I am delighted to have been included in Ann Landi’s Vasari 21 article, What Is a Drawing? Part Three, recently. She has written about how our definition of what makes a drawing a drawing has changed over time. Part One was published in 2016 and discussed the latest iterations of drawing as more than line on paper, with several excellent examples of contemporary work that she feels pushes the boundary of categorizations. Part Two, posted in 2017, seemed to have come about so Landi could highlight new work that defined itself as drawing in new ways. The following year, the subject being nowhere near exhausted, she published What is Drawing, Part Three?
I’d been following the series of articles and was happy to chime in when she asked for opinions from artists, with examples on what constitutes drawing;
“I do many, many drawings and best enjoy doing trace monotypes, which involves drawing on the reverse of a sheet of paper, picking up the impression from a layer of paint. It creates a particular and nuanced quality of line I have found in no other way. I often layer these monotypes on to a panel. The title is from the color. Indigo is a plant-based hue and using it in all its complexity sometimes makes me think of frozen foliage. I’m inspired by plants and the forms and contours of foliage. I spend a lot of time as a professional gardener contemplating the intelligence and the adaptability of plants and how little we respect their contribution to our ability to live and breathe on this planet.”
I sent in this image, which is a trace monotype in oil and wax paint, mounted to a panel with encaustic. The drawing is made on the reverse of a piece of paper with is laid down on a plate. It’s usually a solid color, but I have been experimenting with pulling out the highlights and manipulating the paint into an image of its own before I start the monotype process. It’s almost two prints in one pull.
In any case, I highly recommend checking out not only all three What is Drawing? articles, but the other articles and the podcasts as well. And signup for membership to help support this valuable resources for working artists!
Indigo Ice, #4, 2018, trace monotype inoil and wax paint, mounted to encaustic on panel, 36 x 36 inches.
