Roots

"Roots", 07-05-2020. 20,9 x 28,6 cm.

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The drawing giveaway project that I started recently is a good reason to draw more. It stops me from procrastinating and forces me to pick up a pen and start making art.  
The second drawing I started as part of this resolution turned out to be a tree. Before I knew it, the outlines of the branches and roots were already on the paper, and then I decided I was going to fill the entire thing with tiny shading. 

Start of the shading process

The drawing took me several days to finish and was a lot of work, although I did not work on it continuously. It was relaxing and intense at the same time to put my mind on blank and fill the tree with detail. I am happy I stuck with it, because the final result is better than I expected. 
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I showed the artwork to a few of my friends. One told me it reminds him of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. He was intent on buying it and I'm happy to say the artwork already found a new home. Another friend of mine associated it with Norse mythology: the tree of life Yggdrasil and the ravens Huginn and Muninn. Someone else commented on Instagram that it reminded him of the book "Krabat and the Sorcerer's Mill" by Otfried Preußler. A book I am eager to read now. On Facebook an acquaintance linked the style of the drawing to the style of the film "Le Planète Sauvage" drawn by Roland Topor. Coincidentally, this is a film that I mention in my book "Kamagurkistan" on the oeuvre of the Belgian artist Kamagurka (Luc Zeebroek). Topor was an inspiration for Kamagurka, especially in his early work.
My father was reminded of the poem "Mitleid hin und her" by Friedrich Nietzsche.

I took all of the associations as great compliments. I think some Game of Thrones inspiration might have sneaked in there as well. What does it remind you of? I would love to hear your thoughts.