Incense Workers Series - 4 by Alan Kilpatrick (b. 1963) depicts a singular figure in shadow, with some highlights of their upper face and the folds of their shirt visible. Their ruffled hair is also visible with the use of smaller flecks of charcoal spreading out from the head. The smudging of the charcoal to allow light to be built up around the upper half of the figure adds to the solemn feeling present in this piece through the thick layers of shadows.

Kilpatrick created this group of Incense Workers drawings by studying incense's base ingredients of charcoal, coconut shell, mud, and husk. He studied the daily struggles of incense industry workers in India and how they meet the increasing demands of the global incense trade. Kilpatrick here puts the focus on the workers and artisans whose practices and customs are increasingly in jeopardy due to rapid technological developments in India's industry sector. 

Alan Kilpatrick, born 1963

Alan Kilpatrick was born in Assam and has been living and working in Edinburgh since 1991. He graduated from London's St Martin's School of Art. Many collections own his work, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, The Bonham, Turcan Connell, and Hans Rausing.