Figures and Metaphorests by Mabrie Ormes

“The opportunity to draw from the live model is one of Ashland’s special offerings to the visual artist. In my case, I began making the leaf papers about 8 years ago. It took moving to Ashland in 2009 to inspire me to draw on those papers in artist-run sessions featuring the nude model. It was a Eureka! moment. There is something ineffable about the congruence of drawn nude with leaf paper in the way it expresses our humanity as part of Nature.

Paintings here that do not include a figure are made on thick art papers that will take a lot of paint. My intention is to evoke landscape from close up. Rhythmic patterns assail the eye in dense forests of leaves: hence, Metaphorests.