Nestor
Nestor (2022)
8½x11 Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Sold
Being glamorous is about strength and confidence. It’s black and white - dramatic. You have to be strong. — Catherine Zeta-Jones
Meet Nestor, a new face in my Mini Figurative series. Standing completely naked, his pose carries a natural, unstudied ease—with one arm hanging loosely by his side and the other hand resting casually across his midsection. There is a quiet, thoughtful intensity to his dark beard and sharp features, balanced by the relaxed, grounded way he holds his frame. He isn't strictly posing for an audience; rather, he simply exists in his own space, allowing you a moment to quietly observe.
I wanted to play with the subtle visual interaction between the hand and the torso. Having his hand rest across his stomach naturally breaks up the vertical lines of his core, which let me build depth through the resulting shadows. I spent a good amount of time focusing on the textures here, using varied strokes to contrast the dark, dense hair across his chest and forearms against the smoother planes of his shoulders and biceps. The soft directional light helps define the contours of his physique, naturally leading the eye down to a full, unedited view of his form.
