Red = Green

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Parts and Labor: New Works

389 was made on a 4'x4' wood panel. Unlike 608, which expanded and grew organically through the drawing process, 389 had set dimensions. Using so many parts on a relatively small surface gave 389 an abstract composition of several areas of densely layered line and paper.

846 is my largest work to date. I documented the the drawing process so I could analyze and view each step more critically. Working on a larger scale, I felt obligated to work somewhat more slowly than usual, taking more time to consider each next step. Viewing it up close as I worked on it, and standing back and seeing it as a entire composition, gave me two completely different perspectives — as if they were different pieces altogether. Viewing the piece from a distance I could see where the lines needed to be directed, built, or removed.

389

crayon on newsprint on wood panel, 48"x48"

2013

846

crayon on newsprint, 104"x68"

2013

Process of 846

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Parts and Labor: 608

608 is the first of a new drawing series I am working on. The series focuses on the fundamentals of drawing and the process in which drawings are made. I experimented with making and combining compositions as well as many strips of paper to use as parts of the drawing. This approach of making the components of the drawing beforehand contributed to an atmosphere of distorted space and shape.

The process was developed after some observation of my own drawing habits. I found that I needed rules to restrict my thought process and slow my mind down. Without them my drawings would too easily become overworked and overdeveloped. These "rules" helped abstracted atmosphere and shape come together as a purposeful composition.

This piece was a continued exploration in joining pre-made compositions and strips of paper to create an image. 608 refers to the number of parts used to create this drawing—607 pieces and 1 support. A vertical layout created by joining and overlapping the parts adds a pixelated filter to contrast the crude, organic marks of the individual pieces.

608

crayon on newsprint, 81"x65.5"

2013

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Non-Colors: Using and seeing through color

The term “non-color” is what I used to explain to my 5th grade teacher what I saw when observing light through a prism. It was understood that I was colorblind and that my results would be different. These non-colors were impossible to describe, but I knew at least that what I saw differed from the teacher and the other student’s observations. This series is based on experiences of uncertainty in recognizing colors. Again I used a standard principle set of 12 colored pencils. I began by creating circle compositions of colored dots consisting of all 12 colors, in varying sizes. The compositions were inspired by Ishihara color tests, circles containing a hidden number or letter usually used to determine red-green color blindness. I wanted to create a complex color scheme of all colors to experience single colors next to other single colors as well as new colors when they would touch and overlap one another. These brightly presented dot compositions were very intense. I then added a layer of a single color on top of all the other colors in hopes of understanding the information in a somewhat monochromatic color scheme. I chose not to fully cover all of the colored dots in order to preserve and showcase the underlayer of color information that i was confused by and could not determine. Perhaps the actual experience of using color over color was more impressive then the final result. As I layered the final color over each composition, I could watch it take over and consume the original composition. These colors would then change, creating new shades or hues of colors. I knew that the act of layering one color over another would alter it, but many combinations often appeared unchanged to me.

Non-Color: Black

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Sienna Brown

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Blue Violet

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Grass Green

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Dark Brown

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: True Blue

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Orange

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Crimson Red

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Canary Yellow

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Violet

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: White

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Non-Color: Apple Green

colored pencil on paper 5"x5"

2012

Monday, April 2, 2012

Color Lines: An experimentation in using color and my visual perception

At first glance these studies appear to be a color theory assignment, or an attempt to create color swatches or paint chips like those found at hardware stores. I am colorblind. These studies have been an experiment in using color, and recognizing my own limitations and perceptions when using them. I generally make works in black and white or with a monochromatic scheme since my eyes can understand gradients and shades quite well. Color is a different issue. In the past when trying to use color my saturation levels were always off, or I would use a “wrong” color when thinking it was the “right” choice. I have always shied away from using color for fear of being “incorrect,” and the frustration of never knowing what the outcome truly looks like. This was an experiment—with no right or wrong—in using color and observing the way they change when added together. Some remained the same while others resulted in different shades of the original color used.

I used a standard principle set of 12 colored pencils. I used a single line format to systematically keep track of the colors used and combined. The base of each line consists of the same 12 basic colors; then a solid coat of one of those colors is applied across the entire line. I used colored pencils rather than paint because I felt that I had more control when over the application of each color, and that it maintained some of the integrity of each individual shade when layered instead of the pigments mixing together.