March 1st Gallery Crawl on Penn Avenue (aka Unblurred) confirmed once more it's always worth visiting. Despite the bitter cold and the freezing breeze.
At ImageBOX, in particular, you can always be sure you'll see high quality art. This is how I discovered Abby.
Abby Diamond is now presenting some pieces from her work "Finch Fight" in this space and as I entered the place, I had no idea about what I would have seen or found. The drawings on the walls, hung in a simple way, were very powerful and really well drawn. I loved the clear lines, but also the wise use of colors, and the elegance of the technique (I first thought the illustrator was a male, but very gentle!)
From her profile on Tumblr, I discover that she is "an illustrator in Pennsylvania, and these are my adventures fresh out of college. You may see a lot of birds here".
After seeing the drawings I spotted her in the crowd and sincerely congratulated with her. She is very nice and kind, but her drawings show also a strong character, precision, elegance and energy - all at the same time.
As I was walking through each piece, I was studying the lines that define the figures. There is something Japanese in these drawings, as well as something taken from the fairy tales. The over-all aesthetic reminds me of the Japanese prints of Sesshu Toyo or Kanu Eitoku, a little more complex of course. The shades of some shadows in the background, though, are very oriental, in a way.
Then there is the subject: magic animals? Enchanted woods and ponds? Dream or reality?
The precision of the illustration, botanical for the plants shown and very anatomic for the animals, clear most of the doubts: these "creatures" do come from reality, but are just presented in a different way. Reality can be magic, if you look at it from a different perspective.
Abby's work (above) and Kanu Eitoku (below)
I generally prefer simple drawings. These are very complex because made of a number of layers. Japanese prints are mainly 2D, while Abby puts a lot of details into her drawings. Nevertheless, this adds magic to the magic, because each piece, so rich in details, has the power of a story.
It's impossible to just peep at her work. You are naturally captured and you start following all the lines that, inch after inch, develop a interesting narrative. The more you look, the more you discover.
This process has a logic, easily followable, that gives you the pleasure to look at Abby's work. It's easy to add a lot of detail stacking them up like crazy. There is plenty of angry artists that express their anxiety by adding details over details. But you cannot follow any narrative. That's a renounce, while Abby tells you a very precise story, magic but not impossible. She fights to tell you that story.
People were very interesting and I do hope Abby will have all the attention she deserves.
Congrats, Abby! Hope to write of you again!
check more - click here http://cargocollective.com/finchfight
contact Abby here: Finchfightillustration@gmail.com
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