Spaces

I did this a couple of years ago as an assignment in my Drawing II class.

First, we drew small graphite sketches of various indoor things--light switches, sprinklers, doorknobs, ceiling tiles, the wall in a corner, underneath a counter top, etc.--and then we cut those small sketches out of our sketchbooks. We then picked a few of the sketches that we especially liked and collaged them onto a larger piece of paper; from there, we used the collage as a reference for a charcoal drawing, but we had to find ways of connecting or integrating the elements so that they formed a whole (rather than just being a charcoal drawing of a collage of separate images).

So...that's how "Spaces" was born. All the elements in it are from my old apartment, including the tile in front of the fireplace, the architectural molding around the fireplace, parts of the carpet and walls, an air vent, and a light switch. Many of the other students tried to integrate their collages together into something resembling an actual scene, but I chose to go in a more surreal/abstract direction. I really like how this turned out--my favorite part is the texture I got on the tiles.

Spring 2006, charcoal pencil and vine charcoal on drawing paper.