Tension and Truth, 11x14 inches, crayon and watercolor on brown Rives BFK, by Kenney Mencher
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
Tension and Truth is about that moment where gesture and feeling collide. The pose is tight, muscular, and drawn inward—the figure’s pulling on fabric with a kind of physical resistance that feels symbolic. Is it restraint? Is it release? I wanted the body to tell that story without spelling it out.
This was done with crayon and black watercolor over brown-toned Rives BFK, which has a soft, fibrous surface that picks up dry media beautifully. I layered white crayon to build up the highlights, especially across the chest, shoulders, and forearms. The lighting in this one is almost theatrical—a strong light source from the upper left carves out volume and makes the whole figure glow against the paper.
I emphasized anatomy through linework and hatching—around the ribs, the obliques, the flexed bicep. The texture from the crayon lets those lines stay rough and energetic, while the watercolor fill ties it together with smooth tonal shifts. The palette is warm and earthy, but limited—just brown, black, and white—which keeps the mood focused and grounded.
There’s a bit of classical influence here—like those Renaissance or Baroque red-chalk figure studies—but the emotion is modern. I think this one might make viewers feel introspective, maybe even vulnerable. The word RESIST written in the corner wasn't an afterthought. It’s layered meaning: personal, political, physical. This is one of those pieces that lives at the edge between figure study and statement.
Details:
Materials: crayon and black watercolor on brown Rives BFK
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed; ships flat in a protective sleeve
Ships in a rigid mailer
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
Tension and Truth is about that moment where gesture and feeling collide. The pose is tight, muscular, and drawn inward—the figure’s pulling on fabric with a kind of physical resistance that feels symbolic. Is it restraint? Is it release? I wanted the body to tell that story without spelling it out.
This was done with crayon and black watercolor over brown-toned Rives BFK, which has a soft, fibrous surface that picks up dry media beautifully. I layered white crayon to build up the highlights, especially across the chest, shoulders, and forearms. The lighting in this one is almost theatrical—a strong light source from the upper left carves out volume and makes the whole figure glow against the paper.
I emphasized anatomy through linework and hatching—around the ribs, the obliques, the flexed bicep. The texture from the crayon lets those lines stay rough and energetic, while the watercolor fill ties it together with smooth tonal shifts. The palette is warm and earthy, but limited—just brown, black, and white—which keeps the mood focused and grounded.
There’s a bit of classical influence here—like those Renaissance or Baroque red-chalk figure studies—but the emotion is modern. I think this one might make viewers feel introspective, maybe even vulnerable. The word RESIST written in the corner wasn't an afterthought. It’s layered meaning: personal, political, physical. This is one of those pieces that lives at the edge between figure study and statement.
Details:
Materials: crayon and black watercolor on brown Rives BFK
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed; ships flat in a protective sleeve
Ships in a rigid mailer
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
Tension and Truth is about that moment where gesture and feeling collide. The pose is tight, muscular, and drawn inward—the figure’s pulling on fabric with a kind of physical resistance that feels symbolic. Is it restraint? Is it release? I wanted the body to tell that story without spelling it out.
This was done with crayon and black watercolor over brown-toned Rives BFK, which has a soft, fibrous surface that picks up dry media beautifully. I layered white crayon to build up the highlights, especially across the chest, shoulders, and forearms. The lighting in this one is almost theatrical—a strong light source from the upper left carves out volume and makes the whole figure glow against the paper.
I emphasized anatomy through linework and hatching—around the ribs, the obliques, the flexed bicep. The texture from the crayon lets those lines stay rough and energetic, while the watercolor fill ties it together with smooth tonal shifts. The palette is warm and earthy, but limited—just brown, black, and white—which keeps the mood focused and grounded.
There’s a bit of classical influence here—like those Renaissance or Baroque red-chalk figure studies—but the emotion is modern. I think this one might make viewers feel introspective, maybe even vulnerable. The word RESIST written in the corner wasn't an afterthought. It’s layered meaning: personal, political, physical. This is one of those pieces that lives at the edge between figure study and statement.
Details:
Materials: crayon and black watercolor on brown Rives BFK
Size: 11 x 14 inches
Year: 2025
Unframed; ships flat in a protective sleeve
Ships in a rigid mailer
