Monday, April 6, 2009

Drawings and Ideas


During a recent visit to my Aunt Cindy's she and I discussed the work that I have been engaged in recently. Our conversation steered towards the ideas I have for work that I have not yet complete. It seemed that each time I mentioned an idea or described my vision for a piece she would ask me the same question: "Have you drawn that yet?" In most cases my sad answer was "No."

Cindy is a jeweler and she trained as a print maker. Her education placed a strong emphasis on drawing. What she told me was that when I have an idea, a problem or challenge that I want to solve, I should draw it. There are a few reasons for this. One is that the drawing will act as a record for myself, an image that I can return to some day when I have the opportunity to act on the idea in my mind. Also, art is a process. If I draw the solution to the problem that is in my mind, I may solve it there on paper and be able to move on to a greater problem that my solution has opened up to me without using the valuable materials I build with; antique painted boards. Lastly, making a drawing can help to clarify the image that exists in my mind. By creating a drawing, I make an attempt at bringing the idea in to the land of corporeal images and objects where I can asses the effectiveness of my attempt at giving it flesh.
I returned from my Aunt Cindy's and began to draw again.

This last drawing served as an inspiration for me in creating Broken Line #8

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