When first viewing a drawing by Canadian artist Emily Copeland, you might think it’s a black-and-white photograph. Maybe captured on traditional film and then flawlessly developed in a dark room. But the reality is far more complex and all the more impressive. A master of the charcoal medium—of texture, contrast and light—Copeland draws antiques like rotary phones, balance scales and pocketwatches that look wholly real. Her drawings practically demand that viewers do a double take.
Perfume Bottle, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 31½ x 34" (80 x 86 cm)
She focuses on items that carry a deeper history, often scaling them up to sizes as large as five feet or more. “I find that there’s such a special aspect to anything vintage because it has that value and pricelessness on its own,” says Copeland. “I draw old vintage objects just to reach those memories of people who don’t have those items anymore. I don’t put a description on any of my pieces because I feel like everyone can find their own meaning.” Set against clean, white backgrounds, Copeland’s antiques are juxtaposed with a modern aesthetic.
“[Working in black and white], I feel like you can really make something pop on the page,” she says. “Charcoal was the first medium that really agreed with me.” It allowed her to continue working in dry media while obtaining the rich, black tones she had been searching for, ultimately creating works that are imbued with visual drama. “It’s the ability to take this vintage feel and put it into a modern context. You’re putting it on a plain white background, you’re framing it simply…I feel like it’s the mix between old and modern,” she adds. “When I first started drawing, not a lot of people were doing charcoal objects, and I found that was my niche.”
Emily Copeland with her piece Barber Chair.
Shoes, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 54½ x 36½" (138 x 92 cm)
The artist recently finished drawings of a barber chair, a small vintage radio, a retro perfume bottle and an old saxophone. The collection is an excellent example of Copeland’s grasp on textures, each item presenting vastly different surfaces to tackle. “[The saxophone] is a smooth, shiny texture that has a lot of contrast in it, so for me that was really fun because there are so many different little things to try to get the shine properly magnified,” she says.
The next drawing was a set of opera glass binoculars made of shimmering mother of pearl. “They were almost abstract to me, which was really interesting to draw. You have to get this abstract movement,” says Copeland, referring to the iridescent nature of the mother of pearl as it interacts with the light.
Telephone, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 50 x 50" (127 x 127 cm)
With the perfume bottle, Copeland was challenged with the task of capturing both the glass of the bottle itself, as well as the little bumps and divots on the bulb atomizer.
“The barber chair is old cracked leather mixed with some chrome with a flat surface, so just trying to bring that out. Always trying to make the piece stand out,” Copeland continues. “I try really hard to work with different textures and things that will challenge me.” She just started working on a drawing of a football from the 1920s. “It’s old and cracked but also lumpy, and I’ve never done that before.”
Bowling Ball, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 21½ x 23" (54 x 58 cm)
A slightly older piece, her 4½-by-3-foot drawing of a pair of men’s formal leather shoes is especially captivating. The artist captures the shine of the buffed leather and the weaving of the shoelaces in a way that feels as though one might somehow reach into the paper and pick up the shoes.
Copeland’s process begins with taking her own photos, which gives her the ability to choose the proper angles and manipulate the lighting in her vision. She might take hundreds of photographs, then takes them into Photoshop to continue making adjustments with things like exposure and contrast. She prefers drawing against a wall so she can step back to make sure all of the proportions and measurements are correct, then goes back in to create a detailed outline in pencil, and finally moves into the charcoal work. “Once the charcoal is down it’s down,” says the artist. She might use her eraser to smooth or soften certain areas, but you can’t really “erase” charcoal, she says. Each drawing typically requires more than 100 hours to complete, often spread over weeks or even months.
Binoculars, charcoal on Stonehenge paper, 31 x 38" (78 x 96 cm)
“Usually when I’ve finished a section, it’s finished. That’s what I like about realism, I always know when it’s complete. With abstract I can overwork it,” says Copeland. “You have to draw exactly what you see, not what you think you see.”
Copeland is represented by RJD Gallery in Romeo, Michigan. She currently lives in Langley City, British Columbia, Canada. —
See more from the artist
www.emilycopeland.com
Represented by
RJD Gallery, Michigan, USA, rjdgallery.com