Fate and Memory: Exchange of Fate

"The Exchange of Fate” portrays the fragile balance between survival and surrender. In the piercing gaze of the bird lies vitality and continuation, while the wide, fading eye of the fish reflects the quiet acceptance of life’s end. This moment, frozen in charcoal, reveals the eternal cycle where one life begins as another concludes. Art Technique: Realism with symbolic emphasis, achieved through layered tonal shading, fine line detailing for feather and scale textures, and controlled blending for atmospheric background gradients. Contrast is used to heighten emotional impact, with the eyes rendered as the central symbolic focal point.Medium/Material: Charcoal on Winsor & Newton acid-free 220gsm paper.Production Year: 2025. Artist Statement: In my charcoal work, I seek to investigate form through light and absence. Shadows are not just the lack of light but active presences—brooding, shaping, defining. Charcoal offers me a vocabulary of both control and spontaneity. I use vine char