A Silent Crescendo is the fourth work in the Shattered Vanity series and one of the largest drawings I’ve produced to date, measuring 660 x 990mm. Completed over 73 hours using Copic markers, the piece pushes both scale and technical intensity within the series.
Shattered Vanity explores high-fashion portraiture that has been physically bent, folded and crushed. Rather than simply distorting the image, the compression reshapes the structure of the face, generating sharp highlights, deep shadows and dramatic tonal shifts across newly formed planes. The portrait becomes fragmented yet cohesive — disrupted, but still composed.
With A Silent Crescendo, the scale plays a central role. The larger format amplifies the physicality of the folds and increases the visual impact of the contrast. The crushed surface creates a dynamic interplay between smooth rendered skin and angular creases, allowing light to move differently across the work depending on viewing distance and position.
Where earlier works in the series explored fragmentation through tighter compositions, this piece expands the visual field. The portrait feels more immersive — bold from afar, intricate up close — reinforcing the tension between refinement and disruption that underpins the series.
At this size, the drawing becomes less about delicacy and more about presence. The result is a work that feels contained yet powerful, with intensity building across the surface rather than erupting from it — a quiet escalation that gives the piece its name.
- Year: 2026
- Size: 660x990mm
- Medium: Copic marker on Strathmore Bristol
- Hours: 73
- Buy prints: A Silent Crescendo | Fine Art Print
