The monochromatic nature of charcoal on paper exploits the dramatic effects of light and darkness. She uses the silver birch tree as a metaphor for earthly concerns. To her, this botanical species a symbol of spring, light and love.
The Wood series, 2008, was the first body of charcoal drawings created by Dickens, presenting different views of a birch tree scenery. At first glance, the images appear like photographs exploring the texture of the bark, their vertical and symmetrical appearance and their hovering between lightness and darkness. She portrays a dreamlike vision of tree stems, sans foliage and no other living thing in their presence, inviting our imagination to explore the depths of a mysterious forest - a journey into the unknown -.
Dickens currently lives and works as a painter and Lecturer in Fine Art (Painting) at Lancaster University. Four charcoal drawings from the Woods series are held in the British Museum Prints & Drawings Collection.
Image: Woods III, 2008, charcoal on paper, H295 mm x W365 mm, including mount
Courtesy and ©Pip Dickens, British Museum and Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy.
#pipdickens #britishartist #charcoal #birchtrees #landscape #contemporarycharcoalartwork #finearts #britishmuseum #prints&drawings #reneepfisterartconsultancy #monochrome