Details details

As I was sayin’, I decided to work on the wall today, to loosen up, to gesture big, and to remember why I draw. I’ve had an epiphany (again)... I guess I’d been away from big work for too long. I had no studio for most of last year and somehow it just got away from me. And now I see. I see. I see.
This kind of drawing is all about the time that I spend. And the surface of the paper that I stare at and work at and draw and erase and change and draw again. It’s about texture and underdrawing and hiding and revealing, creating and destroying. It’s about the PROCESS of drawing. It’s as if I’d forgotten everything. Yikes.
But I kept at it today and feel so, I don’t know, reborn. The entire piece measures 128” x 40”, on 4 sheets of paper. I’ve miles to go, but above is a detail of where I went today... materials are mostly brass rubbing sticks, wax and graphite. Doesn’t look like much? I agree, but it’s only the first day.
So, for contrast, I’ll include a detail from a more finished piece made over the summer. Just graphite and a little house paint. I remember feeling clear and intentional about working that day. The result is too easy...