Eyecatchers: Mark Powell

Ok, I know I posted an Eyecatchers installment yesterday, but the following just astounded me.

So, sue me! 🙂

Via Colossal, I’ve discovered the work of Mark Powell, an artist creating absolutely stunning portraits on vintage used envelopes, using only a Bic Biro pen.

Powell has a particular fascination for old, deeply wrinkled and haggard faces, and you could even say it’s a nearly morbid fascination (not many smiles here). And yet, I detect a clear empathy and compassion for his subjects, evident in the emotion you can see right below the surface or oozing out in particular facial expressions, especially via the eyes.

As a result, the work doesn’t come across as overly depressing, and some of the portraits even come ever so close to caricature, in a good way, without actually going there.

The texture and patina of the envelopes, along with the postmarks, stamps, addresses, and handwriting somehow seem fully integrated into the compositions, enhancing both the aesthetics and themes.

Do treat yourself to some time at the artist’s website, but in the meantime, here are some of my favorites: