Longing
Longing (2019)
8½x11 Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold
long·ing/ˈlôNGiNG/noun | 1. a yearning desire. "He felt a wistful longing for the old days."adjective | 1. having or showing a yearning desire. "his longing eyes."
It’s been about fifteen years since my last black-and-white pastel painting. While I still love what vibrant color brings to a canvas, I recently felt a powerful Longing for the old days—which inspired me to kick off my new Mini Figurative series. Working on this first piece allowed me to lean heavily into that nostalgic medium while playing with a deeply emotional double meaning.
I focused on capturing the intense, visceral crave in the lower man's gaze as he looks on with a raw, undeniable hunger. By rendering the figures in striking grayscale against our solid, warm ochre background, the composition isolates and amplifies the palpable tension, lust, and ultimate yearning of the moment.
