This is mostly true, except I did not use any sort of water-based medium. The drawing is done completely in pencil – graphite and colored pencils.
“The content of the drawing is ambiguous. It resembles a landscape, an abstract grouping of trees, or an image of sediment or sand under a microscope, one individual even suggests a resemblance to a textile pattern. The varying widths of line create an attractive wavy motion on the paper. Seeing the artist’s hand in the making of the lines lends to the organic quality of the drawing. Does the artist want the viewer to express his or her own interpretation on the art? Is the line and the type of line the appropriate vehicle for representing the artist’s concept? At first I don’t notice the numbers along the bottom of the composition until another individual comments on them. Are the numbers meant to be part of the art? Do the numbers represent something in particular or are they just reference points for the artist? What happens to the piece if the numbers are not visible? The lines themselves capture the viewer’s attention and hold the space on the paper.”
Yes, the drawing is ambiguous. This much is intentional. Someone said the drawing reminded him of a textile pattern, which I found interesting because so much of the process of creating this drawing reminded me of weaving (particularly string tensions on a loom). To answer your question, yes, I would always want the viewers to express their own interpretation of the art. I see no point in creating art that is so concrete it leaves no room for interpretation.
Is the line the appropriate vehicle for representing my concept? Well, my concept was - simply put - to make barcodes by hand. I guess the real question here is am I finding what I’m searching for by making these lines? To answer that question, I think I would have to make more of these drawings. I see this work as an exercise in which I am developing a drawing formula.
The numbers are a part of the piece because I was copying barcodes, but they could easily be taken away. I think having them there is what made people think “this is a barcode”, but then again I can’t be sure because I didn’t really get to hear people’s thoughts before I found myself explaining my reasoning. The numbers did act as reference points as I was drawing, because I could see that if I stopped at the number 7, for example, I would simply resume drawing at the number 7. I think that if the numbers were not visible, people would not read the drawings as barcodes unless I titled them “Barcodes I: Items from the Studio”, etc. On the other hand, if the numbers were not visible perhaps it would deter people from thinking that I was trying to accurately represent a barcode. I wasn’t. I was trying to find humanness in the barcode. So, yes, I could get rid of the numbers.
“Upon further reflection of the artist’s comments during the critique and in the artists statement, the drawing is meant to be a representation of a bar code and an attempt to catalogue the artists relationship to certain purchased objects. At this point in the artists investigation the relationship between the drawing and concept does not appear cohesive or not yet resolved. Visually it is difficult to derive barcode or link the lines to anything other than an aesthetic exploration of space. Is the exploration of this specific concept still in the early investigative stages?”
Well, I was using barcodes as source material but not in the hopes that I would re-create the barcode. My intentions were not to realistically draw a barcode – if they were I would have used different tools. The point is that I did it by hand, and that my hand is still evident in the final piece.
I don’t know if I would say this piece is about cataloguing a relationship as much as other pieces of mine. I think if I said this during the critique, it was simply because I was not “in the moment” and seriously considering the significance of this work to me. I see this piece as a departure from this concept, in some respects. I think here I was trying to find humanness in the barcode. My concept wasn’t cohesive or resolved when I started drawing – if it was, what would be the point? I want to make more of these drawings. Yes, I am in the early investigative stages of this concept but in no way do I see this work as an aesthetic exploration of space. I think the colors are what might make someone think this, but I do not see this work as decorative.
“At the end of the critique the artist asked if she should create more of these drawings. Creating a series of these drawing would make an interesting series. Consider more vigorous investigation of how line and mark making can be used as a tool for recording, and how the act of recording can be a means of visual expression. Also consider the process of line application and scale.”
I intend to make more of these drawings. Dana suggested that since I did a piece using barcodes from items in my studio, I might make other drawings of barcodes from objects I find in other spaces in my life (bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, etc.). I can see some real potential in this.
I feel like the drawing process I’ve created for myself is similar to weaving. I do believe the act of recording can be a means of visual expression, and those are my intentions with this piece. These lines record my hand’s motion, which is invariably affected by muscle tension. In weaving, “tension” refers to how tightly the strings of the warp are pulled through the heddles of a loom – the tension must be perfect. The scale is such because the paper is about arm’s length, and physically as large as I could comfortably pull my arm from top to bottom.
“Artist Suggestions:
Sol Lewitt
Tim Bevington
Brice Marden
Danica Phelps – If there is an artist that I feel best represents what you are trying to accomplish, I believe that Danica Phelps would be that artist. She uses color and a method of mark making to record every day occurrences. The best example that comes to mind is a drawing made up of a method that she invented to record how she spent money earned from a home refinance (for example fun, home repair, food etc.) Look up her drawings. She has lately been doing sculptures but her drawings are more interesting conceptually.
http://www.danicaphelps.com/”
I was definitely thinking about Sol Lewitt while making this piece. In this piece I was developing a drawing formula that could be reproduced. I feel like there is a sense of irony in drawing a barcode, because barcodes are supposed to be “readable” to scanners. The imperfection of the hand-drawn line would not register.
As for all the others, I have to keep searching. I’m having trouble finding anything salient – all the images I’ve found are low quality and their websites don’t even contain artist statements. What, specifically, about these artists do you think would interest me? I feel like there are millions of people that have painted lines in the history of painting. I am not a painter, however, so where then do I fall on the spectrum of minimalism?
If I’m supposed to create a “family of artists”, this is it: Sol Lewitt is my dead grandpa, Yayoi Kusama is my eccentric, living grandma, Guy Ben-Ner is my cool uncle, Rachel Perry Welty is my soccer mom, Gabriel Kuri is my overachieving brother, and Chris Johanson is my next door neighbor.
Sol Lewitt
Yayoi Kusama
Guy Ben-Ner
Rachel Perry Welty
Gabriel Kuri
Chris Johanson
No comments:
Post a Comment