New York, NY (PRWEB) July 28, 2012
Charcoal drawing by Gayle Madeira titled “Dan Eberle” is one of the winners of the Artists Networks Strokes of Genius 5: Best of Drawing | Composition. The drawing will appear with the other winners in the Strokes of Genius book which will be published by North Light Books in September 2013. The volume will include the work of 93 artists and will be composed of a collection of drawings executed in various dry drawing media that exemplify excellence in composition, everything from quick sketches to detailed pieces.
Gayle’s winning drawing titled “Dan Eberle” was originally commissioned by filmmaker Dan Eberle and was included in his recent award-winning independent film titled Prayer to a Vengeful God. Drawn from still photographs, Madeira created intimate black and white portraits of each of the eight main characters capturing the essence of the film roles portrayed in the artworks. Each image acts as a marker beginning a new chapter of the film. Madeiras work is further integrated into the narrative through the female lead who plays an artist whose work is actually Madeiras. In her stark portraits, Madeira conveyed the drama depicted in the film, which explores the contrast between comfortable domestic existence and the dark world of drugs, violence and murder, perhaps suggesting the fine line between the two. As a result of the artists contribution to the film, Madeira has received several private commissions, one of which was a portrait of New York financier Barbara Huduck commissioned as a gift from her husband.
An internationally recognized professional artist and dancer who grew up on a farm in Northern Virginia, Gayle Madeira explores her fascination with the physical body through both media. In the words of the artist: I am obsessed with figures and giving them the most honest representation that I can in artistic form. As a painter, she shows an exceptional attention to detail and applies techniques that distinguish her work. Her black and white charcoal portraits on gesso board, like those featured in the film possess both painterly and graphic qualities. In these highly detailed, to-scale, tightly cropped portraits, every hair and wrinkle is visible. From afar, it is possible to mistake the drawings for black and white photographs. Upon closer inspection, the lines and shading, the trace of the hand, becomes apparent. Madeira has been working in this particular medium since 2009. She is also known for her animal portraits in watercolor which she creates using a unique dry-brush technique, and in oil paint. Madeiras work has been exhibited extensively in New York City and throughout the United States.
Gayle Madeira’s website: http://www.gaylemadeira.com