The gathering of textured-surface materials begins with a walk in just about any direction. However, most of my walking is directed toward the dollar stores as plastic (unfortunately?
fortunately?) outlives mother nature. As much as I admire the bark, for example, from a highly sculptural tree-trunk, that material eventually breaks apart after repeated frottage experiments (and, can you see me rubbing away at a tree-trunk in front of passers-by?)
Some of the lowly, highly textured dollar store items that I have used are shown in this recent photo. They include: fly-swats, a plastic kitchen sink mat, the side of a plastic crate, sunflower, flamingo and butterfly garden stakes, and the "exquisitely beautiful" plastic lace. I have also used textures from not-so-lowly items, which include the carved surfaces from the backs of antique chairs (using a light pressure, of course), a black lacquered Chinese Coromandel screen (see photo), silver trivets, and a frenetically designed mosaic clay plate.
What to do with these items? Do the textures work individually or in a layered format? Which textures can be layered successfully? Shall I superimpose these textured images or arreange them in a patchwork layout? How many layers of texturing can be effectively deciphered?
At this point, I've begun a shift from making silhouettes of family and friends to the pairing of unrelated individuals. This opens up the scheme of things in that the use of textured surfaces no longer has to fit, even in a small way, the specific individual. Believe it or not, I tried to relate some of the texturing materials to the friends or family that I knew/know so well. (Example, plastic lace used extensively for a friend with a Spanish background, flower textures for her husband, an avid gardener.) Other somewhat realistic objects do appear in these drawings and are appearing more often. Presently, I am working on a 7' x 5' drawing of friends, a suggestion
of a village, and the interweaving and interplay of many textured fish images....? (See photo)
fortunately?) outlives mother nature. As much as I admire the bark, for example, from a highly sculptural tree-trunk, that material eventually breaks apart after repeated frottage experiments (and, can you see me rubbing away at a tree-trunk in front of passers-by?)
Some of the lowly, highly textured dollar store items that I have used are shown in this recent photo. They include: fly-swats, a plastic kitchen sink mat, the side of a plastic crate, sunflower, flamingo and butterfly garden stakes, and the "exquisitely beautiful" plastic lace. I have also used textures from not-so-lowly items, which include the carved surfaces from the backs of antique chairs (using a light pressure, of course), a black lacquered Chinese Coromandel screen (see photo), silver trivets, and a frenetically designed mosaic clay plate.
What to do with these items? Do the textures work individually or in a layered format? Which textures can be layered successfully? Shall I superimpose these textured images or arreange them in a patchwork layout? How many layers of texturing can be effectively deciphered?
At this point, I've begun a shift from making silhouettes of family and friends to the pairing of unrelated individuals. This opens up the scheme of things in that the use of textured surfaces no longer has to fit, even in a small way, the specific individual. Believe it or not, I tried to relate some of the texturing materials to the friends or family that I knew/know so well. (Example, plastic lace used extensively for a friend with a Spanish background, flower textures for her husband, an avid gardener.) Other somewhat realistic objects do appear in these drawings and are appearing more often. Presently, I am working on a 7' x 5' drawing of friends, a suggestion
of a village, and the interweaving and interplay of many textured fish images....? (See photo)
