Happy New Year from zeddess arts! Yes, I know, it's already February and I am way behind on updating the blog. The result of which is several posts in a row, starting with this one.
And kicking off the New Year with the last finished work from 2017; Constructive Mental Disturbance. Graphite on paper, size A3.
With a high contrast and bold lines, similar to the nature of my earliest work, but using finer gradients and more emphasis on light - a little Carravaggio, if you will, but without the intense melancholy and people in agony.
My taste for ornamental structures of an abstract and otherworldly design decided the subject, but the technique is closer to working with charcoal, rather than graphite. Instead of layering from a hard graphite upwards, I chose to begin with softer grades, and create the gradient through blending; something only achievable if you're using a low tooth for ground. (Unless you're looking for textural interest of course.)
Softening the light allows the hard edges to stand out, and lends the emotional drama of what is otherwise a static construction - the energetic values of the work lie entirely in the lighting, while the lines capture the formidable solidity of the form.
Made in Australia, 2017. $AU2500.