September 04, 2004
September 03, 2004
September 02, 2004
September 01, 2004
August 31, 2004
1,000 Li (Blue & Green) 1-9, Set II
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| 1,000 Li (Blue & Green) 1-9, Set II, August 2004, watercolor,
pencil & ink on Crane's acid free archival thesis paper, 11 x 8 1/2" (scanned) |
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The making of these drawings is the same as described for Set I.
August 30, 2004
1,000 Li (Blue & Green) 1, 2, 3
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| Untitled (Blue & Green) 1, 2, 3, August 2004, ink on Strathmore 80 lb drawing paper, 10 x 8" each (scanned) |
August 29, 2004
1,000 Li (Blue & Green) 1-6
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| 1,000 Li (Blue & Green) 1-6, Set I, August 2004, watercolor,
pencil, & ink on Crane's acid free archival thesis paper, 11 x 8 1/2" (scanned) |
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I started these six drawings in Occidental as part of an original group of fifteen. They continue the use of the late Song blue and green colors, specifically from the painting "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains (detail); the yellow is in response to the aged paper or silk supports of the paintings of this era. Each drawing began with a centered ruled vertical pencil line spanning one half to two thirds of the sheet, and each has several passes to build up small fields and gestures of liquid color, while allowing for drying between layers.
These drawings were a search for something. They were difficult to do. Size, color, a pencil line, and the idea of a series were givens, but otherwise I didn't know where these were going. At several points I reached dead ends, not knowing where to go next. After several layers of color and added pencil I suddenly decided to try laying a black structure over parts of the colored areas. These six drawings use the black lines as a kind of framing. The other nine drawings, which I'm treating as a separate set, aren't "framed" by the black, but instead have a quirkier drawing that enlivens the structure intimated by the colored areas. I'll post those tomorrow.
The use of blue and green in the Chinese paintings can almost border on kitsch: too rich, too beautiful, too much a device. These six drawings still retain the landscape feel, while turning almost into stained glass, reminding me of pieces I've seen from early 20th Century California (image, page).
