Within the large-scale drawings on view, Bess takes an approach akin to jazz improvisation. By beginning from a single mark on paper sprung from free association, a multi-paneled universe is forged. Bess approaches the work as a form of meditation where images are allowed to be born, morphed, or be held without consequence; to create a singular expression in its totality. The artist fills his drawings with details culled from cultures of Asia, baroque ornamentation, and bursts of flowering vegetation. In a style that Bess coins as naturalistic abstraction, the results appear to be suspended microcosms, brimming with a life of their own.
Lieutenant Myrtille (Hommage a Jean Giraud), 2016-2017
Mixed media on forty-four panels of paper
Framed: 84 1/4 x 148 7/8 inches
Black Saddhu, 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
Le Centaure, 2016-2017
Mixed media on fifteen panels of paper
Framed: 102 4/5 x 44 1/2 inches
Crazy Horse, 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
$12,200 - Sold
Out in the Blue, 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
Haiku, 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
L'Ancêtre (The Ancestor), 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Page Size: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
Le Chemin de l'Homme (The Path of Man), 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
$12,200 - Sold
Le Cri de Munch (The Scream of Munch), 2016-2017
Mixed media on six panels of paper
Framed: 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
Frankenstein Page #8, 2021
China ink on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 3/8 inches
Frankenstein Page #143, 2021
China ink on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 3/8 inches
Frankenstein Page #175, 2021
China ink on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 3/8 inches
$2,200 - Sold
Frankenstein Page #43, 2021
China ink on paper
Page Size: 17 x 12 inches
Frankenstein Page #54, 2021
China ink on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 3/8 inches
Frankenstein Page #88, 2021
China ink on paper
Page Size: 17 x 12 inches
Frankenstein Page #97, 2021
China ink on paper
Page Size: 17 x 12 inches
Frankenstein Page #114, 2021
China ink on paper
Page Size: 17 x 12 inches
Frankenstein Page #117, 2021
China ink on paper
Framed: 17 x 12 inches
Bram Stoker Dracula, pages 60-61, 2018
China ink and gouache on paper
Framed: 26 3/5 x 33 1/2 inches
Bram Stoker Dracula, page 63, 2018
China ink and gouache on paper
Framed: 24 x 19 1/2 inches
$3,400 - Sold
Lama Blanc / The White Lama- Page 46 Tome 4: “La Quatrième Voix”, 1991
China ink, colored ink, gouache on paper
Framed: 29 1/4 x 22 3/4 inches
Lama Blanc / The White Lama- Page 24, Tome 5: “Main Fermée, Main Ouverte”, 1992
China ink, colored ink, gouache on paper
Framed: 29 1/4 x 22 3/4 inches
Lama Blanc / The White Lama- Page 25, Tome 1: “Le Premier Pas”, 1988
China ink, colored ink, gouache on paper
Framed: 25 x 21 inches
