ssdmmfr:

Artist:

Melissa Cooke

“Blocked”

Graphite on Paper, 50” x 67”

Part of the “Surfaced” Series

SURFACED

“Surfaced” acknowledges the relationship between photography, painting and drawing in portraiture.  I take photographs as I paint and pour liquids onto myself, using my face as a canvas.  The photo shoot references the practice of drawing and painting; then the final graphite drawing references photography.  The boundaries between the mediums are broken down and the processes are interwoven. “

The images depart from the framing of traditional portraiture.  The viewer is not given an entire bust of the subject, rather the frame zooms into up-close sections of the face.  The cropping pushes the face to the surface of the paper, making the figure more ambiguous.  Flesh becomes abstracted: obliterated by paint on the skin,  distorted by the eye of the camera lens, or smeared by the glass of a Xerox machine.”

“Photographs are used as inspiration for drawing and mark making.  The drawings are made by dusting thin layers of graphite onto paper with a dry brush.  The softness of the graphite provides a smooth surface that can be augmented by erasing in details.  Gestural marks are apparent, while still creating dimension.  Textures are given precedence over portraying a likeness to the figure.   The act of drawing becomes the focus.”

(via shinyslingback)

1. offbyzero reblogged this from immutable-universe and added:

   Melissa Cooke “Blocked” Graphite on Paper, 50” x 67” Part of the “Surfaced” Series SURFACED “Surfaced” acknowledges the...

2. immutable-universe reblogged this from shinyslingback and added:

   Not sure if I’m the biggest fan of the style, but I adore the studio.

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   by Melissa Cooke

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