Caitlin Beer
Albion Park High School
BORROWED TIME
Drawing
Coloured pencils on paper
My body of work investigates the experience of having a chronically ill family member and the way it affects not only the patient but the people around them. It represents an experience that is rarely shared or talked about. I was inspired by my own personal experiences relating to my dad who suffers from numerous health conditions, including two heart transplants and a kidney transplant. My intention in making my drawings confronting was to examine my family’s hidden struggles and invite the audience to imagine their own loved one in a similar scenario.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist Frida Kahlo.
Marker's Commentary
Borrowed Time is a highly charged body of work and an emotive depiction of a medical procedure in action. Using an effective and restricted colour palette, the coloured pencil has been manipulated in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, representing and documenting the detailed proportions of the hands, heart and medical implements. The implied textural qualities of the human heart, wet and sticky blood, doctors’ uniform and intense overhanging light illuminating the tops of the heads and hands of the doctors in action are all faithfully rendered with sensitivity. Varied and closely cropped compositions have been carefully considered, including the clock which heightens the intensity of the drama unfolding and brings the audience into the medical operating theatre.
The inclusion of a human transplant bag, crocheted heart and 3D printed ice cubes as sculptural elements heightens the relationship with the images documenting the significance of the transplant procedure. The realism portrayed through the pencil work, amplifying the glare of the surgical lighting brings a heightened sense of realism and drama. This highly successful and carefully curated body of work demonstrates outstanding technical proficiency in a series of true-to-life drawings that are visually arresting and invite reflective contemplation.