William Close

William Close (Massachusetts, USA)

Amazonia, 2022

graphite, color pencil, watercolor pencil, pen on paper, compiled into digital collage

18 x 24 inches

Amazonia is a compilation of original graphite, color pencil, and watercolor color pencil sketches. The drawings were done while in the field and research station on the Tiputini River in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The final work is a digital collage of all drawings. Amazonia marks the culmination of 14 days spent in the Ecuadorian Amazon, exploring both human and nonhuman communication, colors, forms, light, shadow, and the relationships weaving them together. Art is a universal language, and so, too, is the natural world. Amazonia reflects a journey of connecting to the Amazon rainforest. While not being a local, through art, empathy, and sensitivity, I was able to read and listen to the forest, the culture, the animals, the birds, and the sky.