can no one hear me?
Discern the anguish trapped in this soulful keening?
Illuminate these dark hollow windows?
Can no one peer beyond the veil...
of this false tranquillity?
This new work is titled Tranquillity. It reflects not quite what I was feeling when I thought of it, as my mind was in complete chaos at the time. Rather, it represents the front I put up wanting no one to pierce, but hoping someone would.
I used to write, a lot. Both poems and stories, I even drew pictures to go along with some of those stories. I don't know exactly when I stopped writing, but I did. I eventually chose to read what others wrote and made excuses for why this was good enough. These days though, I've been thinking about writing again. A literary friend sent me a poem a few days ago and asked me to reply in a few lines, it took a few hours for me to get the courage to think of something. It turns out, I'm not so bad for someone who hasn't written in years as I sent him back three pretty good lines in a minute.
This got me thinking, why can't I combine my art with my writing. I want to let my feelings reflect my writing which in turn reflects my art.
This is done on a Strathmore 300 series 19x24in Bristol paper. I used both Derwent and Steadtler Mars graphite pencils, a black colored pencil, a Tombow mono zero eraser and cotton bud. Oh, and charcoal powder applied with a soft brush for the background.
I wasn't really feeling the head wrap, I dunno why but it feels somehow off to me. So, to stop myself from getting discouraged and dropping it entirely, I decided to do the body first. I'll come back to the difficult part later.
Quick Tip: Finger Oil doesn't go well with Strathmore paper. Mixed with graphite or charcoal, the prints become obvious.