Artistic Faces

Faces speak to us in life, and when we artists make representations of our own impressions on paper, they become ‘imprinted for life’ (as long as the paper or medium stay fresh of course). Like a portrait… the key is to catch that special moment of the facial expression, mode or sense of awe. In those moments when I want to catch a unique situation, I wish I was like the old 1900 century artists whom could convey a deep presence or feeling of the subject portrayed.

I used to do real life portraits, but today they come out as a memory of people I meet; they kind of pop up and then I jot them down. Those people must have made an impression on me, as it comes out of my hands unannounced or planned. This summer I was working a lot on the Naked Faces series and adding few imaginary thoughts ‘these individuals’ may have. I love the simple expressions of line drawings with a title describing the essence of the person’s mood.

As you may know, I have been using oils paint for years, but when traveling its much easier to bring pencils and pen/ink with me, instead of my whole oil painting kit . The fun part of the Naked Faces expressions is that these images create different dialogues in between them. They communicate via visible face expression, if known or not known ‘to them’. For example, features that conceal clear emotions or hidden melancholic feelings behind a smiley face.

It’s amazing how many different emotional states we go through each day, so to depict them is special, as then we get to reflect it’s meaning, as well as its transitory state. Artistic Faces, is a way for me to share how I see people and their inner state of mind

Even though lush oil paints newly squeezed on a palette, near my easel in the middle of nature, would be more enticing, but not practical for long distance travels. So lines it has been, and I like their simple sharing…

Blessings, Eva Ariela www.evaariela.com