Some graduate school assignments are given to expand use of materials, to produce unexpected results, and to reveal untapped aspects of ourselves.
In one assignment, we were asked to select two poems and make a drawing of each. One of the poems I chose was “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath. I stitched together two pieces of fabric along the center line, and stretched it by wetting and stapling it to the wall. Strips of canvas were painted with acrylic paint in white, grey, black, yellow, and burnt sienna. The pieces were glued to the canvas backing with matte medium. Image area is 31×19 inches.
ABOVE: Collage, initial ink drawings; charcoal on canvas; oil painting on wood panel, 16×20 inches; acrylic paint on paper
In another assignment we were asked to incorporate elements of artists we admire into a drawing of our own. I chose Daniel Kohn, who looks at Richard Diebenkorn, and Susan Lichtman, who looks at Velasquez and Matisse. The artist I chose to emulate who is dead is Richard Diebenkorn. I was told he used gouache rather than ink which made it somewhat easier to control values.
Inspired by RD, ink, 15×22 inches