by Drew MartinMost people, myself included, do not actually know how to draw feelings and emotions. Perhaps abstract painting is best suited for this pursuit because figures, facial expressions and situational narratives typically drive an image towards obvious external interpretations.
The artist Claudia Ahlering, however, really challenges this notion. Her work recently caught my eye: a series of back-of-the-head portraits reminded me of Study of Lilia (1887) by Carolus-Duran. These portraits are her most sober work. Her larger, full-body and detailed paintings are looser and shift between realism and expressionism with dabs of color. They show me an artist with a rich soul but what I find most fascinating and revealing are her ink drawings. They are graphic; sometimes scatological, often very sexual.
Ahlering's imagination is ripe and her drawings move beyond a simply surreal realm into a purely emotional landscape.
