Souls of Lost Faces, 2015
Dimensions: 18 in x 24 in
Paper: 1557 Drawing,
90lb/147g, Classic Cream, Medium Tooth
Materials: #005 (0.20mm),
#01 (0.25mm), #05 (0.45mm), #08 (0.50mm) Sakura Pigma Micron Pen – Chemically
stable, waterproof, and fade resistant
Title:
Rapacious Desire, 2017
Dimensions:
18 in x 24 in
Paper:
1557 Drawing, 90lb/147g, Classic Cream, Medium Tooth
Materials:
#005 (0.20mm), #01 (0.25mm), #05 (0.45mm), #08 (0.50mm) Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
– Chemically stable, waterproof, and fade resistant
Schoessow on her latest piece, Rapacious Desire:
Three months ago, I started a new piece. So far I am 150 hours into it,
with an expected 30-50 left to go until completion. The main concept being
portrayed in this new piece is human greed and how we impede on the world
natural around us. The image is extremely detailed; your eye starts at
the bottom of the piece with underground sediment, working its way up through a
lively cluster of plants and wildlife. In the middle/top of the piece is where
you find a human hand with very long fingers reaching down into the wild patch
of nature, disrupting the small ecosystem. I am very excited about this piece
in specific; it doesn’t let your eye rest as much as my other work. It is my
largest work thus far, filling the entire 18 in x 24 in with barely any white
space for the eye to recover.
About the artist:
My name is Alexis
Nicole Schoessow (born 8 July, 1993, in Baltimore, Maryland) and I am a micron
pen & ink artist noted for my ability to interlace realistic/natural world
elements with dream-world concepts through intricately detailed works. I attended Bowling Green State University for
my undergraduate degree and achieved Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology and minor
in Environmental Studies in Spring 2015. I am
currently living in Columbus, Ohio working as a model for Found Model
Management and part-time at REI Co-op.
I am very passionate
about getting the message out there that we must do something as humans to
protect our environments and ecosystems. My hope is to convey some of the
damage we do visually, in a way that humans can comprehend. For example, the
image of the octopus in the invisible box is an environmental statement; human
pollution is filling our oceans and trapping ocean-life within toxic boundaries.
These boundaries may be invisible to us
(out-of-sight, out-of-mind) however it is damaging the ocean ecosystems and is
extremely detrimental to the wildlife.
On discovering art:
In an ever-chaotic
world, I find sanity from the practice of pen and ink illustration. For me, art
is therapy—and the most exhilarating form of therapy a human can experience.
The sound the pen makes as it dances across the paper, the precision factored
into each hand stroke, the contrast which occurs between the black ink and
white paper, and of course the final image hatched from the entirety of the
process. At a young age I suffered from anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder triggered by grave life events. Discovering the harsh realities of
life at young age made an impression on my creative mind.
My creative soul
blossomed due to the dedication and compassion of my mother, Grace Schoessow,
an exceptional artist in the majority of mediums. Since birth I have had my
hands in paint and participated in countless crafts thanks to her enthusiasm of
the arts. A lively forest surrounded my childhood home in Sidney, Ohio. During
my adolescent age I spent my pass time primarily outdoors while drawing,
painting, and crafting; influencing natural world illustrations. My days were
spent outdoors with my siblings in the woods adventuring, rescuing/rehabilitating wild orphan/injured animals and building
forts.
A close family friend
and extraordinary artist, Alex Ross, introduced me to pen and ink illustration
at the age of 17. Awed by his artwork, Alex must have seen the eager glow of
wonder in my eyes. He so graciously supplied me with the essentials to
experiment with ink. From that moment on, I was hooked on pen and ink.
I discovered my true
artistic talent and furthered my knowledge of pen and ink while attending
Bowling Green State University. I attended the University as a Sociology Major
with a minor in Environmental Studies and graduated within three years. My
final year I courageously brought my portfolio to Brandon Briggs, a professor
who was proclaimed to be the most challenging in the department, and asked to
participate in his senior-level Drawing Concepts course. Professor Briggs
helped me develop my style and encouraged me to dive deeper, inviting personality
to each piece. I began intertwining realistic/natural world elements with
dream-world concepts. This allowed me to create a theory, a world of my own, a
place in which my creative perception governs.
My artwork mimicked my
growth throughout time. I developed a fascination with detail; every mark has a
meaning behind it. I take pleasure in the wholesome contrast of using solely
black ink on a white canvas. This concept allows the audience to take my
design and enter their own world through the image—as a portal—using their own
color palette within the imagination to dive deeper. I provide a
considerate amount of white space around my detailed images for the eye to rest
and rejuvenate. The tedious detail is not intended to devastate the mind, but rather
silence while immersing into an alternative mental state. The intricate detail
requires spectators to physically gravitate closer to the work. Each piece of
work within my portfolio holds meaningful hours of mental and emotional
self-therapy.
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