Violet Astor
Violet is an emerging UK based artist. She produces bold, large-scale charcoal drawings of wildlife, which fill the page to create powerful and compelling pieces. Violet loves using charcoal because of its versatility, allowing for a range of textures that produce great detail and range of tone.
She delves into the minute detail of every line, crease or hair to capture the true essence of the animal. The magic for her is then standing back and watching these magnificent creatures slowly come to life; always amazed by the stories each line holds in bringing the piece together as a whole. Her meticulous attention to detail means each drawing takes many months to complete, resulting in unique and potent pieces that jump off the page.
Violet is a self-taught artist who has always loved nature and became especially inspired by wild animals while working in a nature reserve in the Indian jungle. She discovered drawing during the years she was chronically ill with Lymes disease, when it became a therapeutic medium for healing.
Violet is now able to combine her love of travel and wildlife to truly capture the essence of her subjects. She hopes that this raw and honest expression allows the animals to speak for themselves, drawing attention to their inherent majesty as well as the importance of ensuring their survival within increasingly challenging environments.
- ‘Texas Horned Lizard’ is from a series of charcoal endangered wildlife drawings. Violet uses an intricate technique on a large scale focusing especially on her subject’s innate characters. Here she captures the minute intricacies that make up this charming yet impressive lizard.Violet was drawn to this lizard in particular due to its only reaching 69mm long and its ability to squirt an aimed stream of blood from their eyes for up to 1.5 meters to defend themselves.The Texas Horned Lizard is affectionately known as ‘Horny Toad’ and the Native American people regard them as sacred. Sadly the species is in decline due to overuse of pesticides.Description: charcoal drawing Size: 85cm x 75cm