Smolder I

A noted printmaker and draftsman, Diane Victor is constantly experimenting with process to astounding ends. Her smoke drawings embody her innovative and challenging approach. She began producing them in 2005, experimenting with drawing with a burning candle. She sits beneath a tilted piece of paper, and moves the candle quickly and skillfully to mark the sheet with tiny bits of carbon dust. She describes the body of work as a memorial project; the subjects of her portraits are victims of violent crime, missing children, homeless men and women with HIV. Working from photographs, she creates ghost-like images in which the imprecise smoke marks produce haunting effects and emphasize the sitters' vulnerability and ephemerality.