The weekend before Thanksgiving I had my opening at a space in Claremont, I showed nine framed drawings. The lady who organized this, said ,of the opening "it was wildly successful" and it was. I met lots of interesting people, one of them, a geologist, talked about how difficult it is for some of her students, to recognize topography maps as the literal guides to the landscape , that they are. I suggested that she use clay or play-dough to see if they could come up with a three dimensional model of a part of a topographical map. As I was talking to her about my work, it struck me that I do my work in a reverse archaeology sort of way.
Let me explain what I mean, I start a drawing with the initial marks, then I keep adding layers, until all those layers are integrated. Those first marks on the paper look fresh and vital, as though they have been revealed in their perfection , along with the visual balance that occurs as the drawing progresses. This end result of the drawing is that each mark is revealed and is important to the finished piece. Its as though by adding layers I am discovering the importance and balance of every single piece of the drawing, reverse archaeology.
With the landscape that the geologist I talked to recognized from her map, there is also a layering, literally as rocks are formed by uplift and volcanic actively, but also by erosion and weathering. An archaeologist has a different set of tasks , to uncover civilizations that have been buried. It would be interesting to talk to someone in this field, to see if my supposition that its all about revealing what is buried. I can see clearly this accumulation of layering really in everything. This is the best part of showing my work, I get to talk to people who can give me so much food for thought.
