Quebec native Alexandra Bastien (first posted in 2014) can spend over 40 hours on just one of her near hyper-realistic colored pencil drawings. She is currently working on an ongoing series of girls in a state of Metempsychosis, especially reincarnation. In other words, we are witnessing the moment after death where their souls move from one form to another. In Bastien’s work, this is usually an animal skull or remains. Her natural, earthy palette appears smooth, but is achieved in repeated layers which are texturized and glazed over, almost to the effect of bone meal. She is continuously inspired by the human body and its capacity to create shapes, which she composes in whimsical ways. Where some may read darkness in such macabre subject matter, she finds beauty and strength. For Bastien, these heroines represent empowered free spirits who have assumed the ability to overcome their fears. Take a look at some of her recent drawings below, courtesy of the artist.
