The inspiration behind these mixed-media portrait and figure drawings came to me naturally as a feeling that welled up inside of me of the desire to scribble, and to combine several different materials together. I like complexity. Prior to this my focus has been primarily on oil painting, which was fun for a while, until I had the urge to complicate things. I achieved that by doing collage and then painting on top of that, which created a really interesting visual effect that engages the subconscious mind of the viewer a lot more than just paint alone. But since falling ill, I have had to modify my focus to the less toxic media, which is also giving me a chance to really focus on the fundamentals of drawing.
This scribbling is not just my bratty inner child coming out, although part of that is certainly true, but it is really the essence of the ether, the atmosphere of energy particles and spirit flying around. It is the swirling of memories in the forlorn expressions I capture. It is the chaos that finds order enough to produce a likeness in a portrait, or a moment in life that feels like there is more there than meets the eye. It’s not just the illusion of three dimensional happenings onto a two dimensional surface. My goal is to capture a fourth dimension as well, the intangible something that is hard to explain. It sort of has a mind of it’s own, and I am just the channel it is expressing itself through. This spirit, this energy, I let it loose to scribble around as it starts vaguely resembling a figure, and then I tame it, constrict it, and exact it with some of the discipline of technical drawing, enough to render something or someone recognizable… only to let it build up the rebellious desire to be set free and scribble again.
Read related blog entries about my portraits and drawing style:
The Intention Behind My New Mixed-Media Drawings
See The Finished Portraits
Currently I am taking commissions for portrait drawings in two mixed-media styles. Black and white (graphite, pen, and charcoal) and color (watercolor or colored ink, pen, colored pencil, and pastel.) I am not doing painted portraits at this time. You must model live for the portrait for one to two sittings. Pricing is as follows:
Black and white on paper, unframed: 8″x10″ is $150, 11″x14″ is $250, 14″x17″ is $350, 16″x20″ is $450, 18″x24″ is $550. Larger sizes are available upon request.
Color on paper, unframed: 8″x10″ is $200, 11″x14″ is $300, 14″x17″ is $400, 16″x20″ is $500, 18″x24″ is $600. Larger sizes are available upon request.
Please fill out the inquiry form below if interested or email SandyParsonsArt@gmail.com.
Sandy Parsons Art 