Flynn Matthews Minnesota-based artist Melissa Cooke sprinkles delicate layers of graphite into a paper with a brush to create incredibly real portraits. She exposes this multifaceted exploration in Plunge (2012-2013), a series of hyperrealistic drawings based on snapshots that the artist took of herself swirling in bathwater.
“In 2012, I moved to New York City from Wisconsin,” Cooke says regarding her series. “Unaccustomed to city living, I am frequently overwhelmed. The bathtub has become a respite from this chaos, and a substitution for the calming comfort of Midwest lakes. Commotion muffled underwater. Submerged, I am in the quiet, weightless in a space of reflection.”
