This new drawing was inspired by my recent walnut ink drawings.

Where the walnut ink is subtle the acrylic ink I used for this drawing and a humber of others is not. Still there is an amazing variation of hue and intensity. This drawing and a number of others consist of 18 lines drawn and stacked on a single small sheet. This would fit in a   9 x 12 inch frame.

I often draw brown marks in the spring. These recent drawings are like little sticks. The drawing wants another mark. Something warmer? Not sure yet.

I arrived at the studio very early this morning. Made a pot of coffee and solved a couple construction problems.

Then it was time to clean off all the surfaces so I could take out sheets of paper. It's been weeks since I've had time enough in the studio to really work on anything brand new. I decided to take a look at some drawings that I had started as early as a few weeks back. This would help me get past the what do I do feeling that I get when I'm not focused on a particular project or series of drawings. It's like getting reintroduced to some long lost friends.

I returned to my studio after a full day to see the red and yellow drawings now that they were dry. I couldn't even make my coffee I had to look at them.

There is a profound difference when the ink dries — the result of the absorbtion. I'm pleasantly surprised. The marks are quite commanding with their little ripples and an occassional bubble. The transperency additive makes the brayer want to slide across the paper — the speed makes a different kind of visual texture and challenges my control to make the mark.

This week in the studio I worked on a three panel drawing I've been working on for a few weeks. This is in a new series that I have been making sketches for awhile. In an effort to test the limits of creating larger drawings by making a group of panels that are joined together. This first group of three panels create a very atmospheric space. I'm imagining more.

The entire drawing is made with colored ink and a single bamboo pen.

Starting a new series called 18 lines.

Each of these drawings will only have 18 lines. I began a test on a synthetic paper with graphite yesterday. The quality of the lines are what I was looking for, but the visual experience from a distance is not.

These are repetitive, meditative pieces a response to the sounding series.