studio update : March

Showing my work.

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about being more focused on showing some of my work. That means making sure I have images to post on my website. This isn't difficult for my smaller drawings I scan them and that is the best solution.

I was able to do this recently with my winter twins drawings even though they are on a synthetic, translucent substrate. I cut a sheet of Rives BFK Gray to use as a backing to make sure that the opaque white gouache wash could be seen. It worked well. Certainly as close as I am going to get to actual hanging conditions.

Now my new indigo-dot drawings are yet another adventure. The actual drawing is centered on a 22 x 30 sheet . There is very little contrast between the background color and the hand drawn graphite grid — it's the point actually. So the graphite is changeable under different lighting conditions; it shimmers, glints, or disappears. I'm not sure that scanning can depict that. I could see if they could be flatbed scanned I'm looking at options and pricing. I'll do at least one test.

The other option is photographing the work. That will give me the most options of lighting and exposure. It will also require some detail shots. I need to do some testing and then pricing for this option.

There are 18 drawings so it will be pricy.

 

Once documented — presentation.

Once the work is documented I can start figuring out how the work can be framed for presentation. So many of the possibilities I see require the work to be framed. Entering the work into competitions requires framing. The indigo-dot drawings are on printmaking paper. It needs to protected from moisture so it must be framed for presentation.  My most recent drawings can be framed behind lexan. No pastel dust to worry about being electrically charged and getting pulled to the clear surface.

The edge of the paper and it's relationship to the drawing and the framed edge are very important to me. Each is a border that articulates a different relationship between the drawing and it's place in the physical world. The drawing needs a boundary of quiet between it and the world.