Iran. Woman.
What does this mean? For me, and relating to drawing, it means pushing myself out of my comfort zone and into uncomfortable territory. I feel I have been timid in my execution of creating notable highlights, mid-tones, and shadows – leaving a more flat-looking drawing as a result. Even with deeply defined wrinkles, abstractly highlighted pupils, and intricately deciphered hairs – nothing seemed to create more drama and a sense of 3-dimensional space than would the deepening of shadows and the brightening of highlights – which I was reluctant to investigate.
The blackness of shadow my foe to be faced. I’ve been intimidated to make shadows as dark as they should be. This drawing was already a challenge for a variety of reasons. Not only did I have to consider the interpretation of human struggle, hoping to honestly capture the intensity of anger, despair, and frustration at this moment in time, I explored the external world surrounding a person’s face. The integration of elements outside of a person’s face was daunting and exciting giving me areas of interest where I could break out of the drawing of literal shapes and create textures and motions that express intentions of hidden messages. I subdued the background but insinuations of the deeper story remain.
Still intimidated, shadow became my friend and with pressured effort and implementation brought to light the intended effect. I feel I have made progress but also feel there is more dimension that could be achieved if only I could take the leap. Maybe next time. I hope I did it justice while still staying sensitive to this delicate and important matter.
22.5″x30″ Graphite and Charcoal
Japan is next.
Australia
China
Iran
Tuareg
Ukraine
US
Vietnam
Zimbabwe
Nancy Mues 