Helen Gotlib

I like to work with figures and the natural environment because it is a language everyone can understand. Certain expressions and gestures are universal and people can easily relate to them. With all of my work, I strive to delve below the surface to see what is actually going on within a subject and bring this feeling out in my pieces. Research indicates that words alone are a very small portion of the communication we do. Nonverbal ways in which people express themselves account for the majority of communication. This revelation has sparked my interest in nonverbal expression.When I start working on a piece, I attend numerous drawing sessions with live models. I feel it is much easier to work from the real thing rather than a photograph. I also work with still-life in the field as well as in my studio were I watch their movement over a period of days or at times even months.I use wet and dry mediums both additively and subtractively in order to create weathered, atmospheric images of people and plants. Once I have captured the essence of the subject I continue working the piece independently of the model using a variety of unconventional techniques. Layers of ink followed by layers of gouache are often rubbed away using a scrubber brush to generate atmospheric effects. In other cases I will spray my drawings with a vigorous jet of water from the garden house to create liquid effects.