England based artist Dylan Andrews uses light and shadow to portray emotion in his drawings. His monochromatic charcoal portraits build up to a dramatic intensity that is almost surreal. Owing to the drama and atmosphere in his pieces is the use of black and white high contrast of tones. Pattern and texture is another aspect of the work that he uses to explore the emotional possibilities. The shadows on his young subjects’ extend the reality of the image beyond the page, a reflection from an object we cannot see. The shapes they produce resemble structures such as wire fences and trees, but through their ambiguity, Andrews encourages us to get lost in the mystery. Although his compositions crop in closely to the face, placing such importance on light makes it the true character of his work.
