Angelina Morison
St Luke's Grammar School
INEXTRICABLE
Drawing
Coloured pencil on paper
My body of work, Inextricable, represents the fulfilment found in familial bonds. Developing the concept during the coronavirus pandemic, I was influenced by recognising the importance of family during times of uncertainty. As a twin, my intent was to explore the dynamic connection twins share. The concertina display means the work can be viewed from each side to see us growing as individuals. While many twins strive for individuality, I treasure the power of shared experiences in shaping our complementary personalities. Although we have time apart, the seamless linking of these drawings from a front-on perspective expresses our inextricable ties.
Marker's Commentary
Inextricable explores the life journey of twin sisters, the undefinable physical, social and phycological links that exist between them. The highly skilled realism and sensitive manipulation of coloured pencil creates subtle tonal modulations representing the complex textural qualities of surfaces in the skin, hair and clothing, with subtle inclusion of white pen to provide highlights in areas of features within the portraits. These drawings display a willingness to build up rich layers of marks combined with areas of knowing restraint, evident in the background and edges of each work.
This body of work is informed by intense observation and a deep knowledge of underlying facial structure. The lifelike representation and the presentation in a concertina format heighten the audiences’ experience of the duality of likeness and difference in the sisters. The selection of a soft warm ground with the coloured pencil, to execute the snapshot images of the subjects through different stages of life, pulls the audience into their world and reveals aspects of their personalities. Inextricable plays with ideas of the ordinary and the extraordinary in our familiar relationships.