The Exquisite Project

Last night, before the opening even started, folks were drawing on my art. I considered this a success as people in the co-working space where the art hangs grabbed the chalk and started decorating the pieces I'd put up. 

The Exquisite Project in context of the WeWork co-working common area, it sits next to the ping pong table. 

Inspired by the--you guessed it--Exquisite Corpse game made up by the Surrealists, I wanted to make a project that would engage people in fun drawing where they were somewhat unintentionally collaborating with me. I'd had the container of chalkboard paint in my studio since I found it on sale at my favorite art supply store (Artist and Craftsman Supply) and finally found the opportunity to use it when I was invited to show at this co-working space. So here sits this blow up of a couple of my doodles, cut out of wood and begging people to draw and redraw. I have asked folks to send their drawings to me from time to time, we'll see what happens. One man was overheard responding to my note beside the artwork "If we draw on it then we have to send her an email" and he walked away. Oops. Anyway, here are a few works in progress photos.

Exquisite Project in process

Detail of Puppet Guy in progress

And another detail... (thanks Joshua Kohl for sending me some details you added)

I love tracing

Am I supposed to admit to tracing? I have no idea these days. But that's, in part, how I got from this: 

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Tree Grid Displayed

...to this:

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Blister Tree in process

...To this latest work I made on my birthday and am still unsure about:

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Layered tracings

This was made with multiple pages of ink on glassine (a transparent paper usually reserved for putting between book pages to protect them). Glassine and ink take to each other in this unbelievable way, the ink sits on top and is as dark as can be. This is true of sumi ink anyway. I'm still struggling with the colored acrylic ink and finding inks that do the same thing. I'm also trying to figure out how much transparency I want. The layering is interesting because the composing can't all be seen at the same time, it happens in the layers and suddenly when it's finally together it's a whole other thing. 

As a very distractible artist, I have to decide if this is a new direction or just a temporary diversion. For now, I'll let it sit here and in my studio.

Negotiating with the Tool

I was recently asked by a new friend what I was working on. I said "I'm drawing the same drawing over and over again with only horizontal lines." He asked me if I had OCD issues and I was amused because that's about the last way I'd describe my artistic practice. 

Anyone who knows me knows I love playing with materials. I take classes, buy art supplies and collect ideas about how to do things that I've never done. What's harder for me is to focus, to repeat, to stay in place. In fact, it takes a lot of resistance to avoid sharing all the different ways I've been playing with materials here on my website. 

Then along came these "steel brushes." My friend Rob McKaughan gave them to me and I've been having so much fun with them working on the drawings you will find under my drawings tab. Partly, they are fun because they are unpredictable. I don't have complete control of whether I will get a full line the width of the tool or a series of thinner lines. That unpredictability reminds me of what I liked about printmaking. It's not me that makes the work, it's me and the tool. I have to figure out what the tool wants and what it will give in return. So far, that's horizontal lines. I've probably done 22 of these drawings and I'm starting to break the horizontal line rule more intentionally. We'll see what's next.