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    Tarka Kings Renders Intimate Portraits of a Morning Routine in Graphite and Colored Pencil

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    “The Changing Room III” (2025), graphite and colored pencil on Arches paper, 34.5 x 28.5 centimeters. Photo by Matthew Hollow. All images courtesy of the artist and Offer Waterman, shared with permission

    Tarka Kings Renders Intimate Portraits of a Morning Routine in Graphite and Colored Pencil

    October 28, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Along Britain’s sea coasts, an iconic summertime scene unfolds in outdoor pools known as lidos, where the swimming area is often built right into the beach. Some are more developed with fresh water, chlorinated like indoor pools, while others may be less formal, with the tides pushing saltwater over low walls.

    The tradition is closely related to another beloved pastime, “wild swimming,” where enthusiasts take a dip in lakes, rivers, and seashores. It’s often social, further benefiting people’s mental and physical wellbeing, and wild swimming clubs have become increasingly popular. For British artist Tarka Kings, the routine of these timeless recreational attractions lays the groundwork for a series of intimate drawings.

    “Swans” (2024), graphite and colored pencil on gesso panel, 26 x 26 centimeters. Photo by Matthew Hollow

    Mornings at the Lido, the artist’s recent solo exhibition at Offer Waterman, highlights Kings’ use of graphite and colored pencil to create quiet, pensive, and relatable compositions. From getting dressed in a changing room to sitting at a cafe along the Serpentine lake in London’s Hyde Park, which features its own lido, King observes everyday yet transitional moments between interior and exterior, action and stillness, and community and solitude.

    Since 2008, Kings has worked almost exclusively with graphite and colored pencil. Her pieces pull from experience, with the addition of models and photographic references, as the artist swims almost daily and looks over the River Thames from her studio. “Kings’ relationship with water, and its dynamic within the city of London, is an integral part of her work,” the gallery says.

    Follow updates on the artist’s Instagram.

    Detail of “The Changing Room III”

    “Bath Mat II” (2024), graphite and colored pencil on gesso panel, 41 x 51 centimeters. Photo by Matthew Hollow

    “By the Lake” (2025), graphite and colored pencil on Arches paper, 67 x 102 centimeters. Photo by Matthew Hollow

    “Red Flag” (2025), graphite and colored pencil on Arches paper, 66 x 95 centimeters. Photo by Prudence Cuming Associates

    “The Changing Room IV” (2025), graphite and colored pencil on Arches paper, 34.5 x 28.5 centimeters. Photo by Matthew Hollow

    Detail of “Swans”

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      Wondrous and Mischievous Misfits Populate Rhea Mack’s Bubblegum Daydreams

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      All images courtesy of Rhea Mack, shared with permission

      Wondrous and Mischievous Misfits Populate Rhea Mack’s Bubblegum Daydreams

      April 4, 2025

      ArtIllustration

      Grace Ebert

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      On candy-colored paper, Rhea Mack draws a world in which all misfits are welcome. The Massachusetts-based artist lovingly renders curious characters with three heads, flowers growing from their palms, or a penchant for plump, strawberry hats.

      Mack has a soft spot for these strange oddballs who develop organically, often springing from her Sunday morning sessions seemingly on their own accord. “I usually start drawing, and they just kind of develop over a few hours. I sometimes have a certain feeling or pose in mind, but mostly I am just making it up as I go,” she says.

      This intuitive, accommodating attitude influences much of her process, including the decision to draw on pink paper simply “because it made sense,” she says. Mack chooses other materials similarly. “The colored pencil pinks I use in my drawings are very buttery and just feel nice to draw with,” she adds.

      As if emerging from a favorite fairytale—creating a children’s book is on Mack’s mind—the drawings twist common plants and animals like dogs and daisies into surreal fantasies. Each is packed with small moments of intrigue and playful patterns like stripes and dots.

      In one work, for example, a full human skeleton and dozens of single eyes float from a figure’s gaze, while a pink pup leaps overhead. Another features a quintet bound by a rainbow dress, their bulbous, beige coifs fused together like the clouds above.

      Mack’s solo exhibition Massachusetts Dreaming opens next week at Kyst Gallery in Dragor, Denmark, and is on view through May 8. Find prints in her shop, and follow her work on Instagram. (via WePresent)

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    • 88 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Tran Nguyen’s Ethereal Portraits Portray Melancholy Moments

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      All images © Tran Nguyen, shared with permission

      Tran Nguyen’s Ethereal Portraits Portray Melancholy Moments

      September 12, 2024

      Art Illustration

      Jackie Andres

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      In Tran Nguyen’s portraits, spirited subjects coexist with ethereal environments. “I’ve always enjoyed themes revolving around melancholy, the female figure, and species found in nature,” she says.

      Whimsically walking alongside praying mantises, embracing a tiger in a suit, or encircled by swans, each character is presented with delicate detail, down to their flowing tendrils of hair and gossamer garments. This daintiness lends itself to the compelling air of fantasy that characterizes Nguyen’s style.

      After working on large-scale murals for some time, the Georgia-based artist mainly uses acrylic paint and colored pencils. On heavyweight watercolor paper, light washes of acrylic block in initial fields of color and precede layers of paint to create value. Colored pencils execute final details, like refining darker values.

      Though she loves working with traditional materials, Nguyen is also creating a new apparel line. Check out her website and Instagram for updates.

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