London-based artist Ana Pallares’ work can barely be contained on canvas, let alone the page. Jammed with aggressive lines, frenetic yet fluid mark-making, and splashes of overly intense color, the cartoonish compositions unpack an unbridled sense of Rabelaisian humor. Her images are often portraits of anonymous figures haloed by electric zigs and zags, spiked with sexual candor and dark humor that read lewd at first glance; yet the text interlaced in each piece unfolds a micro-novella of narrative. Pallares proffers an air of the confessional while touching on universal subject matter in a way that invokes a slow-burn empathy.
“I started my sketchbook back in 2018 and only got back to it earlier this year,” says Pallares. “It serves as a visual diary where I can express my emotions and collect my thoughts.
It has quite a therapeutic, soothing role for me.
For me, sketches are a thing in itself. I don’t create them thinking they will eventually become proper paintings. However, if I am really happy with any of them, they might serve as an inspiration for a future work that will be created in much bigger scale and will be extremely colorful. They are all independent drawings. However, put together they create a better picture of emotional journey I am going thru.”
SKETCHBOOK PORN 