Ambien, Preliminary Sketch, Sharpie on Newsprint, 18x24in.
At the start of April 2023, I began sketching like a madwoman. Sharpie on newsprint. Maybe I am addicted to the fumes, but I really like drawing this way. In my ongoing quest for authenticity in who I am now and where I want to go next, I have further adjusted my style and fine tuned my direction. I have always loved big clean lines. I love the terror instilled in me by the Sharpie’s permanence. I love big bright colors and the gendered properties of pattern. In all of these things is born my new process—which includes long sketching sessions, digital waffling and, finally, the act of execution upon a raw canvas—combining line, paint, and sometimes the truth.
I used to roll my eyes at artists who ‘filled up sketchbooks’ thinking it was probably a big waste of paper. “Save your ideas, distill them, save time and money through mental sketching,” is how I used to think and might again one day. But for now I will admit that I am turning into one of “them.” Thing is, I like to draw big. Teeny sketch pads don’t have the same ergonomic luxuries of big beefy pads—the kind that need to be put on the dining room table to be worked upon properly. Which is where I’ve been doing most of my preparatory work since this series began.
This October, I will be debuting selections from my new series in a three-person show at The Painting Center. Please sign up for my ~monthlyish newsletter via the contact page, or check back here for updates.