Doreen McPherson : PORTRAITS

10 Oct-3 Dec 2011

Overview

Doreen McPherson makes very distinctive and detailed portraits of individuals. Her work is characterised by intense mark marking and a strong sense of light and darkness through the use of shading – particularly around the hair and facial features where particular attention is paid. Over the summer, the artist has used the gallery as her studio, although not directly referring to the space, some of the works in the exhibition have been conceived in-situ and hold a particular atmosphere. This particular feeling is continued with how the drawings are placed, creating narratives and readings between the drawings. A number of the drawings are based on images of Roman stone and bronze sculptures, but this connection to sculpture goes beyond the original source material. By building up tone, pattern and form, working on different sections of the drawing simultaneously, there is a strong sense of construction and structure within the works.