by Marci Washington (Illustrator)

Marci Washington's artwork subverts Victorian gothic imagery into a contemporary visual language all its own. Flat washes of gouache and watercolor make up grotesque faces and distorted bodily forms that stare off the page into another dimension. With a muted palette of somber dark green, black, cream, blood red, and brown and gold hues, dismembered bloody hands and heads float suspended in negative space, while livid male and female figures in full gowns and uniforms collapse within rooms of floral wallpaper and glistening chandeliers. Marci Washington's imagery creates a world of hidden stories, bloody handwritten letters, ghosts, forest threats, poisoned drinks, haunted manors, barren winters and betrayal - and this dark world draws you in completely. For Forever I'll Be Here is an oversize monograph of recent work by this Oakland, California based artist - including a collection of paintings exhibited at Leeds College of Art in 2011.