Band 3/4 Response 1
Expressions of Happiness is a series of coherent drawings in pastel, dry point etching, ink and wash using four portrait studies as a departure point. The focus of the work is a simple concept of how facial expressions and colour convey a sense of vitality and happiness. The line work is joyous, expressive and fluid, sometimes verging on being overworked. Simple variations of colour enhance the exuberant quality of the line. Thin pastel blending has been used with line to suggest form in the torsos. There is little variation and little sense of development of technical skills or exploration of representation across the body of work. The dry point engravings have the same happy attractiveness as the ink and wash works, but little sense of the potential of a different expressive form. The torsos represent an opening up of the conceptual focus of the work, but lack the expressive verve of the faces.
