Artist Statement
These drawings are a return to large-scale drawing after 36 years primarily focusing on painting, with drawing contained in my sketchbooks. Sparked by a need to solve a problem in painting I took a drawing class to reacquaint myself with the mediums, tools and skills. I started looking at drawings being made by other artists. And then I started drawing on my own again in the studio.
These drawings started as very quick expressive drawings and evolved over time through a process of adding and subtracting graphite. I start with the action of fast gesture drawing, followed by patience in the process and my drawing skills as I try to pull a sense of place out of the initial chaos. Pencils, erasers, graphite putty and charcoal are my tools.
Natural landscapes and urban landscapes inspire my sense of place. Similar to riparian zones, zones between these two places are fragile lines that make me think. The fragile lines also exist throughout our days as too many of us walk around on this planet together. I find inspiration in those fragile lines in both our physical world, our social structure, and the challenges we face as we universally question the way we treat each other and our home.
