A few of my walnut ink drawings.

I'm trying to get the work in the flat files organised again. It was ok then not. I'm moving storage for smaller drawings ans long term storage to archival boxes. I have lots of smaller drawings like these that swim around in the flat files. I need to have them be more managable to store and show.

This is the beginning.

I'm actually looking to frame the small ones for a show/sale in November.

Today is the last day of soundings. There is something of relief and sadness. To stay engaged in the effort to have the show seen is exhausting. I'm happy to be over it. But having the work together forming this experience has been joyful and incredibly rewarding. 

To have made a larger drawing than I ever had made before. To maintain an engagement and work with two amazing colaborators has been enriching in every sense of the word. To have had a voice together and listen to it become more resonant with each day and conversation with viewers was amazing.

It is always difficult to make new work in the aftermath of hanging a show. The adrenalin has fallen, the body wants to sleep and the head is full of new ideas. It's just the hands that are unwilling. But now three weeks later I'm ready to get back to drawing. My head is full of ideas not of drawings but of marks I want to make and the processes I look forward to experiencing. It will be more experimentation with ink and tools that may or may not be unexpected.

I've decided to get the energy moving to make some new work. Right now too much finished work is in my flatfiles. I need to make space.

Today I went over to Artist & Craftsman Supply and picked up an archival box that can hold a series of 16 x 20 drawings. I'm going to start organizing some new portfolios. Now I'll be able to pull out a series to view and manage easily.

Getting work out where it can be seen isn't as easy as it sounds. Chosing where it should be seen is critical to the perception of the viewer.

What happened this past weekend was pretty amazing. I was invited to show my work by and with artists I respect. They have a show and sale every year near the holidays. It's been going on for years. This is the sixteenth. I got my work out there to be seen. 

August is turning out to be a wonderful month. I am pleased to share this interview by artist and writer Philip Hartigan for his blog.

Spent an amazing day in the studio yesterday working on new drawings. I purchased some new ink a week or two back and finally got to work with it. Sculptor Amy Ralston was making a studio visit and she turned into my assistant, what a luxury.

I set out to make nine new drawings.

Today I stared these drawings down.

Deciding to make some marks today — i pushed forward. Took out acrylic ink and made some new marks. I must admit that I played it safe by experimenting on only two drawings. One of each tonal fields. I'm happy with the dots created by using the dropper. The ink made little pools that hold a sheen. I'm pleased.

I started some new drawings today. The experience of starting this drawing has almost convinced me to look at making this series square. I haven't made any square drawings in a while but it seems where they want to go. It's the repetition. Too much in these rectangles. Now I'm waiting for this one to to dry. I'll continue and see what happens but at the same time I will look at what kind of paper I want to use for the square drawings.

I have many unfinished drawings at this point.
I'm patient. Something isn't right. I'll keep looking at them and they will reveal themselves.

I actually was able to get to the studio on Sunday. Often I'm so fried from the work week I do all the domestic stuff that day. But this Sunday was different. I hopped on the bus early and was the only rider to my destination; then walked the last mile. That gave me plenty of time to be in my own head.

After I climbed the flights to my third floor studio I was ready to get into my ritual.