Inspiration
This is part of a larger series of works that act partially as a maquette (study for a sculpture), and partially as a fictitious nods to the unknown (things from somewhere else).
Initial inspiration were drawings from Claus Oldenberg, the Christo’s, & Calder studies.
Oldenberg ‘Knife in Bruglingen Park’ 1992
Oldenberg was a complex figure. He was capable of composing great simple drawings that primarily focused on ideas for monumental sculptures.
Chritos - Umbrellas - 1987
The Christo’s would spend years fund-raising to support their enormous projects that would last for short periods of time.
To raise funds, they would sell their drawings like this.
Calder - Study for Mobile - 1934
Hmmm… maybe this is not quite in line with the Christo’s and Oldenberg. I just like looking at the technical drawings of Calder.
Method:
In my mind, every artwork goes through stages of refinement. Most of the time I try to drag an artwork beyond reasonable endpoints. Recently, I have been working outside with different materials doing plein-air art pieces. These are faster works that are mostly about mark making and compositions. This way of working was used to inform the direction for this work.
Conclusion:
I like this drawing. It was about exploring new mark making techniques and thinking about land use projects.
I think Palo Alto should support a world class sculpture garden. I feel like there was a start to one at the Baylands, but it sadly ended before it really got going.
Mainly, when I think about ‘Objet Etrange’ series, I’m thinking about a post-human landscape that is curated by some unknown force and seems to be an attempt to remember the idea of humanity by building objects that appear sculptural in design.
Direction: Click on an image. Use the </> buttons to view the development process.
