“Sweet Face”
Oil/panel
10” x 7”
2008
What makes a drawing a drawing and not a painting?
Like all classifications, these distinctions are somewhat arbitrary. But I think in this case it’s somewhat useful.
A drawing is made with lines. And as such usually has more intentionality and forethought. A painting is made with spaces or patches and is generally more exploratory and less predetermined.
But sometimes none of that is true.
In this case, the image was created with both line and paint. Intentionality and exploration. The paint was applied first as a random slash of paint. Then gravity took hold and it ran down the surface crenelating over the texture of the ground. Then, while it was still damp, a face was drawn in with a line creating the head and then the features. Some blending happened on its own because the paint used to make the lines was wet and the paint underneath it was wet too.
An argument could be made that this is a painting.
Ok.
Whatever.
Studies for a Monument
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
This is a study for a monument I built for the 2009 Erotic Art festival in Seattle. Well, I built a monument but I never created the best part, the figure on top. Instead, I accidentally anticipated the selfie movement to come by creating an elaborate pedestal with no sculpture and instead encouraged guests of the festival to climb up on it and have their picture taken.
And they did. A lot.
I dismantled the whole thing after the festival because these kinds of things are difficult to store and because I wasn’t crazy about the quality of 2 of the painted caryatids on the sides. Two of those have survived but the other two were painted over.
The idea was for a monument to celebrate orgasm. And specifically to feature the moment one’s body surrenders to the convulsions of energy and pleasure that move during a full body orgasm. The rays of of energy shooting out from the figure were meant to be made of brass and represent the sensation of energy shooting out everywhere in these moments. They would also suggest piercings to some which also works for me. The idea of energy piercing the body in a kind of pain/pleasure dichotomy is actually an even more profound reality for me.
The figure was going to be cast plaster left white.
Ah yes….so many great ideas.
The drawings that follow this one on this website are studies I did to prepare for the figure. They were done from life from a woman who modeled for me. She later became a professional nemesis of mine because of an unfortunate set of events that my inexperience played a part in. But I nevertheless had and still have immense respect for her.
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2009
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
Pencil/paper
8.5″ x 11”
2007
