“Steep” (2017), 16 x 20 inches. All images © Ali Cavanaugh, shared with permission
Through delicate washes of peach, aqua, and smoky gray, St. Louis-based artist () renders watercolor portraits that lay her subjects’ spirits bare. “I’m continually searching for something complex in human expression,” she tells Colossal. “Curiosity, sadness, wonder, hesitation, peace, and acceptance all in one glance.”
Cavanaugh paints her dreamlike works on wet clay panels, allowing the bright backdrops to illuminate the translucent pigments. The resulting works are introspective and intimate while simultaneously harnessing the universal experience of the sublime. “I want the viewer to look at one of my portraits and say, ‘What are they thinking?,’ and also at the same time say, ‘This is so familiar and is exactly how my loved one looks at me when they are vulnerable,’” she says.
If you’re in New York, you can see Cavanaugh’s portraits through January 28 at . Otherwise, shop available originals on , and keep an eye out for future print releases on . She also shares videos chronicling her process and tutorials on some of her techniques on .
“Above,” 12 x 12 inches
“Smolder” (2017), 12 x 12 inches
“Only Once” (2015), 18 x 18 inches
“Confidante” (2017), 12 x 16 inches
“One to Listen and One to Love”
“Rest on Water” (2017), 12 x 12 inches
