Exhibition News: Drawing Connections

Charley Peters, Sliver (2011), Ink on Paper

The drawing Sliver (above) can be seen in the forthcoming exhibition Drawing Connections at the Siena Art Institute, Italy, from 24th September 2011. After the exhibition closes Sliver will remain in the permanent collection of the Siena Art Institute library.

Studio Views: Developing the Somnolence Series

Charley Peters, Somnolence (2011), Graphite on Paper

Studio Views: Work in Progress, Praxis Series

Charley Peters, from Praxis series (2011), Ink on Paper

(Above) Recent drawings from the Praxis series of systematic repetitive line works, drawn on a smaller scale than other work in the series and exploring shifts in line direction, bleed between masked areas and visual movement created through line positioning. These finished drawings are developed from initial diagnostic works in my sketchbook, which can be seen in an earlier blog post.

Somnolence: Lines in Space

Charley Peters, from Somnolence series (2011), Graphite on Black Paper

The Somnolence series of drawings based on intersecting lines is continuing to be developed in the studio. The example above shows the recent exploration of graphite on black paper to create a somewhat ghostly, semi-lustrous image, with asymmetric masking of the left and right sides of the drawing. Quick drawings in sketchbooks (below) suggest depth and viewing position through the proximity and position of the lines on the page, and illustrate the removal of tight masking from the upper and lower limits of the drawings present in earlier drawings in the series.

Charley Peters, sketches for Somnolence (2011), Ink and Marker Pen on Paper

Grids and Non-Grids

Charley Peters, Untitled (2011), Ink on Paper

Recent work in the studio has been exploring grids and the repetitive application of lines on and across such rigid structures. One example of these gridded drawings can be seen above, in this case successive straight lines are drawn in ink onto white paper. These drawings are still in development, but have led to further sketches where the grid is removed altogether (see below).

Charley Peters, Untitled Sketches (2011), Ink on Paper

In these works the formal composition of the lines on the paper becomes important to suggest movement and harmony between the elements in the drawing - especially in the later exploration of materials where the lines are applied in a variety of media. The final examples shown here employ graphite, ink and paint in the same drawing, on both mid-tone grey papers (below) and semi-transparent paper (not shown).

Charley Peters, Untitled Sketches (2011), Graphite, Ink and Paint on Paper

Drawing is the New Painting

'Drawing is closest to the original kernel of an idea. Drawing is private. Drawing is the trace of a unique human subjectivity. Drawing returns us to narrative but without objectivity. Drawing always connects to writing. It links directly to literature, it is always a fiction. Drawing is irrational and rational, done on both sides of the brain. Drawing uses the newest digital technologies. It creates a virtual reality. Drawing is the foundation of all art departments, so important that it does not even need a concentration of its own. Drawing is very valuable, and must be shown only rarely, protected by glass. The more minimal, delicate, and ephemeral, the more poetic and evocative it is. The more obsessive, the more expressive it is. The more monumental, the more paradoxical and contemporary it is.

Drawing is the newest oldest medium. Drawing is impossible to define.'

from Kurczynski, K. Drawing is the New Painting. Published in Art Journal, April 2011

Read the entire essay here.

Sketches: Praxis

Charley Peters, Sketches for Praxis Series (2011), Ink on Paper

The above exploratory drawings from sketchbooks illustrate some recent developments in the Praxis series of systematic drawings, using masking and angled lines to interrupt the drawn surface.