Hollywood In Charcoal

Our society has always chosen particular individuals to idolize, I of course, am no exception to this characteristic. The first person I decided to draw was Marilyn Monroe. After four attempts, I had a black and white portrait and was inspired. Continuing to capture classic movie vixens I grew up watching: Ava Gardner, Jayne Mansfield, and Mae West, it was apparent a white background wouldn’t work for such women, I would choose a color background according to what that individual conveyed to me. Soon I had created my own portrait style, and would find myself always inspired by a movie or magazine cover. Five years and over two hundred portraits later, I strive to capture the people and personalities we’ve grown attachments to as a community. These stories are told through their facial expression, or in a character that they are best known for. A bright green for Jay-Z, a man whom to many represents power and money. An easier choice, an orange, for Uzo Aduba in character as ‘Crazy Eyes’. Using charcoal and pastels, you will see the faces of movies, television, and tabloids come alive.