Mario Esteves
Artist Statement
Observation of a place and its contents is essential for me to attempt to record its fleeting presence and meaning. I usually draw daily on location; I observe, register and assimilate the form of what I see. I seat down, kneel or stand until I am satisfied with what I have done. Drawing after drawing I build an ongoing visual diary of a place preserving each day’s experience. Like John Virtue my methods are similar, I became customised with the form of the subjects, the lines and the shapes become more fluid and less fragmented. Drawing on the spot fixes a structure for the size, shape and caracheter of the elements within my field of vision. It creates a framework, which supports an expressive tonal chiaroscuro. Perspective proportion and tone also become harmonised with etched lines and overworked dramatic contrast of white and black the narrative emerges. Memory and imagination also now becoming implicated; it’s like riding a bicycle the more you do it the easier it becomes not to fall. They are references, as points of departure for a process of an ongoing documentation of a reaction and reflection a summary and effect of an experiential action.
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