Memento Mori Traditional Illustration (18×24)
This piece speaks to the inevitability of death and the illusions we build to feel invincible. Created with pencil, Copic markers, and pen on illustration paper, it centers on a skeletal astronaut who has armored himself with technology, weapons, and machinery, yet remains powerless against time.
The astronaut helmet represents the modern pursuit of immortality through science, innovation, and exploration. We imagine that pushing beyond our planet will somehow free us from decay. The helmet is a barrier between life and death, an attempt to preserve what is already gone. It is the illusion that distance or progress can shield us from our own mortality. Inside the glass, there is only the skull we refuse to face.
The weapons, ammunition, and mechanical systems symbolize the extremes we often reach for to feel strong and untouchable. Bullets, engines, and power are temporary. They offer control in life but none in death. They speak to the belief that dominance or force can secure meaning, when in truth they only delay an outcome that is the same for everyone.
Surrounded by hourglasses, skulls, and royal emblems, the work confronts a simple truth. No matter how far we advance, no matter what we conquer, the body will fail and the mind will fade. The phrases There is no tomorrow and The future is now represent the urgency of existence and the fleeting nature of opportunity. They remind us to act, create, and live with intention before our time runs out. The inscription What you are I once was. What I am so you will be echoes the cycle of humanity from youth to decay, from ambition to silence.
This piece is my version of a memento mori. It does not comfort. It forces confrontation. It asks the viewer to see mortality clearly, stripped of romanticism, and to question what truly matters when even the most advanced armor cannot protect us from the end.
Work in progress
