Robyn O’Neil
Castle Elementary

Talley Dunn Gallery
November 12 – December 17, 2017

In this new body of work, O’Neil has created twelve drawings with graphite and mixed media that range from small, immediate expressions to larger-scale, intricate drawings filled with groupings of mysterious symbols. Castle Elementary continues O’Neil’s renowned use of mechanical pencil to create vision-like drawings that recall forces beyond our control, often represented in waves and ominous skies. Inspired in part by Mayan creation myths and pre-Renaissance symbolism, O’Neil’s drawings present skies filled with enigmatic imagery that appears to hover just above the horizon. Works such as Menagerie and The Everywhere Citadel offer a collection of symbols within staircase-like boundaries, new worlds open for pondering. Combined with the sense of mystery and possibility in these drawings is O’Neil’s playfulness, both with language and form, evident in Words Were Not and Procession with Exits.