Drawn in colored pencil, a downy woodpecker clings to an oak tree as she searches for what might be under the bark.
Every so often, I am asked why I create realistic art when an actual photograph would not only suffice but be more efficient. I spend a lot of time working on a single artwork, and a lot of my art is based on reference photographs that I have taken. And I do recognize that all of this effort can be avoided if my satisfaction could end with the photograph or an artistic style that is looser. This does happen. Sometimes I take a photograph that I would like to keep as a photograph, or I have an idea that I would prefer to be depicted in a simpler form. Time and time again, however, I pursue the realistic route.
There is immense enjoyment to be found when creating realistic art. This enjoyment is coupled with challenge. The image that eventually forms is not only intended to be recognizable, meaning a flower looks like a flower, but it is also intended to show enough detail in order for the image look as true as possible to the original inspiration. This requires planning, skilled manipulation of media, and patience.
Detailed observation is another key requirement in order for nuances that are not obvious at first in the subject matter to be noticed and then translated through the art. When drawing a bird, my eyes travel throughout the entire reference, taking in all characteristics unique to the species and individual from the shape of the beak and different color patterns to feather arrangement and posture. I practice detailed observation with looser work, but realism has a way of increasing this concentration. Noticing hidden-in-plain-sight characteristics makes me appreciate the subject matter even more, and I feel fortunate to be privy to these characteristics.
While my art may be realistic, the same art tends to maintain its art-like appearance. Several areas exist within a given artwork where colored pencil marks are visible if one looks hard enough. In paintings, I do not try too much to disguise each and every brushstroke. I like my realistic art to look like the paintings and drawings they are while also maintaining that sense of seemingly strict reality.
My reasoning for creating realistic art is not always this conscious and will likely evolve as I continue to work in this style, but this is my answer for now. Simply put, I am drawn to it. It is a matter of taste. Working in this style is an exercise of observation that pays in a deeper understanding and appreciation. I love to search for elements in the subject matter that are often barely recognizable, becoming better acquainted with whatever or whomever I am artfully rendering. Hopefully when others see this art, they, too, notice new things with every encounter.