"Call" – Raven Portrait – Large Scale Animal Drawing – Audubon – Durer2020

“Call” is a large-scale portrait of a raven, featuring black, white and grey hues, with touches of blue and purple. This work on paper is framed in a white box frame behind Plexiglas – 65.5 by 45.5 inches Heather Lancaster is inspired by the work of Helen Frankenthaler, Franz Kline and Albrecht Dürer. Heather Lancaster is an Atlanta native who hails from a family of artists. Growing up, conversation at home circled around composition, color theory, perspective, and line quality. Rather than photographs, she and her siblings have her mother’s drawings and paintings as primary documentation of their childhood. It seems only natural that such an atmosphere fostered a profound appreciation for art, even as a child. Heather began her own study of art and visual expression as an adolescent and continued it throughout her college years and beyond. Her awareness of and love for the beauty in nature and wildlife is evident in her sensitive, finely rendered drawings of animals and botanical elements. A Study of Ravens: Unkindnesses and Conspiracies Heather Lancaster seeks a greater understanding of the bird itself, from anatomy to behavioral characteristics she gains a familiarity with the subject she chooses to make the focus of each new body of work. With Ravens, Heather concentrates on the sheer scale and density of the figure. At the same time, she investigates the elusiveness and mystery involved with a bird possessing such a large presence, sophisticated vocabulary of nonverbal gestures, and distinctive vocal range. From a technical standpoint, Heather is drawn to details below the surface, using graphite, charcoal and India Ink in varied values to create the form and figure. From within depths of intense and saturated black hues, details emerge incrementally – a process that the viewer and artist share by time spent with each piece.