The Human Figure: Art by Michael Lightsey
Michael Lightsey is originally from Ohio and now lives and works in Los Angeles. The artist works in a range of media from photography to painting and drawing. Michael’s current body of work focuses on the human figure, rendering it in many iterations and in varying styles.
Soul Vestige 233, digital giclee print
I’m really impressed by Michael’s most recent pencil portraits. Drawn in black and white, these images showcase the finest details of their subjects’ faces, with on-point features that deliver lively expressions. I find the way that Michael wields his pencil reminiscent of the ink drawings of Kamwei Fong – the texture of hair and fur is built up with multitudes of visibly individual pencil or graphite marks.
Michael's art website, Lightsey Fine Arts
In other areas of his portfolio, Michael takes a more abstracted approach. I enjoy his Soul Vestige series of photographs. These images are ostensibly close-up photographs of cracks and anomalies in pavement around Los Angeles, but removed from their context take on a new, purely formal meaning.
