even trying to avoid this is doomed to failure even if you succeed. Sometimes for a moment, sometimes for a few minutes, and sometimes for much much longer - new people will have an impact on your life.

Everyone in this picture has made an impact on me.

The things that separate for me the strangers from the friends I know and love are many and varied, but most share one simple principle...

As you know, I'm a huge fan of the symbolism of the mask - and I'm a firm believer that the biggest mask anyone can wear is the mask they wear every day without even realizing it; politeness, self-control, socially acceptable behavior... but only our friends can see behind that mask at the person beneath.

Friends expose their weaknesses to each other, their hopes, dreams, pleasures and fears... And over time, the little bits of a person's soul that they choose to share with the people they trust invariably become part of the other.

And that's why I chose this particular pictorial reference with which to depict as many of you as I could: in the mythos of 'The Binding of Isaac', every character is simply Isaac in dress-up... the same principal applies here. Every one of you has left a part of your heart and soul in me, and it's there forever.

Everyone smiles, and everyone cries... And I trust you all enough that I could cry to you and feel no shame. I hope you feel the same.

At the end of the day; we're all human... naked children of the Earth clad in the armour we erect to allow safe passage through the world. Just know that you need not make the journey alone.

Love to you all,

Oliver.

P.S - if ANY of this doesn't make sense to you, speak up and ask... It's 2:44am and I've been working at this picture for close to three days now... So to say I'm a little brain-dead would be an understatement."