Sanctum, a charcoal drawing by Rob Harris of wolves gathered around their young

Sanctum

Wild Hearts. Wolves.

Charcoal on French cotton paper
160 × 113 cm

Original enquiries

A charcoal drawing by Rob Harris Art of wolves gathered around their young

Shelter is instinctive

Two adult wolves gather around their young, their bodies forming a protective structure.

Nothing has been drawn to create the heart.

It emerges from the relationship between them.

The adults face inward.

The young remain within.

Shelter becomes form.

Close up of Sanctum, a charcoal drawing of wolves by Rob Harris

Sculptural Presence

Charcoal becomes volume.

Though created entirely through drawing, Sanctum is conceived as a physical form.

The bodies overlap, fold and hold one another, creating a sense of mass and volume across the paper.

The wolves’ forms close around the centre, creating a natural sense of enclosure.

Light gives the forms weight.

Shadow gives them depth.

The drawing begins to feel less like an image of four wolves and more like a single protective presence

Close view of Sanctum, a sculptural charcoal drawing of wolves by Rob Harris Art

Scale

160 × 113 cm

Wild Hearts originals are created at museum scale so the work can be encountered rather than simply viewed.

At full size, the relationship between the animals becomes physical.

The drawing occupies space.

The scale creates presence.

Sanctum charcoal artwork by Rob Harris shown at museum scale

Look closer

At distance, Sanctum resolves into one quiet form.

Closer, the surface breaks apart into fur, texture, shadow and individual charcoal marks.

The work rewards time.

What first appears simple becomes increasingly intricate the longer it is seen.

Close-up of wolf fur, texture and charcoal marks in Rob Harris’s Sanctum

The Material

Charcoal on French cotton paper

Sanctum is drawn on museum-grade French cotton paper selected for its ability to hold fine marks, subtle tonal transitions and the density of charcoal required to build the forms.

The white of the paper remains visible throughout the work.

It is not background.

It is part of the composition.

French cotton paper used for Rob Harris’s Sanctum charcoal drawing

The Original

Sanctum

Unique original
160 × 113 cm
Charcoal on French cotton paper
Signed by Rob Harris & Georgia Harris

Original enquiries

Original Sanctum charcoal artwork by Rob Harris and Georgia Harris

Limited Edition

A strictly limited edition of Sanctum is available for collectors who wish to own the work without acquiring the unique original.

Each edition is produced on museum-grade paper, signed and numbered by both artists, and accompanied by collector documentation.

View editions

Limited edition of Sanctum charcoal artwork by Rob Harris Art

Wild Hearts

Sanctum is one work within an evolving series of fifteen.

Each work explores a different expression of connection, protection and belonging through the physical relationship between animals.

Explore Wild Hearts

six completed Wild Hearts artworks side by side