The curiosity in his eyes held some distant recognition. Why was this stranger in his village? He is an elder in my father land. Meeting me was just a moment in his long life but I will remember our encounter forever.
This piece is among my most treasured drawings because of its connection with my family. It was drawn from a photograph I took of an old man in my dad’s family village in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. In the first layer of coloured pastels I celebrated the patterned textiles of the area. These come through in subtle yellow highlights. Then a top layer of black charcoal creates the deep expanse in to which I worked. Using a reverse drawing technique I developed in art college, I rubbed back through the layers to create the folds of the sarong and the textures in his skin and hair. Careful attention was given to recreating the expression on his face. This piece took around 18 hours of slow, careful observation to create.
Soft pastel and charcoal on paper.
300 dpi
