Red = Green: Seismographic Drawings: Amtrak

For the past few weeks I have been traveling back and forth between San Luis Obispo, Sacramento and San Jose visiting friends and eating good food. I did a few experimental drawings on the train ride up from SLO to San Jose. Lately I've been inspired by the work of William Anastasi, in particular his subway drawings. On the train I sat in a straight upright position making sure my back was not touching the seat back. With my sketchbook on my lap I held a pencil in my right hand resting gently on the paper and as the train moved its movements would be recorded though the pencil. This created a sort of seismographic scribble drawing, a visualization of a distance traveled. I did each drawing from station to station. I tried this process with my left hand as well as both hands at the same time. Each drawing was a continuous contour line composition of scribbled marks going left and right, these horizontal lines are all of the turns the train makes, the more condensed and darker areas records when the train is traveling straight. the long vertical lines are of the train stopping as it arrives at a destination. I like the idea of creating drawings with random and instantaneous methods. for me it gives the art more of an honest interpretation of what that art should look like, negating any artists style that may jeopardize or change the marks being made. Through this experiment I made the artist become the instrument, I felt this practice removed all stlye and skill from the artist a sort of a cleansing feeling. More to come.