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We would like to congratulate an honorable mention of the People and Portraits competition, Neal McDannel. Below are the images he submitted. To view them in detail, click an image below. Also, take a moment to learn a little bit about Neal by reading his statement below.



In my portraiture work I like to deal with the human psyche. Faces are excellent communicators and illustrate subtle forms of expression. A finished piece can clearly convey to us something very specific while at other times allowing us room for interpretation and I like that. Photography has always taken an important role in my work. Pictures have been used as a means to flush out ideas. I also appreciate how photographs abstract reality.

When I get down to drawing, as work progresses, I continually reassess the work. This process usually leads to subtle or major changes which bring about the finished piece. I am not beyond manipulating formal elements in an attempt to make the mundane, provocative. My goal is to enhance our appreciation of the everyday and the common in life.

The Highway to Heaven series is a good example of this. The subject of ramps and bridges appealed to me because they contain a number of strong compositional elements. The ramps recede and project, glide under and swoop over, and they do it all with striking variety. These scenes were created with photo assemblages. My drawings bring out elements and possibilities that are not truly realized in the originally referenced photo. Photographs also provide me with a high degree of visual information not available in a life study and it allows me to draw from views that are only maintainable for moments. Thus photography offers me perspectives I would not have access to under normal conditions.

As for Lithographic work I love the process and how it changes the image. The blacks are blacker and the whites seem whiter. Thematically this makes for a more dramatic image.

Website: http://nealmcdannel.weebly.com