Pink man in box

01 Set Pink man in box

Good evening my dear friend Henri,

I hope all is well, it’s been a while since I last wrote to you, unfortunately I had to take care of finding a new place to stay because the last one was too expensive and I had to sacrifice my time for it. Only now with the coming of darkness can I relax and explain my latest painting to you.

Hey! So, I finally finished that drawing I was telling you about: “Pink Man in Box“. It’s part of this series I’m working on called “Communication in a Box”. The idea focuses on how I feel right now, which is caged, oppressed, limited, trapped in a box that’s getting tighter and tighter as time goes by.

First of all the title: Pink man in box

As always I will divide this letter of mine into paragraphs so you can read it more easily.

1. Objective description of the drawing.
2. Reason that encouraged me to paint this drawing.
3. Message conveyed by the work.
4. The technique used to create the work.
5. Personal final criticism.

1) Objective description of the  drawing.

Alright, let me try to paint a picture of it for you. The drawing shows a person – well, more like a man – crouched down in this small, cramped space. The guy looks like he’s doing everything he can to avoid being crushed by the ceiling, which is kind of like the high edge of the paper itself. His face? You can almost feel the pain and frustration. You know, that look when you’re stuck somewhere you really don’t want to be? His legs are bent up against his chest, adding to that whole feeling of being squeezed into a space that’s way too tight. It’s almost like he’s frozen right at the moment before something big happens, but you don’t know what. The colors play a big part too – I went with this bold pink for the figure, which is totally jarring against the green background. And there’s this thick black outline around him, sort of separating him from everything else, like he’s in his own bubble or cage. That line also adds a kind of tension, making the contrast even stronger. I wanted it to feel like he’s really there, trapped and defined by that black border.

2) Reason that encouraged me to paint this drawing.

So, why did I even decide to draw this? Honestly, it’s how I’ve been feeling lately. Like I’m stuck in a box – in my mind, in my body, in my daily life. It’s this constant feeling of trying to find a way out, a way to breathe again, to actually live again. But instead, I feel like I’m just stuck in this tiny, cramped space with no room to move. I think it’s a common feeling these days, don’t you? We live in a world where there’s all this pressure to conform, to follow the herd, and to stay on the path that someone else has chosen for us. It feels like we’re constantly being told what to do, how to feel, and who to be. And if you don’t fit into that mold, it can feel like the walls are closing in on you. That’s what inspired me to put this feeling on paper.

3) Message conveyed by the work.

I wanted to get across this idea that life can sometimes feel way too tight, like there’s no room to really stretch out and breathe. Even with all the technology and supposed “connections” we have today, I feel like we’re actually more isolated than ever. I mean, think about it: we’re all plugged into our devices, always online, but somehow real human contact is getting harder to come by. It’s weird, right? We’re more connected to the world, but at the same time, we’re each alone in our own little boxes, dealing with our own problems. It’s like there’s this constant tension between what’s in our heads and what’s out there in the world. Some of us are always teetering on the edge of a mental short circuit, stuck in this back-and-forth between logic and imagination.

4) The technique used to create the work.

Now, about the technique I used – I went with oil pastels for this one, mixing them with strong strokes of charcoal. The charcoal adds this rough, raw texture that I think adds to the feeling of frustration and constraint. The drawing itself is pretty small, just 12.9 x 9.4 inches. I chose that size partly because, let’s face it, time is limited, and I can only dedicate so much to this passion of mine right now. But also, it’s kind of a challenge to myself. Working on such a small surface with thick-tipped wax pastels really forces me to simplify and focus on the essentials – it’s tough to get into the details, but maybe that’s the point. It’s like the struggle of the “Pink Man” trying to find space in a small, cramped box.

5) Personal final criticism

Alright, let’s be real here – time for a little self-critique. I’m still pretty new to this whole exploration of human nature thing, and it shows in the drawing. There are definitely limits in my technique; it’s a bit too flat, to be honest. I was going for something more dynamic, something that would really hit you with that feeling of oppression, something that would make you stop and think. But I don’t think I quite got there. The contrast between the pink and green definitely makes the drawing pop, and I think it creates some interesting tension, but it’s still modest in its impact. That said, I do think there’s a certain vibrancy to it. The clash of those two colors is kind of like a visual representation of the struggle – they don’t quite belong together, but they’re stuck in the same space, just like the figure in the drawing.

So yeah, it’s far from perfect, but I’m excited about where this is going. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface of what I want to express. There’s so much more to explore in terms of the emotional depth and the techniques I can use to convey that. It’s a work in progress, but hey, that’s what makes it fun, right? Art is all about the journey, and I’m just getting started on mine. Thanks for listening to me ramble about this, and I’d love to hear what you think!