A selection of drawings by Los Angeles-based artist Hannah Motzel Brown. Brown studied illustration at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Working primarily with graphite, she offers an introspective analysis of domesticity and the natural world, observing a space between realism and fantasy. Brown uses reference images as well as her own memory and imagination to create highly detailed images that feel intimate, quiet, and reflective.

“I am constantly moving through life with an eye out for something beautiful—a light filled glass, a playful shadow, an interesting texture or vibrating pattern. Pulling these moments into the work animates the drawings with rich moments from life, inventing spaces and scenarios where I’m able to observe and reflect on the feminine experience. Additionally, working with graphite and in greyscale feels like a rewarding challenge—the payoff is huge for a very slowly built image. I like the binary of light and dark: pinning down the lightest and the darkest point, then inventing a whole world in between the two.”