Robin Lauersdorf

Artist Statement
Robin Lauersdorf
Graphite Pencil Drawing

My graphite pencil drawings demonstrate that the pencil can be so much more than just a sketching tool. The pencil can be the medium for works of art.

Often, artists use pencil sketches to work out their ideas before beginning a piece. In a sketch, an artist can play with design and value, loosely drawing their vision again and again until they are finally pleased with how they have translated it to the page. But what happens when an artist decides that they would like to pursue the pencil to its ultimate end, to turn the sketch itself into a work of art?

Drawing is illustrating what one sees. First, an artist must learn how to see well. Then, an artist must learn how to reproduce what they see. My ability to reproduce the nuances of the world around me gives life to my drawings, imbuing them with an almost photographic quality. To obtain this level of detail, I often spend months on a single drawing.

I aspire not only to obtain this level of detail in my drawings, but also to marry reality and imagination. Since childhood, I have been captivated by M.C. Escher’s use of illusion— how many of Escher’s works seem to morph from black and white images into three dimensional objects. In my own work, I create the illusion of the impossible, playfully asking my viewers to challenge their expectations. In 2017, I was honored to have my work shown alongside Escher’s in an exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, where I served as artist in residence.