Embrace

Embrace
Graphite on Paper
9″ x 12″

$400

“Embrace” was the result of an exploratory study for a painting that I fell in love with and decided to see through as a standalone piece.

I often explore themes of forbidden knowledge and creation myths in my work, with the snake being the symbol I’m most drawn to. So when I stumbled upon this unused photo from a model shoot I had done years ago, it wasn’t hard to immediately see a snake gently woven into the woman’s arms. I loved the way her gesture could be read as a protectiveness both of herself but also the snake- almost like a mother and child. There’s a lot to unpack with this one, and I’m far from done exploring.

I will likely play with several more iterations before taking the idea to a large, colorful and more complex oil painting; but I think there’s an elegance and softness to the graphite that gives the drawing something special all on its own and worth sharing.