Unnamed work 2015

Unnamed Work, Pencil on paper 2015

I made this drawing in 2015 from a sketch I started at work. At the time I was thinking about tension between people and made several sketches exploring that idea. A few eventually developed into more finished drawings like this one.

The scene shows a woman turning away from a man who appears to be grasping her arm. He feels slightly dominating, as if he wants something from her. The setting complicates the moment. It seems formal, maybe a restaurant or dinner party, and the extra place settings suggest that others are present or expected.

Interpersonal tension is something I find difficult to understand as an introvert, but it is compelling to observe and attempt to draw. I’m not sure many artists capture ‘subtle’ tension particularly well either.

Looking at the drawing now, the element that interests me most is the abstract painting behind the couple. Around this time I began placing abstract images inside otherwise representational scenes. It created a second visual language within the picture, this is something that continues to interest me in my current work.

The composition isn’t completely resolved. The drawing doesn’t fully hum as a finished piece, but it captures something close to what I was trying to understand.