Offline

This piece, titled Offline by Trudy, measures 16 x 20 inches and is created using soft pastels, ink, and colour pencil on mixed media paper. Inspired by her friend's life as an influencer, the artwork gently explores the emotional weight that can lie behind the content we often see online.

The composition is striking in its simplicity. She is shown in profile, head bowed slightly, eyes closed caught in a private moment of release or reflection. Her expression is peaceful, but not entirely light; it suggests solitude, introspection, even a quiet weariness. There is a feeling of retreat from the noise of the outside world.

Offline by Trudy C. T. Phillip

The soft pastels conjure a dreamlike atmosphere, where cool shades of blue, violet, and teal flow seamlessly across the background and the contours of the skin. This fluid blending enriches the emotional tone of the piece, evoking a sense of quiet contemplation and, at times, gentle detachment. The skin appears almost translucent, lending the subject an ethereal quality, as though she exists somewhere between presence and absence.

The detailing is refined but never rigid. Her curly black hair is rendered with a mix of free, inky lines and carefully placed highlights. A few tiny flowers rest quietly in her hair, delicate and almost hidden. Her features are finely drawn, particularly the closed eyelid and softly pursed lips, where pastel and pencil work together to suggest both structure and vulnerability.

There’s a quiet power in the downward tilt of her head, as though she is unplugging from the world — choosing silence if only for a minute. The title Offline frames this act not as escape, but as a necessary pause. In a time when visibility can feel constant and demanding, this work reminds us of the grace found in withdrawal, in stillness, in simply being.

Through subtle techniques and a thoughtful blend of materials, Trudy gives us more than a portrait. She gives us a moment — one that feels deeply personal yet widely relatable. The piece invites the viewer to slow down, to breathe, and to consider the interior life that often exists behind the screen.