Christian Halna du Fretay’s Flying off to Other Shores encapsulates a sense of exploration and transition, blending acrylic, colored pencils, and collage on shikishi cardboard. This shikishi artwork painting is an intricate interplay of texture, abstraction, and delicate figuration, inviting the viewer to reflect on the journey toward distant and unseen shores.
The composition is dominated by earthy tones—soft browns, muted reds, and subtle grays—interspersed with highlights of light and shadow. These layered textures create a rugged, almost geological impression, evoking the image of weathered landscapes or windswept cliffs. The use of collage amplifies the tactile quality, while colored pencil details add a whisper of fine, linear elements, enhancing the sense of movement and depth.
Amid this abstract terrain, a solitary figure emerges—a silhouette etched with dynamic lines, appearing to stretch outward, as if carried by the winds of change. The figure, perhaps symbolic of freedom or longing, gestures toward a vibrant, fiery red element that contrasts sharply with the subdued palette.
The abstract forms evoke the rugged beauty of far-off lands, while the interplay of textures and muted colors suggests the passage of time and the fleeting nature of such transitions. This shikishi artwork painting is further enriched by the use of shikishi cardboard, whose smooth yet firm surface enhances the delicacy and precision of the artist’s techniques, grounding the work in a tradition of refined craftsmanship.
"Flying off to Other Shores" - Shikishi artwork painting by du Fretay
Original one-of-a-kind artwork by Christian Halna du Fretay.
Collage, acrylique, pencil on Arches heavy paper mounted on a traditional Shikishi made in Kyoto - Japanese paper mounted on a cardoard with a golden border of metallic paper.
Size : 24cm x 27cm (9.4 x 10.6 inches)
Signed "Du Fretay".
