This piece was created as an abstracted still life of a model skeleton, posed and standing in front of a table. The background was an old poster, gesso covered and used as a base for graphite and charcoal, though the colors poke through in spaces where the gesso was thin or had flaked off of the flexible surface. I wanted to play with texture and shape in this piece, moving away from the details of the form and focusing on capturing the overall shape and geometry that formed the skeleton. I wanted the figure to be recognizable, but just enough to separate it from a jumble of shapes. It’s something that is within every person, and yet, still abstract and unfamiliar to most, as it’s hidden beneath layers of muscle and fat. Most people only have a vague idea of the intricacy of their skeletons.