Artist's Grasp

I have always loved capturing people, especially those unaware—the real them. Their essence. Even before I discovered... my powers. I would sketch a stranger quietly. I longed to own more than just their image, though. Two of my favourite quotes sum up why I loved it so much. While Steve McCurry said, "if you wait, people will forget the camera, and the soul will drift into view.", the late, great Oscar Wilde remarked "Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter." These words echo in my mind as I work.

I vividly remember the first time I realized my sketches held more than just an image—they captured her very being. My muse…

Once I commit their form to paper, they are mine. As I draw fine lines, the more detail and precision involved, the greater the hold I have over them. Over the years, I’ve honed my craft to a devastating degree of accuracy. My subjects in the past would survive the displacement and assume dual residency in my folder while also continuing a normal, tangible existence.

Now, those who inspire me, whom I desire to capture, have a sealed fate. Once I have sketched their likeness on my preferred Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper, they are mine—mine alone. Each stroke of my pencil tightens the invisible chains, binding them to their paper prison. I can then draw from them, at will, their intellect, vitality, whenever I need it. I am never greedy, though. Always careful to not take too much at once, as I don’t wish to attract unwanted attention to myself. You would be surprised how easy it is – people vanish without a trace every day. Those who meet my gaze live on—forever trapped, forever mine.