‘MEMENTO MORI’
So far, we have explored ink works, real or digital, that have been created using tattoo pens, digital styluses and pointillistic techniques. Yet what links many of these works, and ink works generally, is their style. Indeed, it is fair to say that the majority of artworks that are created using ink have dark and fantasy themed undertones. But why is that?
One apparently obvious answer is that ink, as we have observed earlier in this issue, is traditionally black (or lampblack I should say). Much like how a high tempo can bring cinema audiences to the edge of their seats (cue the JAWS movie theme song), black is a shade that is frequently used to evoke emotions such as terror and unease. After all, we humans seem to be inherently terrified of the dark, so it is perhaps little coincidence that we associate black with elements of fear and the unknown. The aspects of horror within Sabrina’s works here for instance are clearly enhanced by, if not founded upon, the black ink that she uses. Even her innocent pet portraits are seemingly imbedded with witch-like, gothic themes as a result of these dark shades. Though, is all this evidence that the use of black ink is guaranteed to produce such a style?
