ARTWORK SPOTLIGHT - WOODPECKER

ARTWORK | SPOTLIGHT

KARA SWEET

WOODPECKER

Coloured pencil

Kara's delicate, thoughtful depictions of birds are always beautifully observed character studies, in this case, Woodpecker is a soft, cheeky portrait in coloured pencil, rendered by an artist with true interest in her "sitter". Kara depicts such a sense of softness in her bird; it has an incredibly tactile presence, you want to reach out, to touch it, feel its delicate weight and stroke its light, downy feathers. Each different texture and direction in the bird's feathers is deeply observed and is enhanced with Kara's use of colour. The bright gush of red at its underbelly lifts the delicate, earthy tones and the richness of the blue is balanced to create a colourful yet muted piece. What is lovely about this particular work is the introduction of the tree. Necessary to show the character of the woodpecker but also used beautifully as a compositional device, centring the bird and giving some texture, contrast and interest around it. The tree itself feels spongy, the wood old and giving, the surface seeming almost as soft and malleable as the woodpecker himself. It seems to say the two are of equal importance: the bird we are drawn to look at and the tree that supports it.

If you enjoy this artwork spotlight, and want to see more of Kara's work, visit her portfolio on the link below

KARA'S PORTFOLIO