Detail of Headdress, 2009



Headdress, 2008
 
These drawings explore a representation of nature through artifice.
They are drawn from a headdress made by the artist Jane Wildgoose that is worn each year on Mayday at the Jack in the Green festival, Hastings. It was through participation in this yearly parade with Wildgoose that Eleanor discovered the figure of the green man. The theme of the personification of nature has become central to her practice.
The headdress represents the point in the cycle of the year when spring sends forth its growth, uncontrolled and unapologetic. There is also reference to decay in the form of the birds scull. This indicates the 'flip side' or end of the cycle of the year.

The drawings reflect a celebration of nature that is one step removed from the subject itself.



Headdress II, 2008

Eleanor uses fine line black pen, typically 0.4 in thickness. Form is described with precise and expressive gestures in line and a crosshatch technique. The relationship between positive and negative space is important in these works and creates a balance point within the compositions.


 

Headdress III, 2009
 
All images copyright Eleanor Pearce, no copies of the digital images or text may be made without the artist's consent.