Surrounded in Shade
There’s a quiet softness to the silver dusted drawings of Summer Aldis. The Brisbane, Australia -based graphite realist carves out peaceful spaces in a crowded world, where intimate zones of comfort and ease are less contested and more embraced as places to process. When Aldis lays down each mark and etching, the chaotic thoughts and emotions of everyday life also lay down to rest in the shaded paper. In the calm of the shadows they become presentable as themes and ideas we as viewers can help untangle. For even in the serenity of Summer Aldis’ monochromatic sanctuaries, issues of connection and mental wellbeing reside front and center. We have artists like Summer Aldis to thank for crafting spaces for us to navigate those worlds freely and as we please.
Part One: Who is Summer Aldis?
Question #1: Who are you?
My name is Summer. I’m a 23-year-old emerging artist hailing from Brisbane, Australia.
Question #2: Who are you as an artist?
I work almost exclusively with graphite and charcoal to render drawings with photorealistic accuracy. I’ve been drawing for most of my life, however, it wasn’t until last year that I began to take my work a little more seriously. In the last few months, I’ve really started to push my chosen medium and challenge the validity of drawing, rather than painting, as a professional artistic pursuit.
Question #3: What do you think about while creating?
The process of graphite realism drawing is very slow. For me, it creates a meditative space to reflect on the subtle themes present in the work, allowing me time to process the inner turmoil that often leads me to start a new drawing in the first place.
Question #4: What is something you wish someone had told you at some point in your life?
There is never a right time. You will never feel ready. There is always the possibility that something will go wrong, or that despite your best intentions, things don’t work out. Do the thing anyway. Better to have tried and failed than to live with not knowing.
Question #5: Why do you need art your life?
Art is a vehicle for me to express my experiences and associated emotions in ways that cannot be articulated with words.
Question #6: Is your artwork for yourself or for others?
I see my art as a mirror. My contemplations, difficulties and vulnerabilities are embedded into the meaning of each piece, but it’s my hope that in witnessing my humanity, the viewer, in turn, empathically connects to theirs.
Question #7: What is your escape?
A long drive with nowhere to go, holding hands with my lover.
Part Two:
How would you describe your work and practice?
My work explores themes of human connection and mental health to better understand the intricate relationship they share. Monochromatic realism provides a quiet visual space to contemplate the themes presented. Each work starts with a photoshoot to capture the details I require for photorealism. I then shortlist the images that resonate with me, edit them, and sketch them on paper. I used to be incredibly loyal to the photo reference, but more recently I’ve felt a new artistic freedom to alter the photo to better suit my purpose in the drawing process.
Companion explores themes of friendship and connection. The sentiment that fate is a fabric of threads connecting us to pivotal relationships throughout our lives informs the binding of the two figures. Lying in comfortable stillness, the figures evoke a sense of peace and companionship experienced in only the truest relations.
This piece speaks to moments of comparison, aspiration, and disconnection as perpetuated by our little devices. It questions the role of technology in our human connections, and begs the question: does it increase, or diminish, their quality?
A sister piece to ‘the space between who I am and who I’d like to be’. It explores lost intimacy and connection with those we love and have loved in both the physical and digital space.
| Where/ How can Vacant Museum viewers see more of your work and where can they purchase it? |
| Find me on Instagram at @bysummeraldis. Please DM me there for any purchase inquires. |