Chris Ray and Robert Gorder – Realism Art Exhibition

2014 Realism Art Exhibition – MyArtContest.com

Robert Gorder – Baraboo, WI

My Charcoal Process is a negative approach.

Drawing with an Eraser instead of a Pencil.
My personal approach to creating a charcoal drawing is a process of coloring the paper full of black charcoal and then erasing the image out of the black.
I currently use about 7 different erasers including white, gum, and kneaded.  The image starts out as mostly black after I rub charcoal on the white paper. Then the background is created using a kneaded eraser.  After that the image is roughly sketched with a sharp eraser.  Once I feel the image is proportioned correctly and the scale is good the image is detailed even further.  After about the 3rd round of sketching it is time to create dimension with my fingers, assortment of blending tools, and charcoal.  I give the image a final once over highlighting the black with a charcoal pencil and erasing the light areas.   Then the magic happens in the final stage where white is added to the most highlighted areas.  This creates a wide range of light and dark that makes the image realistic as a photo but yet being hand drawn with an eraser.

Chris Ray – Mill Spring, NC

I was born in Historic Flat Rock, NC.  My father was the author of a published, historical book and my mother was a photographer and writer for the local newspaper.  It was the influence from the talent of both parents that led to my interest and desire to evolve into the artistic world. Most of my work is drawing, but I have been doing mixed media and metal sculpting, as well.  I find my preferred  medium is charcoal, but graphite, conte, colored pencil and acrylics are also used in my work. My purpose is to express my personal perspective of each subject I draw.  Having grown up in a historical area, I have always been intrigued by the local architecture.  Each structure or subject seems to have a personality of its own.  I feel it  is my purpose to bring that characteristic to life and present it onto paper or canvas. I believe art should have educational purposes, but I also hold to the belief that each piece created should speak to individuals in a personal and spiritual way.  After viewing a work of art, a person should come away with a sense of  having been elevated to a place higher and greater than when they first arrived.