Tuesday, September 14, 2010

PapergirlSF Art

These are images of the 6 pieces I sent to PapergirlSF - mailed them at 2pm today, and hope they get there on time!

These are the first 6 of my "Cells" series.


Cells #1 - Motion
#2 graphite pencil on Strathmore 400 natural paper, 11"x14"


"Cells #1 - Motion" was an experiment; I had intended to shade the individual cells to give it a "cobblestone", 3-dimensional look, but instead was intrigued by the fluidity of the lines - how the undulations draw the eye back and forth.


Cells #2 - Hopscotch
#2 Graphite Pencil on Strathmore 400 Natural paper, 11"x14"

"Cells #2 - Hopscotch" came about after trying to describe to a friend the childhood game of Spiral Hopscotch. When I showed this drawing to him, he said it reminded him of the stones set in rings around ornamental trees planted in the sidewalk.

Cells #3
#2 Graphite pencil on Strathmore 400 Natural paper, 11"x14"

"Cells #3" was my first experiment using the "cells" with negative space, and my first experiment with weaving the lines - interlacing the longer lines with the circular elements. To my eye this gives the work more visual depth.


Cells #4
#2 Graphite Pencil on Strathmore 400 Natural paper, 11"x14"


With "Cells #4" I put in some long filament-like lines that intersected at a few points, breaking the field up into sections of uneven sizes and shapes. These sections I filled with swirling lines, and then shaded the long intersecting filaments to keep them from getting lost in the visual storm.


Cells #5 - Waiting for Word
#1 Graphite Pencil on Strathmore 400 Natural paper, 8"x10"


"Cells #5 - Waiting for Word" is a bit of a departure; it is done on smaller paper, and I went back to weaving the lines in one section, while using the spiral elements again. I also used a softer pencil. The title for this piece derives from the fact that I completed a large section of it while in a hospital waiting room with my sister, while her husband was in the ER.


Cells #6 - Earl and Fiona
#1 Graphite Pencil on Strathmore 400 Natural paper, 8"x10"

"Cells #6" derives its subtitle - "Earl and Fiona" - from the pair of hurricanes that were active in the Atlantic at the time I was working on the drawing. While I did not consciously set out to depict the storms, the dual cyclone images - one neater, the other a little lopsided - do in a general way reflect the two hurricanes, one of which (Earl) was tightly wound and strong, the other (Fiona) never really was well-formed. This drawing also features a lot of interwoven elements.

When I first thought of contributing these pieces to PapergirlSF, I thought it would be good to copy the drawings and add some color - multi:


...or monochromatic, as in browns...



...or grays...

But as I worked on these variations, I found that the pieces looked better to me as black and white. I have started work on a seventh "Cells" drawing; I will post an image of that at a later date.


First of many, I hope

I am contributing some artwork to PapergirlSF (papergirlsf.com) this week, an art event in San Francisco about which my friend Tony told me. Anyone, anywhere, can send in any art - paintings, drawings, writing, magazines, poetry, even textiles and unframed canvases - as long as it can be rolled up like a newspaper. Volunteers then package the art, mixing the pieces sent by the various contributors, and roll them up in bundles, and hand them out to random people in San Francisco. It's a free distribution of art of many kinds. Some will be appreciated, kept and collected; some will wind up in the trash, or blowing lazily along the dusty city streets.

I am contributing copies of some of my abstract pencil drawings - meditative designs I call "Cells", because they were originally inspired by microphotographs of plant cells. A fellow who saw the drawings yesterday said they looked like paving stones; I have been told they'd make good mosaics or even stained glass designs (if scaled up considerably).

I hope to start an Artspan account in the near future, when I have a chance to take decent photos of my works; in the meantime, this blog will serve as my temporary online gallery. Later today I will post photos of the drawings I am sending to PapergirlSF.