DREW MALAPANES
Junior HL
Curatorial Rationale
Facing the Faces
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The human face is a finicky subject to draw. I create portraits almost solely portraits; and, given that humans spend most of their day looking at other human faces, if any facial feature is even slightly off when translated to a drawing, we can pinpoint what is incorrect almost immediately. Drawing the ‘perfect’ face requires an understanding of symmetry and mathematics, golden ratios and whatever else. However, I am a very right-brained, organic, non-analytical individual. Math and measurements have never been my strengths. So, when I draw a face, I freehand it. My art style, I realized, is a non-analytical approach to an analytical subject. There is little to no pre-planning, only movement, slight adjustments, and more movement of the pencil. The human face, in essence, is a bunch of fleshy bumps and valleys, with shadows between them. Those shadows are, largely, gradual and soft. The method I use to shade challenges that truth. Ever since I created Strawberry Lemonade, making small pointillistic patterns and scribbles to convey depth has been my signature style. When I was younger, I couldn’t comprehend that I could create portraits with realistic proportions while also having a style that was all my own. The discovery of that personal style has been the most crucial moment in my artistic journey to date. I have made more art in the last six months since that discovery than the previous seventeen years of my life. I am proud of the pieces I show to others, and, for the first time in my life, I feel that I am bringing something to the table that no one else can.
DREW MALAPANES
click images to enlarge - artist statements below - leave comments at bottom
ARTIST STATEMENTS
Strawberry Lemonade
graphite
9x12in.
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This is my favorite piece I’ve ever made, and it is the piece I cultivated my entire exhibit around. The reference image is of a girl I was into at the time. I wrote poetry about her and made this piece, but I had almost never spoken to her in real life. I had made her into a figure, the fantastical embodiment of what I wanted in a girl, rather than treating her as a person. The time and effort I put into making this piece, rather than getting to know the girl it was made for, I believe is a great example of setting unrealistic examples for the people in your life, and being unfair to those people and pushing them away in the process.
(This artist’s statement and submission of this piece has been approved by the subject of the piece.)
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Madonna
Graphite
3.75x6.5in.
To be truthful, I’m not a big Madonna fan; I know Material Girl and that’s about all. However, my friend loves her, and suggested I draw her, and I found this gem of an image. I love to draw faces from odd angles, and this angle, where the photo is taken from a higher position, is my absolute favorite.
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Gaga
graphite
8.5x4.5in.
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Lady Gaga has been my role model since childhood. The first concert I ever went to was a Gaga concert, and now, nearly a decade later, I listen to her music every time I find that I’m shaming myself for not blending in. This specific reference image comes from American Horror Story, which she starred in for their fifth season, Hotel. In that show and in her music, Gaga is open about her sexuality, both with men and women. She never is ashamed of the sex she has. She is openly bisexual and sexually active, and has never let any of the shame she receives get to her or affect her choices.
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dome head
ink
8x8in.
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‘dome head’ was born from a series of images showing iconic 70s hairstyles. One such image caught my eye, which would become my reference image for this drawing. Originally, I used silkscreen printing to make a piece using that reference image, but I felt that I could do something more detailed and impressive using pen. There are hidden words and messages scattered throughout the scribbles and scratches, which reminds me of a Where’s Waldo puzzle.
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