abstraction in charcoal.

a make it quickly and wonder what it might lead to, not overly cerebral or based on anything in particular drawing from my abstraction class. What does it remind you of?

Sculpture, Framed

First creative act of the fall semester, in response to a Mixed Media assignment from Frank Hyder. The only parameter for the assignment was a single word, fusion, and that it had to be mixed media.

I tried to discuss the relationship between the canvas and the third dimension, and also between 2 dimensional and 3-dimensional art. I tried to fuse each component in each of these relationships. My answer to the problem was to suspend between empty stretcher bars long vertical drawings, two in vine charcoal, one in ink. I then tried to simlulate the shape and line in each drawing with three dimensional black thread. To avoid adding another element to the excercise, I used vine charcoal, the same I'd drawn with, wrapped within the thread to add bulk in the appropriate places. The wire on which the piece hangs is visible, in an attempt to make the conversation I'm having a little more obvious. Perhaps, though, that's too literal.

My other professor Moe Brooker suggested not limiting myself to the square, flattish format, and thinking about the spatial possibilities of such a discussion (fill an entire room with sculptural and flat lines, or, if I want it in the same plane, and entire wall). I'm inspired to pursue this further now. I think this will remain a study for something grander

Studio work

things I've learned at art school (sophomore year, Moore College of Art and Design)

Urbal

Urbal. A Sixteen-Panel Abstract Drawing. The whole process of making this work yielded an efflux of thoughts, streams of consciousness, rhythms, and discussions all surrounding issues of home and creativity. Because I was raised in Maine, moving to Philadelphia was quite the leap. I have experienced all sorts of tensions and contradictions that result from creating in such a foreign, busy, regulated, stimulating, and often overwhelming environment. With these drawings, I was asking myself these questions:

Why do I find myself at my creative peak in the midst of such a non-organic environment? How is this possible? Is it possible for an organic aesthetic to harmonize with that of the city? How can I slow down in this fast new world? How is my creativity affected when I get bogged down in the fast rigidity of the city? What life exists in the city? What structure exists in the country? What gets lost in the city, the country? How have both environments shaped and contributed to my artwork? My life?

While I did not find answers to all above questions through the creation of this series, I did make progress, and my art was much changed. Layers of work in the same space became the perfect method of feeling out my conflicts and never getting stuck in one mode of thought or a single answer/solution. I've found that my heart really lies in the process of layering drawings and materials in my art, and I've been exploring this direction since.