Adaptation

Gravity II

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

Self Portrait

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

Rooted #1

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

Adaptive Dance

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

Adaptive Balance

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

Adaptive View

Charcoal on Paper

36” x 25”

Skeletal Structure

Charcoal on Paper

30” x 23”

In this body of work, Gillies explores the world before her and the ways in which humans and nature alike both emerge from and adapt to their surrounding circumstances. She finds intimate connections—the twist of a spine mirrors the twist of a tree trunk. She also investigates the effects of gravity, which holds our destiny, pulling us slowly, inevitably back to earth.

Most of this series is rendered in powerful black and white; it is stark, arresting. Yet the addition of color in some instances only emphasizes the forces at work around us—forces over which we have no control.