Softly

2022

12” x 18”

Colored pencil and thread on two layers of very thin paper

Tasked to represent one adverb as specifically as possible to an audience that did not know what it was, I was given “softly.” So, I tried to make every aspect of this piece soft, delicate, and intimate. This includes not only the gentle subject matter, but pastel color choices, the subtle gradations used to render it, the ovular composition, lacking any sharp corners, and the substrate itself, a fabric-like transparent paper that was hand-sewn around the edges to add another layer of care. When displayed vertically, the thin material would sway and flutter with any shifts in the surrounding air as well.