an oil pastel illustration by Chloe Xie, ’19

Artist’s Statement

I drew this portrait of my older brother recently in Drawing and Painting Intensive during studio time. I was inspired by his pensive look!

As an artist, stepping outside of your comfort zone through innovation is important. I didn’t want to create something that was “just pretty,” and I wanted to challenge myself to create a portrait that focused on experimental colors and techniques.

The layered tan and beige papers are torn, adding unique textures to the overall piece. The layered papers add more lines and forms to the piece, becoming more complex and visually intriguing for viewers.

For the colors, I intentionally had most of the cool, green tones are on the center, cool-toned paper, while all of the warmer, red tones are on the right beige paper. The shadows of his stomach are more chaotic and striated. while his illuminated face is blended more smoothly