The Off-Hours: Drawings from a Parallel Studio
Dame de Bruxelles *M20260110 Mixed media / Canvas 120 X 80 cm (47 X 31 In) 2026 The Off-Hours: This series emerges as a creative intermission—a deliberate shift from abstract painting toward the immediacy of figure drawing. Utilizing colored pencil and graphite over flat color planes, these portraits honor a lineage of formative mentors, idols, and friends who have shaped the artist’s visual vocabulary. Rather than standard likenesses, these figures operate as hypothetical icons positioned between authentic memory and fiction. Drawing from pop culture and art history, each portrait samples, layers, and remixes historical motifs with personal iconography. The restraint of the medium—minimalist, graphic, and direct—mirrors the spirit of a "holiday" or rest period: an unburdening of studio routine that makes room for play, homage, and spontaneous mark-making. Ultimately, the series acts as both an affectionate tribute and a study on how artistic influence is continually digested...