Matthew Faulkner - Michael Kareken & Kelly Mclane


This is a charcoal drawing on paper by the artist Michael Kareken out of Minneapolis. The reason behind why this drew my attention is because of the dark aesthetic. Everything is a silhouette, everything is an outline. The tornado itself isn't the focal point but it seems like the damage that it is causing is the focal point. The foliage swirling around from the ground provides all of the context that the viewer needs.


This is another charcoal drawing by the same artist, called Bedroom Ceiling. There are two things here that caught my attention. First, the use of value. It seems like the value here is highly descriptive. The peak though is the ceiling itself, the scratches and the texturing used makes it easy for me to understand that that is supposed to be a ceiling. Secondly, I'm wondering if he used reduction when it came to bringing whites into the drawing. I have the same question for the tornado drawing.



This drawing is called Bad Day for Meth Lab by artist Kelly Mclane. Mclane's focus according to her artist statement was to convey her personal perspective between man and nature. In this drawing I'm seeing some surreal aspects. The surreal aspects is something that is very prevalent in her drawings. I like the ambitiousness in using contour lines in certain areas and none in other areas. That is what makes this look surreal. The smoke is an obvious draw but it seems like the foreground of the drawing  has a mixture of what Kelly wants people to focus on.


Comments

  1. Eric VigilOctober 16, 2018 at 7:55 PM

    I love the tornado drawing. The fear, darkness and helplessness are almost tangible in it. It looks like an old photo from Oklahoma. I feel the charcoal is incredibly effective in capturing the emotion of this piece. If it had been in any other medium I think it would have fallen short. But it immediately captures my focus and intrigue, like a horror movie demands the same attention. I find what really ties this together is the perspective, the tornado is so daunting in its size and proximity to the viewer which gives a sense of dread like no other.

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