Turned a Corner. 22x30. Colored pencil, acrylic gouache, collage on Rives BFK. 2014.
I just made this drawing and thought it might make a nice wallpaper, so here are some files you can download. And if you like to read stuff about stuff, there's more stuff after this.
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I've been making a lot of lists lately. I've always liked them, but they are starting to seem essential lately. I probably have at least 10 active lists going. Three or four in the kitchen, one by my computer in my studio, a few on my phone, some in my sketchbook, and then all the ones in my head that I haven't written down yet. Most of them are mundane things or big things that need to be done to get ready for our next baby. Like shopping for a minivan since we will have three kids in car seats soon. And getting more celery. And finding the play food I bought for our daughters a year and a half ago. Could be anywhere in the towers of boxes lining the edges of our basement.
It might be nice to make some lists that are less pragmatic now and then. For instance, yesterday happened to be a great day to hear songs I actually like while running errands. I'm not the snobbiest of listeners, so it wasn't really about taste as much as nostalgia, and hearing those songs connected my past with my present in an inspiring way. I heard a lot of songs that I have 'history' with. So, one idea for a non to-do list might be to write down all those songs that I can remember from yesterday and put them on a playlist. And maybe make some notes about the songs. It might be fun to share with my kids one day.
I digress. My biology teacher in high school used to say that a lot.
Here's a list of things about this drawing that might be interesting to some of you:
1. The lines that look like fold lines are from tiling multiple scans together. I have a regular letter size scanner, so if I want to scan a big image I tile everything together. My scanner is from the year 2000. This whole process feels very dated, but I haven't found a better solution yet if I want a super crisp image of my image right this second. I left the shadows because I liked them on this piece. Its digitally enhanced I guess.
2. This idea came to me in a way that felt very immediate and spontaneous. However, I think I am at the point creatively where ideas that feel immediate and spontaneous have been stewing for a while. To extend the cooking analogy: the ingredients have been in my imaginary pantry for a while, and now and then a new concoction turns up using the same old stuff.
3. I love drawing on paper. Its like a favorite pair of sweatpants. So comfortable. Especially right now for some reason.
4. There is something about the spatial illusion in this drawing that I really love. It feels flat, yet dimensional at the same time.
5. I'm not sure about the lower right corner.
6. I like that there is a lot of breathing room in this piece. It probably reflects the sense of relaxation and refuge I feel when I'm making images at the moment. There is a lot of stuff and noise and detail and busyness around me at the moment, and I'm learning to let my work be a form of relaxation.
7. I might add this image to an online sale that might happen before my baby is born. I will make announcements here and there online if that is the case.