Emerging Surrealism: Findings in Charcoal

A captivating collection of works begun with automatic drawing, these creatures embody the scope of classic surrealism as they emerge from the depths of charcoal. Drawings by Linda Neely.

Gallery

Exibition Dates: October 24, 2016 - November 17, 2016

Artist Statement

This exhibit is a collection of strangely enchanting creatures uncovered by charcoal artist, Linda Neely. Although initially perceived as scary or dangerous, to the artist they are friendly, shy and beautiful. One can’t help but wonder, are they from another world or perhaps hidden in our own world? The large scale pieces are created using a subtractive method in charcoal. That is, the entire paper is covered with heavy layers of charcoal and the imagery is created by removing it with erasers and brushes. In this particular series, the work is begun with “automatic drawing,” without an end result in mind. The artist explores the random lines with erasers finding textures, noticing shapes, developing forms, coaxing these creatures into revealing themselves. After the pieces were finished Linda spent time with them, studied them. She found what the creatures seemed to be saying and where they were from. Their names were then created.

Linda Neely is an explorer artist, traveling the world and returning home to share via her artwork. She can be found in caves and working with charcoal, water media or smoke. Her next trip is to the ice caves of Iceland this winter. Linda has a Master of Fine Arts degree and is a member of the National Speleological Society.