Wood
Wood (2013)
18½×24 Pastel on Pastel Paper
Original is Available
From vulnerable nuts it can grow to stand strong and tall, it can be polished to a slick finish, and it certainly can heat us up. This piece leans into a cheeky double entendre to celebrate the simple, elegant beauty of Wood.
Living in the second largest city in New England can really make a guy long to get away to a secluded cabin for the weekend. I wanted to capture that fantasy of waking up to a silent winter morning, free from daily responsibilities. Working in pastel, the main challenge was playing the incredibly deep, rich skin tones of the figure against the rustic, horizontal log walls of the cabin and the stark, bright white of the snowy background. Balancing those heavy, earthy textures with the crisp cold of the environment allowed me to emphasize his powerful physique as the warm centerpiece of a frozen world.
