All drawings were produced by hand from 2012 - present day.
Skin and Bone composition; Oil pastel and conte on brown paper, Spring '13, 3' x 5'.
Choosing one inspiring artist to mimic, be it a designer, a painter, or a sculptor is no easy task. This project was a 5-piece work designed around Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook. Da Vinci used his notebook to explore the unknown or unseen. He created studies of everything, from anatomical studies of the skeleton and organs to the study of flowers to his own mechanical creations. He used his notebook to discover new ideas and develop his knowledge base. I wanted to mimic his notebook on a giant scale so I used large brown sheets of drawing paper. I pushed beyond my initial knowledge base and discovered new things about the human body. I had to do a lot of research on the body, bone structure, and muscles. A major aspect I had to consider was composition, beyond just the drawing itself I had to consider where to place the text in relation to the drawing, the drawings in relation to each other, and when a little clutter and tension was okay or not.
Da Vinci’s Notebook, Oil pastel on brown drawing paper, Spring ‘13, 5 ft x 7 ft
Da Vinci’s Notebook, Oil pastel on brown drawing paper, Spring ‘13, 5 ft x 7 ft
These works shows the relationship I have perceived between the rural, organic, natural landscape of the Burren in Ireland and the stark, geometric urban setting of Ireland’s larger cities. Each piece is a compilation of 10 photographs taken around Ireland. I reduced each photograph to its basic outlines and merged them together. This was then drawn onto a transparency, projected onto a poster board and inked. Strategic cuts were made into the poster to create “windows” where the actual photographs used can be seen showing through. The hardest part of this project
was the first step; laying out the chosen photographs in a way that commented on not only my concept and personal experience but also in a way that was aesthetically pleasing and created a connectedness and sense of flow from one to another.
was the first step; laying out the chosen photographs in a way that commented on not only my concept and personal experience but also in a way that was aesthetically pleasing and created a connectedness and sense of flow from one to another.
