Dennis Angel

My drawings are all originals, created exclusively with razor sharp colored pencils. The delicate luminosity in my work is achieved by carefully applying and blending many layers of color on a smooth hot-press rag museum paper. My drawings are done from direct observation allowing me to scrutinize and capture the nuances of the complex still life setups I have arranged in my studio. Because of the detail inherent to my process, many of my drawings can take over 100 hours to complete. All of my imagery is built on an "Art within Art" concept, so my still life setups always incorporate a reference to a master work from the past. These works are done by artists that I studied while in art school or perhaps have seen in museum exhibitions. What objects or fabric should be used with a masterwork? How should they be arranged? What type of lighting and shadow structure is appropriate? This challenging puzzle is what fascinates me as I engage in a complex collaboration with artists that I have long admired.