Isabella Donn
St Philip's Christian College - Waratah
THE ABSENT, UNKNOWN, AND MAKE-BELIEVE
Drawing
Ink on Paper
My body of work expresses my twisted emotions and memories of the identities of someone who has been absent in my life. The puzzle-like aspect of a developing mind going through trauma makes it challenging to differentiate between childhood romanticism, manipulated narratives, and reality. To fill the empty space of the absent I create characters representing who I remember them to be, who I wish they were, and who I assume they will become. Can I trust past memories to be true, or current judgements to be accurate, when thinking about the distorted identities of 'the absent, unknown, and make-believe'?
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Marcell Rév, Scott MacDonough, David Mullen, Emilia Clarke, Michel Comte, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Matt Sesow, Jesper Waldersten, William Dobell.
Marker's Commentary
The Absent, Unknown, and Make-Believe is a confident, drawn, graphic representation exploring complex thoughts and emotions. The work is organised in a grid-like structure of faces reflecting a puzzle that connects in some areas and is disconnected in others, supporting the conceptual intent of the student. Within the grid, framing is used to both contain and extend images forcing the viewer to move among the imagery and engage with, the at times disconnected, nature of the work. Thoughts and emotions are effectively communicated through facial expressions, image distortion and the cropping used on individual images within the grid. A deep understanding of the opportunities felt tip linework can offer is explored and underpins a distinct personal style throughout the work. Expert line work and in particular cross hatching is used to create convincing naturalistic representation in areas and exaggeration in others. The clash of naïve fanciful characters and blank spaces against realistic portrayals of tortured expressions creates a tension that invites the audience into the turmoil and uncertainty of the subject.