Rey Fallido 2018

Justin Earl Grant made this drawing, Rey Fallido, on paper using mixed media. The approach to mark-making here feels really immediate, like an exercise in thinking through drawing. I love how the texture and colour create a sense of depth. The red square surrounded by a hazy pink, sitting next to the heavily worked charcoal area, pulls your eye into different spaces within the picture plane. It’s all about the physicality of the medium. You can almost feel the pressure of the artist’s hand as they built up those layers of charcoal and pastel. The red line snaking down the right side is so decisive against all the smudgy grayness. It's a jolt, a reminder that even amidst chaos, there can be clarity and intention. Grant reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, especially in that sense of playful, restless energy. "Rey Fallido" isn’t trying to give you any answers; it’s more interested in asking questions and embracing the beautiful messiness of the process.