The last couple of days have literally been a case of getting my head down and making some work. I’m really excited by the drawings I’m currently producing and the language of the marks I am making is quickly evolving, no doubt in part due to the amount of drawing I am doing.
I have always felt that the most interesting results happen when I let go and become lost in the act of making. I wouldn’t call these occurrences ‘accidents’ as such, but they are definitely split-second moments where the unexpected occurs. There is always a certain level of control and I think (consciously or subconsciously) about every mark I make. However, ‘mistakes’ happen and usually these acts of unintentionality are the most exciting.
On the train back to London today I was reading MoMa’s ‘Jackson Pollock: New Approaches’. I’ve probably not read this book for about 10 years but it is a fascinating read. As with most books on Pollock the reproduction images don’t do the actual work justice, but the small black and white photos of grand pieces like Number 1A, 1948 sparked a few thoughts.
Pollock always claimed he could control the paint, famously declaring “NO CHAOS DAMN IT” in response to a Time magazine article on his work. There are hints of his all-over style in my drawing, but it is the exploration of the intentional and unintentional, particularly in relation to the final composition, that I find most interesting.
On another note, I also spotted an image of Carl Andre’s Lever at the back of the book. It is a collection of 137 firebricks laid out on the floor of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. When I got back to my studio this afternoon I experimented with perspex frames, with a view to displaying my 64 drawings in a similar way Andre’s piece on the floor. There was something quite analytical and inviting about this approach that I liked…
I’ll sleep on it!
