This piece is part of my fine art collection, with a theme centred around phobias. This is the fourth of four pieces showcased on my portfolio. 

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This is a drypoint print directly confronting thanatophobia - the fear of death - through the imagery of a human skull. The bold skull dominates the composition with its hollow eye sockets and grinning teeth. I used drypoint printmaking technique to render the skull with loose, gestural mark-making that gives it an unsettling, almost animated quality. The vibrant blue paint surrounding the skull creates a dramatic contrast, suggesting the suffocating nature of death anxiety. The energetic, scratchy linework characteristic of drypoint reflects the chaotic emotional response that death-related fears can trigger. I scratched paint away across the composition to add a sense of unease which is hard to avoid.