I confess it freely: I'm a traditionalist in many ways. One of the ways that shows itself is my the importance I place on fundamentals such as drawings. Drawing is crucial because, the visual artist, who has chosen to communicate through visual means must have a passionate, incisive eye. Like a student taking notes during a lecture, drawing creates a pathway between the external and internal worlds. Furthermore, a certain facility is necessary for effective communication. Excellent ideas that are poorly executed are, in the final analysis, of little value. I know full well that everyone has their own way of working, but for me, drawing is important. So, right after university, I dedicated myself to improving my draftsmanship. Initially, I planned to spend a few months focussed exclusively on drawing. That personal exile from sculpture and painting grew into a two year endeavor. I did it the old-fashion way: starting by copying casts and master drawings, and ending with untold hours in front of models. Now that work has paid off. Not only have I found many opportunities
to use those old studies for new works, but drawing is an ongoing lifelong
pursuit that reveals new things and opens new doors all the time. My
new relief series, for example, derives directly from drawing—they
are essentially drawings graven in stone. |
