Deliverance by Julio Reyes

"I wanted to combine broad painterly washes of mediums such as watercolor or ink, with the precision and calligraphy of a charcoal or graphite drawing. I first used watercolor brushes to lay broad washes of ink and black gesso in order to establish the mood and atmosphere of the piece. I then began to overlay darker tones with charcoal, and would on occasion use wet bristle brushes with which to shape and rework my marks. The result was a wild and sooty underpainting from which I could find my forms and further refine the features of the portrait. Some of the more subtle tones were accomplished with graphite and carbon pencils, which lent a silvery quality to the finished piece. Ultimately this piece was an attempt to combine two aspects of my artistic nature - that is the need for certain wild freedom, and the incredible discipline required to channel that freedom in order to make meaning from the chaos. This all worked in concert with the subject of Deliverance. My model wore a heavy man's coat. Her thick, jet black hair tussled in the wind, and her piercing eyes stared back at me with all of the pathos and mystery found in a great novel. It's that look, the expression in the eyes, that anchors a piece like this; and my hope was to see if I might be able to bottle even some of its magic." – Julio Reyes