Interview with Bly Pope, whose work "Maryanna" was selected as part of the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013 exhibition. 

 

More on the Portrait Competition at http://portraitcompetition.si.edu

 

Bly Pope writes:

 

In my photorealistic drawings I try to show that the ordinary is worthy of scrutiny—that every diminutive, "missable" part of the world is alive, singular, and "holy," and that everyday moments must be appreciated with care, reverence, and gratitude. Drawing faces is a form of emotional release, exploration, and remembrance: I draw faces of friends, family, and others I've known and loved.

 

The human face is a lyrical and mysterious landscape, as infinite as a mountain range, warranting rigorous investigation and passionate awe. The intense, meditative, intimate process of working in pencil is a way of learning about my subjects, remembering and celebrating them, and acknowledging the entropy and frailty of my own life.

 

Maryanna is a drawing of my grandmother when she was ninety years old, made a year before she passed away. It represents unconventional beauty, as well as nobility and defiance in the face of mortality. 

 

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"Maryanna" / Bly Pope / Graphite and ink on illustration board, 2011 / Collection of the artist

 

Music: "Budding" by Broke for Free: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Gold_Can_Stay/Broke_For_Free_-_Gold_Can_Stay_-_01_Budding

 

https://soundcloud.com/broke-for-free

 

Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) License.