little_tippler

Hey kramus, I really owe you one here because a while back you asked me for some advice and at the time I was unable offer it.

I like your nude sketches but I don't think they have much of the soul of your work that is present in other pieces. Out of all of them though, this is the one I think is the best:


I love punkinhead, or at least the style of the drawing, and there isn't another quite like it. Of course, this is not the most commercial work, it would be perfect as an illustration though. I do feel that a lot of your work is more suited to illustration:


Out of the dragon drawings, this one I like best - because it's not so direct, it turns into an abstract at times, and the composition is exciting:


This one is also intriguing:


I also think conceptually your Sessile series has some strength:


My favourite pieces are the following ones. They have the most movement, dynamic and freshness:

Of course I'm partial to the more abstract work because I work on a daily basis with contemporary art. I feel strongly though that there is a place in contemporary art, or there should be, for key elements of figuration. They give works a greater strength, because it helps the viewer to "enter" the work, but also then to journey through it into other possibilities.

I think you are a very skilled artist, and you have some beautiful works here, but the works here suggest you are still finding a path for yourself. Recurring are elements of nature such as trees, and also dragons, and I think these may be your key structures. I think you have a concept for your work but it's still not clearly transmitted to your audience. I'd love for you to tell me more about where you are going with your work. I also think that in your work you need to accent composition more - looking at the works, each one is quite uniform, elements don't stand out from each other strongly enough, for me anyway. I like the coloured pieces but I think it's just icing, and that's not what you need to develop. I also like the delicate quality of your work, there is a softness that is very attractive.

Keep up the good work - I know how hard it is to take criticism from others, but you must always believe in your work and keep doing it, for as long as it brings you happiness.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918