Drawing "Identity"

For my latest drawing I decided to use my step-daughter, Madeline, as the model.  Using a child in my on-going art themed on the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature seems to make sense.  Kids are open, receptive, and with a sense of wonder about the world that many of us have lost.

I wanted to express the symbolism of nature in this piece as more IN the person, for lack of a better word.  I'm trying to express the lack of separation between ourselves and our natural world, so I wanted to try to blur the boundaries even more.  After being inspired by some double exposure photographs, I thought of the idea of showing leaves and branches in only the shadows of a portrait.  So here is what happened:

"Identity" 16"x20", chalk and charcoal, by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Identity" (detail) 16"x20", chalk and charcoal, by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Identity" (detail) 16"x20", chalk and charcoal, by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Identity" (detail) 16"x20", chalk and charcoal, by Heather Clements, 2014.

*Update: This piece is now SOLD.*  Thanks so much!

I've really enjoyed drawing again, as I'm kind of a glutton for details like eyes and hair.  Drawing has often felt like magic to me, and has ever since I was a kid.  You start with a blank sheet of paper, add a bunch of marks, and all of a sudden an image is there, sometimes seeming to jump off the page.  Now it's not just a piece of paper with some marks on it, it's a human staring back at you, or an environment that doesn't exist in real life.  Come on now, that's magic.

Here are a few images of the process.

Drawing progress for "Identity" by Heather Clements

Stages of process drawing "Identity" by Heather Clements

Of course, having Madeline in this piece does make it more special for me, and I'm going to make sure this one doesn't get stolen!  (Unlike a painting of her that was stolen a few years ago.)


In other news, the album featuring my art on the cover finally came out!  The amazing band from Oklahoma City, Honeylark, licensed an image of my art to use for the cover of their newest album, "Heavy."  Not only is it super cool to have my art on an album cover, but the band is awesome!  Check out some of their music on their website, www.honeylark.com.

Inspiration Source #22:  Rogan Brown's Paper Sculptures.
A-MAZ-ING.  Click here to see more.

Thank you, thank you, for spending some of your internet time with me.

-Heather