As a painter, I am attracted to the Renaissance technique of chiaroscuro, strong contrasts in illumination between light and dark areas. Black velvet enhances this effect and also provides textural features you can not get on canvas. When I started studying black velvet painting, I came across paintings by Edgar Leeteg. They completely changed my perception of velvet art because I was used to matadors, big-eyed children and Elvis. Leeteg did mostly portraits of Tahitian people using chiaroscuro with stunning effect. In my work, I am trying to change people's...more
