From The Archive, 3

From the Archive: Drawing 2

Another favorite that I posted to the archive last week during my somewhat massive portfolio website overhaul and update.   The drawings are still a bit dark, so I will be adjusting them and re-posting them as I get a chance.

Postcards to Siena

I recently sent three little collages to Siena, Italy in response to an open exhibition call by the Siena Art Institute.   They're made up of scraps of interesting paper and spills that I had been keeping for years, embellished with bits of odd sketches that I had also been saving.   While the show called for any work that's the size of  postcard, I couldn't help but think of the idea a bit literally by adding some text to the images.

Last check, the Institute had over 1000 submissions from around the world that will go on display and end up filed somewhere in their permanent collection.   There's a sweet irony to the thought that I rescued these little drawings from obscurity to only to have them lost and reburied in a new pile of work on the other side of the planet. Although artists often strive for solo attention,  this project better resembles the demographics of art-making in a global context.  Who knows---by today's deadline, these three might be tucked in amongst 10,000!

From the Archive....

As I was sorting through piles of drawings after the move, I kept coming across sketches I had liked once upon a time but had forgotten.  Out of sight, of mind.  More unforgivable to the contemporary artist, I had forgotten to document them.  In an effort to rectify the situation, I will be updating the portfolio website soon, and expanding the archives section to make it more comprehensive and easier to navigate. Yet, there may be a bigger problem---how many of you know there is an archive section?  I became aware of this issue when I was giving an artists talk earlier this Spring. Some of the audience was surprised at all the "new" [old] work I was showing, that they didn't see on my website.   Although my original intent in making the archive was to highlight the newest work in the painting section, it's a shame if all that not-so-old stuff falls victim to being too out of sight under that archives tab in the navigation bar.  So, while I am at work on new projects in the studio, I may post up the occasional oldie-but-a-goodie to get it out there.   

Mime Five

I've been thinking about the Mimes Studio especially of late because they are just finishing fours days of workshops and presentations.  Very sorry to miss it, and I've been wishing them the best.  Sounds like it is going very well.  To commemorate, I've begun work on a new mime drawing. If you're counting, the fourth one is still rolled up somewhere waiting to be picked up.  Better images may be a long time coming, so this composite will have to give you an idea of what the straight-on looks like:

Mime Drawings

Among other images updated yesterday were high resolution shots of from the Studio Mimow series.   You can follow the link to those as well as my 2007 artist statement about the drawings. I'm eager to get started on more drawings to flesh out the series, maybe another three for this summer....

Life Drawings

I conducted a demo in my Representational Drawing class Friday, drawing alongside my students.   We've been working with the figure for half the semester and I've been encouraging them to push out in different areas, media, and explore independent investigations with the figure.  My personal bias with drawings lately tends to be towards line.  My painting is very tonal and color-based, so I like the variety.  To discuss limitations, I took a planar/contour approach for the first hour pose.  Like my paintings, I let forms swell and contract and eventually clarify with more decisive lines rather than erase.  The second pose was also an hour, but I broke it into two drawings: the first a loose, gestural, contour, and the second was my attempt at a 30 minute value drawing with hatching.