Marla Fasano is an artist living and working in the Hudson Valley of New York. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a B.F.A in Fine Arts, concentrating in drawing and painting. Her intricate drawings focus on the natural world meets fairy tale in the woodland setting of her home, which she shares with her husband, wild children and feral cats.
Artist Statement
My drawings begin with detailed observations from nature and inspiration from fairy tales. I enjoy using arcane tools such as silverpoint which was often used as a drawing tool before graphite was invented. It was used primarily before and during the Renaissance and required great skill since the drawings could not be erased or modified easily. Unlike graphite there isn’t the ability to smudge or soften the lines, each mark is distinct. The physical process of drawing in a precious metal offers both precision and the ghost-like atmosphere I produce in my work.
This duality is part of a visual language where I am able to process my own experiences in the world– to explore the space between dream and waking, between impression and clarity, between our everyday lives and the over-looked natural world happening around us all the time. The ethereal quality of intricately layering marks in metalpoint lends itself particularly well to this as it acts as a living drawing while it tarnishes and reflects the light. Silverpoint quietly asks the viewer to step closer, take a deeper look, and enter this world where predators are kissed with beauty and revered for their darkness.
