The DeRevere Drawings
Illustration - Pen and Ink
‘DeRevere’, an old family name, is the term I use to describe illustrative works I’ve drawn over the years - drawings that are checkpoints, markers, and vignettes of the ongoing exploration of what my artistic perspective is and/or could be.
The style’s foundation stems from my collegiate frustrations and discontent with life drawing assignments that required realistic proportions - no room for interpretation, no room for discovery, over and over in college. A detailed life drawing done well can be incredible to behold - I’ve loved the sketches and drawings of DaVinci just as much as any artist…
But it just wasn’t me. I wanted to play with proportion, exaggerate ratios, and create something new. I was drawn to artists who had done the same, particularly Giacometti, Schiele, and Dali.
Graduation passed and personal art projects took a backseat to the career hustle. I had done drawings here and there, but the creative atrophy I was experiencing at the hand of big business - a struggle I know far too many young and upcoming artists grapple with - was taking its toll. While worried that I’d lost my ability to develop something new, I was reminded that nothing in the art world is truly new. Contemporary artists pull (and steal!) from artists who came before them, who in turn pulled from artists who came before them, and so on. With this reassurance quietly tending to my anxiety, I found the discipline to care for my creative ideas, whether old or new.
Developing your own artistic style doesn’t lie in inventing something new. It comes from reinterpreting something you’ve connected with and have been inspired by that can help you express what you believe to be ‘art’.
Overall the project is an act of hope through discipline - an ongoing exploration.
DeRevere, a la Christmas
