Studio Views: Moiré Drawings

Charley Peters, Moiré Sketch (2011)

 See also:
http://www.charleypetersprojects.com/2011/08/sketches-rupture.html  and  http://www.charleypetersprojects.com/2011/07/sketches-rupture.html

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The word 'moiré' refers to visual interference patterns, which are created when two or more layers of simple dot, line, or grid structures overlap, producing an additional pattern on top of the original layers. Moiré patterns are often an undesired artefact of images produced by various digital imaging techniques, for example when scanning a halftone image, and is often an unwanted side-effect in printing processes.

The term originates from moire (or moiré in its French form), a type of textile characterised by a rippled or 'watered' appearance. In images, when two grids or series of parallel lines are overlaid at an angle, a similar effect is generated. The nonlinear interaction of the optical patterns of lines creates a visible pattern of roughly parallel dark and light bands, the moiré pattern, superimposed on the lines.


In a number of recent drawings from the series Rupture, I have generated moiré patterns through the layering of systematically produced lines. Generally speaking, instances of such visual disruption to images are generated unintentionally through the mechanical or digital processing of an image. As with all drawings rendered by hand, however, my drawings contain random deviations from a mechanically produced constant. Much of my recent work and research has similarly been characterised by such a dichotomy – the tension between the systematic and the uncontrollable, in both aesthetic and process terms, and references to the relationship between the mass-produced image and the unique object.

Charley Peters, drawings from sketchbook (2011)

TBC Artists' Collective: A Message To... Houston

Charley Peters, A Message To... Paul Neal 'Red' Adair (2011), Folded Paper on Wall

TBC's latest project, A Message To... Houston has now been completed and images of the installation of the works by myself, Laura Davidson and Beverley Bennett are now available at 12-pages.com.

My collaboration with Davidson was inspired by research into the firefighter 'Red' Adair. Davidson interpreted a set of instructions supplied by me relating to a series of drawings made from folded paper for the project (above), which are installed in my studio in London. On the 25th of August Davidson recreated the works in Houston, Texas, and scattered their subsequently burned remnants along the park in the middle of Heights Boulevard, which divides the lanes of traffic travelling across town (below). The work is the latest in TBC's ongoing exploration of drawing as performative, interventionist or documentary medium, moving the act of solitary mark making out of the studio and into a collaborative, interactive environment. For more information about the project click here.

Laura Davidson and Charley Peters, A Message to Paul Neal 'Red' Adair' (2011)

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